THE LIBERTARIAN CONVERT

Alas, our agreement with His Messianic Divinity is shortlived. For what the new bill proposes is not getting government into the nuclear business, but out of it even if slowly and imperfectly. Price Anderson, like other aspects of nuclear power, is simply being twisted into a scarecrow with which to incite people against the "concentrated corporate state" Naderese for the free enterprise system.

Among all the government meddling, price controls, Postal Service, CAB, ICC, and other taxpayer rip-offs, insurance by the Price-Anderson Act is one of the least objectionable: It costs the consumer ot electric power (via the price of electricity) no more than if all of the coverage were private, and it costs him nothing in direct or indirect taxes.

And there is another point that the illustrious graduate from Harvard Law School never mentions: If Price-Anderson were to expire in 1977 (as it might if HR 8361 is defeated), its coverage would continue for all plants now operating or licensed before the act expires, for the coverage is good for the life of the plant (in certain cases 10 years beyond that). The implication that nuclear power can be killed off by repealing the Price-Anderson Act is merely more Naderite truthfulness.

The distortions, omissions and the rest of the hullaballoo about Price-Anderson by concerned consciousness-raisers is not surprising. By opposing the safest form of power generation, they callously disregard human lives and public health. Why should they be less callous about property?