Capitalism fails.

Editor,

I am old and live in the US, so even if the whole Fukushima Daiichi plant falls into the sea or spews itself into the atmosphere, I will probably not be around long enough to be affected by it too severely.

But worst case, all that nuclear waste loose in the oceans or the air, and the young people on this planet will be experiencing cancer and birth defects for hundreds of years to come on a pandemic scale. Every day the news is a little worse, the radiation limits that do not affect health a little higher, just like with the BP oil spill.

What is the solution?

If we survive this, and that is a big if, I propose two policy changes going forward: (a) stop squandering enormous amounts of energy but treat the planet as a sacred place and the phenomenon of life as a mystery to be appreciated; (b) tax rich people proportionately to their incomes and use the money to provide infrastructure, education, and health care for all.

This nuclear crisis, the BP oil spill, the financial meltdown, the wars, are all symptoms of the failure of laissez-faire capitalism. Economic democracy and a government that governs are the only hope for the human race.

Re: "Contaminated Water Escaping Nuclear Plant, Japanese Regulator Warns" (3/29/2011)