[Coach_Owens87]

Old school, I have constantly answered all the questions you have gave me with honest truthful answers, and all you can do is give excuses to make the coal industry look better.

First off lets get to the point, I do not, and will never believe the majority of information given from the government, whether it be local, state, or national. I can take a lot of info from the state, only show a portion of it, and make it look like the information favors my view. Just watch Bill O'rielly, he's mastered this form of deception. I guess cave master was right, age does not always bring wisdom, in your case wisdom has long passed.

You asked where our economy would be without coal, I showed you. It would probably be in the same shape. but again you make it seem that coal is only responsible when something good happens in the economy. If anything bad happens, you cant blame our major source of income. Come on oldschool, you can do better. If coal is so great, we should really be ahead of those economies that don't have coal, right? Well at least I get that impression when I listen to you.


Historical context of coal
In a historical context, coal has opened the region up somewhat, but it has probably hampered this region more than anything. The constant coal booms and bust have really hampered the economy here for nearly 100 years. You can go to a coal site, such as coaleducation.org, and they will show you pretty little pictures of coal towns, which make life there look great. But thats not the truth. The companies owned their homes, and gave them credit for pay instead of cash. A majority of workers in coal towns ended up owing the company money when they retired. The credit would only be useful in that coal town, this kept workers from striking, or quiting work. And when they did strike, the companies just took their homes, or in some cases, just called in the government to rid the problem. So there's another lie from your precious coal companies.

Coal does have a major impact on our economy, the workers from coal companies spend their earnings at local stores, and the coal companies buy machinery from local manufactures, but what happens when coal prices take a plunge, it's simple, our economy follows suit. This can be seen recently with the coal boom in the 70's, and the bust in the 80's. We are so dependent on coal that it has hampered us from having a stable economy over the last 100 years. This is where non-coal producing counties in Appalachia have a distinct advantage on us.

This leads to a big problem for our future, what happens if we find another abundant renewable resource of energy? Well first our economy would bust, we have not set got any other great jobs here to keep the region afloat. We're destroying our land, which really isn't ours, were just keeping it till the next generation comes around. Everything that makes this region what it is, is being destroyed for the gain of a few rich people. But I don't really know why I complain, this has happened all throughout history, but you should be wise enough to know that, right? One example, and a very old one is the Mayans. They cut down their forest, and used all their resources to help their empire grow, but ultimately this doomed them. When all the resources they used to build there empire where gone, the civilization ceased. This is a perfect example for is going to happen here.

Old forms of mining at least left us our land, but MTR is taking that from us.