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I've a member of a labour union and I've been involved in choosing our group medical insurance. The gentleman from Blue Cross says that there is a great deal of competition for medical insurance in Oregon. That's true in the sense that there may be several companies with prices that may vary by as much as $ 100 a month. That is competition - but if it costs the empoloyer $ 1500 to $ 2000 a month for coverage, they cannot afford to purchase the insurance.

The hope is that a government sponsored health plan will bring down the basic cost of insurance by a significant amount - not just 10 or 20 dollars.

posted 3 years, 8 months ago
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I spent four years in the United States Navy. As a non-destructive test technician, I was trained in the use and handling of gamma ray radioactive sources. I spent two years aboard the nuclear powered carrier Nimitz. I became very interested in radiological accidents.

While I am not against nuclear power, per se, I am concerned because every serious nuclear reactor accident that I've studied, whether it was the SL1 accident, Three Mile Island, or Chernoybol, all of them, were not caused by design or equipment issues, but by human error.

These accidents were caused by worker fatigue, not following procedures, not beleiving instruments, bypassing safety equipment, unauthorized research, or pushing the reactor beyond its limits.

My fear is not the reactor, as they are designed to operate safely, it's the companies and people operating them.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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