Lots of Tragedy in the U.S. Economy, a Great Deal of Which Is a Gross Misunderstanding of the Fundamentals of the Energy Industry
There are lots of terrifying aspects of the Trump presidency. But while terror may be the deepest emotion, sadness is probably broader, reaching, as it does, the desperate and brokenhearted masses who were promised the American dream and who worked hard all their lives, only to see it pulled out from under them.
What caused the demise of coal wasn’t ideological; it was pure market economics (the theme of Bullish on Renewable Energy). They couldn’t compete against natural gas and renewables. Why on earth is this regrettable in the least? The people who made buggy whips until the advent of the automobile 120 years ago all found new jobs, and coal miners, all 89K of them (o.12% of the U.S. workforce) can do so as well. They won’t even have to leave the energy industry, as the solar and wind industries are adding jobs at a rate nine times that of the U.S. average.
Craig it has been said many times over re so called Capitalism and its impacts …
Many by products of change are good and others are not so good and there is a price to progress – So called Progress is not always
pain-free actually it rarely is. The pain is sometimes obvious and sometimes more subtle to the eye until they surface and loom larger and the impacts are hard on so many folks.
One man s Gain is another man’s pain is a hallmark of capitalism – and that is why it is important that the Benevolent hand of Good Government and Policy is needed to provide a balance and guiding hand to so called progress.
Effective thoughtful and well implemented Good Regulations or Social Responsibilities – the TRIPLE R ‘s need to be part of capitalism for it to endure and be our foundation going forward.
Sadly since the early 1980’s the Oligarchs have diluted these concepts and undermined them with clarion calls for complete unfettered capitalism and let the engines of creativity and so called creative destruction run rampant over our system here.
Thus very few corporations have Triple R programs as part of their business model.
As for those coal miners in West Virginia – they could be retrained for some solar and the like. smart capitalist could invest in old towns and develop a Aqua Hydroponic Food industry and grow vegetables and other things and since they are surrounded by populated areas they could be a winter source and summer source of fresh produce reducing strain on the over stressed California regions with its own set of looming issues.
there are large population centers surrounding the rural area so distribution costs to a market are not a issue. Eco tourism and stream fishing could be nice local economic and social booster .
its closer than California. less Operational costs. Create Food security etc.
Some of the underground mines could be converted into pumped storage hydro generators and take advantage of existing infrastructure and sell Power.
Many possibilities but they require Creative and Longer Term business Models and short term hurdle rates to appease wall St
can ‘t be part of the Mix.
it takes some Social Responsibility – Real business Vision and Capital to do these things and a government that is active and engaged with the population.
Sadly I don’t see that happening as the current crop of Oligarchs are only interested in reducing their responsibility more thus Huge un needed Tax cuts and avoidance of responsibility to the nation – the Gilded Age lives on.
further more many of these coal mine owners file bankruptcy , abandon the miners pensions , reduce all insurance and pension insurance benefits that people worked years for. In good faith and lots of Sweat!
The owners run off with their profits and leave the rest to fend for themselves and with a uncaring government it is indeed a bleak picture.
The Gilded Age is in High Season and how long it will run is T B D
The Trumpet ran on America first so its time to put up or shut up for the Trumpet. He has the opportunity to do Big things ….but I would not bet on him meeting up with this Moment…he will Miss it.
The oligarchs are not wired mentally nor Spiritually to be socially responsible that is why they are Oligarchs! Craig.
The American Landscape is littered with hundreds of Industrial Sacrifice Zones and their collateral damage and survivors clamor for help! Sadly their cries for help go unanswered by the oligarchs who exploited them.
One will not hear of these stories on the Main Street media as there is no Money in reporting on Truth anymore…it does not make them money. So it is not worthy of media attention is the conventional media model we are entrapped in. Thus ignorance and bliss abound in the so called Land of the not so Free and many other Inconvenient Truths !
perhaps One of those so called Wunder Kinds from silicon valley – ya know the ones who become Billionaires over bits and bytes – realize that there are more people who want and need to eat fresh food than there are people who want more hyper graphics and 3 D images blurring across their screen to entertain and bedazzle them .
Maybe they will stumble upon some other real truths instead of trying to force feed more glittering hype our way that has marginal utility value for everyone involved.
Then maybe their capital could be more gainfully directed towards rehabilitating the abandoned Industrial Sacrifice Zones and there are many of them….trust me.
In the Land of Oligarchs anything is Possible !