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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Uh, guys, I was talking about coal miners, not coal rollers. The piece even had a woman saying more or less "hey, coal isn't clean, I know that, but that's the only thing we have to live here".
The way this went from a bunch of people from a poverty-ridden county fearing to lose their jobs/hoping to get their job back to those who advocate for "clean coal" and coalrollers is a tiny bit scary. It's not like there is a lack of complete nutjobs voting for Trump that you need to create some out of everything.
For added irony, the main city in the piece had only one "social place" remaining...and it was a Mexican restaurant. Where the workers (who I assume had Mexican origins, at the very least) said that they never had any issues, and that they knew people only wanted to vote Trump to get a chance to save their jobs.
While coal-mining is not something I want to come back for a number of reasons, I think we're ignoring that this still means that the major source of a lot of people's livelihoods is disappearing, leaving their towns destitute.
I'm not saying this justifies voting for Trump, but it doesn't change the fact that it is a very big problem.
Oh God! Natural light!Well I'm not saying coal mining is the bestest job in the world, but there is a huge difference between having a stable job - no matter how hard or dangerous it is - to living under constant fear of losing it or having already lost it already.
And what could someone adept at coal mining do elsewhere anyway? What are his qualifications for another job?
Thanks, that was my point.
edited 24th Oct '16 6:51:16 PM by Julep
I still think the opinion that you can't vote for Trump unless you're pure evil is poisonous. Like, any reason for doing so is going to be deeply flawed, and there's nothing wrong with pointing that out or the inherent bigotry involved with a disturbing number of people. But that's not the same thing as literally every Trump supporter being the scum of the earth. And, yes, that's seems to be the sentiment expressed here frequently, so it should be pointed out.
edited 24th Oct '16 6:50:13 PM by LSBK
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Maybe, but if anything it's gotten worse. If coal-mining can't come back, then an alternative solution is needed.
Essentially, yes.
edited 24th Oct '16 6:49:16 PM by KarkatTheDalek
Oh God! Natural light!If you're willing to put a man who's sexually assaulted women, spews racist bullshit daily, wants to infringe on the first amendment, wants to have a religious test for brown people from the Middle East, can't string a coherent sentence together, wants to callously use nuclear weapons, spews anti western propaganda straight out of the Kremlin, want to abandon our allies in NATO, wants to rip up every trade agreement we have and start trade wars that we will NOT win, kill the families of suspected terrorists, wants to purge the Pentagon of its generals, wants to illegally take any country he invades resources, and on top of all that, has no political experience and is a failed businessman who's the embodiment of white privilege...
If you're willing to vote for that, you're a fucking deplorable human being. This isn't a matter of agree to disagree, trump is nothing more than a simple litmus test of whether not a person qualifies as a decent human being.
Fuck it if they get mad.
New Survey coming this weekend!![]()
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Said if all these people are actually aware of all of that/believe it...
Most people are not that simple, no matter how much you wish they were.
What's that called, the "evil of normalcy" or something? Goes into how people like Hitler can get into power. Short answer "The German people were just more evil than everyone else" wasn't it.
edited 24th Oct '16 7:03:15 PM by LSBK
Look, regardless of what these people are like personally, at the end of the day, we still have to live with them. I'd like to find a way to help improve these areas - both economically and socially - rather than abandon them to be racist shitholes for the rest of eternity (if that is indeed an accurate description of them).
We need to ensure that someone like Trump doesn't gain traction again. Improving these areas can help with that.
edited 24th Oct '16 7:04:13 PM by KarkatTheDalek
Oh God! Natural light!I'd rather say that these people are making a choice that will harm lots of people if it goes through, regardless of their reasons for doing so. I'm not that interested in making broad generalizations beyond the obvious - which is that a lot of people have very disappointing priorities or they're just desperate/ignorant.
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A nationwide guaranteed minimum income would solve a lot of problems in the poorer areas. Not just rural areas, but cities too. Of course, taxes would increase and businesses would have to increase wages to compete. That second one is a benefit, but businesses wouldn't see it that way. You'd get the full might of the political business world against any such measure. Not just on the right, but on the left, too. I'm not sure how you'd find the political will to make it happen.
Thing is it's not a choice between ones job and ones conscious, people might think it is but that's because they've been lied to.
Coal isn't being killed by clean energy, it's being killed by automation (not something Obama came up with) and natural gas (also not something Obama came up with). Trump likewise has no interest is pushing the US back to manually dug coal, even if "clean coal" was invested in it wouldn't bring the coal jobs back because the digging job would still be automated and natural gas would still be kicking coal's ass.
edited 24th Oct '16 7:13:54 PM by Silasw
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ CyranIt doesn't help that any attempts at alternative energy are getting buried under criticisms and stuff by the energy giants, even when other countries around the world are switching to other forms of renewable energy and are doing fairly well (India, El Salvador). Remember the Tesla, where you had to order them from the source because no dealership would allow them to be sold?
Yeah coal is being killed by clean energy, or more specifically climate policy. Also on fracking the Dems can slice it any way they like but at the end of the day they are sacrificing American jobs and energy independence for solar panels that will almost certainly all be made in China. I believe in Global Warming, I really do, but honestly the high handed elitist way and attitude the Dems and their activist friends go about it disgusts me. I know they may be doing the right and necessary thing, but it disgusts me nonetheless.
I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.

But you can't tell the people of West Virginia that without them throwing a hissy fit.
>.>
New Survey coming this weekend!