[Hoot Gibson]

According to SourceWatch; "There are approximately 174,000 blue-collar, full-time, permanent jobs related to coal in the U.S.:"

I don't know how the administration or FOX broke their numbers down, it's hard to say. I do know 'The Hill' is normally a pretty safe bet as are the reporting avenues David Asman cites. In any event I'm quite certain as you mention, that MR Trump's energy policies have things on the upswing. And that includes mining jobs.

Now, I realize Kentucky's coal tipples stand as sad and abandoned reminders of the once thriving coal industry that Obama has managed to decimate. I got that. I also know that Democrats have lied to the people about the relationship of America's need for energy versus readily available fossil fuels, and the myth of reliable and renewable clean energy. I also realize the taxpayers in this land were forced to fund the dismantling of our then viable national coal industry with their tax dollars. The whole coal blitzkrieg was tantamount to saving one's whole life for a new corvette. Only to drive it off the lot and immediately shove it off a high wall. Stupid don't quite cut it. The mechanization, supply lines, transportation lanes and all the rest which comprised the coal industry was bought and paid for and in place. The coal industry was running, the money was spent, the power stations built and the cheap electricity was being produced. Not to mention all the myriad of associated careers that were sacrifice on the altar of stupidity.

Thus I have posted on the matter with some frequency, and it doesn't take an expert in the energy field to understand at present there is no substitute for fossil fuels, coal in this case. And I question the rationale with which we justify using so much natural gas in the place of coal. So when I hear liberally indoctrinated blue collar types defend the very Democrat policies which have destroyed their way of life, I just shake my head in disbelief. At any rate, I am satisfied things are improving and that was my original thought a number of posts back.

The number is bogus. Coal mining jobs are not the same as coal-related jobs. Even if one accepts that there are 174,000 "blue-collar, full-time, permanent jobs related to coal in the U.S.," 104,000 of those jobs have not been created since Trump took office. No way, no how. This is the kind of exaggerated claim that the Obama administration made every time he or one of his minions stepped in front of a microphone.

If 5,000 coal mining jobs had been created since Trump took office, it would be an amazing accomplishment. Claiming that twice as many coal mining jobs have been created as there are coal mining jobs is just silly talk. From what I understand, Trump's EPA Secretary mispoke and confused coal mining jobs with overall mining jobs and/or mining/logging jobs and it has been repeated and re-repeated as fact by Trump's most zealous supporters who are too busy to fact check news that sounds too good to be true because it is too good to be true.

Trump cut taxes and the regulatory burden on companies doing business in this country and the economy has responded as anybody but a flaming liberal would expect it to respond.

Obama had an outstanding fictitous economic record, but Trump and the Republicans should be running on real achievements.