Tearful unemployed father confronts Hillary about plan to 'put the coal industry out of business'

[J_J_]

Mar. 14, 2016:

Clinton Says She'll "Put a Lot of Coal Companies and Coal Miners Out of Business"

May 2, 2016 (In West Virginia, coal country):

Clinton Claims She Wants To See Coal “Continued To Be Sold And Continued To Be Mined.”





A tearful unemployed father who recently lost his job as a coal worker has confronted Hillary Clinton about her plan to 'put the coal industry out of business'.

Copley broke down as he slid over a photograph of his three young children to Clinton during the community round-table discussion, telling her he didn't know how to explain to his children that he had lost his job as a coal worker.

It prompted the Democratic front-runner to apologize profusely and insist her prior comments were 'a misstatement.'


But Copley, referring to protesters at the event, told the presidential hopeful: 'Those people out there don't see you as a friend.'

Copley asked her: 'How you could say you are going to put a lot of coal miners out of jobs and then come in here and tell us how you're going to be our friend?'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3570513/Tearful-ex-coal-worker-confronts-Hillary-boast-putting-coal-industry-business.html

[JaneyVee]

1. Her plan actually addresses this...

It helps laid off coal miners with transitioning into a new energy sector. Transitional layoffs are inevitable.

[Silver_Witch]

3. With free college for displaced workers?

Sadly there is not much work there at all. Many mine workers have no real education to speak of.

Study the state before you tout her plan. It won't work in this rural area where many see getting black lung as their retirement plan!

[JaneyVee]

4. No, with monetary funding and job placement.

Its true though, the transition in WV will be a bit harder.

[Silver_Witch]

2. Lived in WV for several years!

Beautiful country, wonderful people. For some reason little or no work for most of the people there. Coal mining is all they real!y have as good paying jobs.

It should really be a state park because of it awesome beauty. The government did move some fingerprinting jobs there decades ago but not enough to help most West Virginians.

Hillary could not give a flying fuck about the people there and their problems!

[IamMab]

40. Mountains don't grow back. Maybe they should stop blowing theirs up for coal?

And proposing renewable energy jobs that would move people out of dark mines and into the daylight IS giving "a flying fuck about the people."

Progressives defending the coal industry. Sweet Jeebus, so sad. Your Clinton Derangement Syndrome is like the Black Lung, destroying you from the inside.

[Demsrule86]

5. So now BS supports coal mining?

Who would have thunk?

[NurseJackie]

9. Cause célèbre du jour

While English speakers had used the phrase for many years, it came into much more common usage after the 1894 conviction of Alfred Dreyfus for espionage, which attracted worldwide interest. Often, politicians and social gadflies will become involved to use the media attention surrounding the case to promote their own agendas.

[Demsrule86]

14. Haha

Very true...they will say anything or do anything.

[TimPlo]

23. Is the OP some rep on here for Sanders camp?

I kinda wondering why you would say this. I have not read anywhere at all that Senator Sanders supports coal mining. Only thing I have seen mentioned of coal mining in last day was how Clinton told one group one thing and then told another something different.

[bigtree]

6. I'm going to leave this here

...

Hillary Clinton’s Plan for Revitalizing Coal Communities

From Central Appalachia to the Powder River Basin, coal communities were an engine of US economic growth for more than a century. Coal powered the industrial revolution, the 20th century expansion of the middle class, and supplied as much as half of US electricity for decades. The hard-working Americans who mine, move, and generate power from coal put their own health and safety at risk to keep our factories running and deliver the affordable and reliable electricity we take for granted.

But today we are in the midst of a global energy transition. The shale revolution, low-cost renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements, and pressing concerns about the impact of coal combustion on public health and the global climate are reducing coal demand both in the US and around the world. Coal now accounts for only one third of US power generation, with domestic consumption falling by 25% over the past ten years. In China, nuclear and renewable energy are growing three times faster than coal-fired power , with more wind and solar capacity added last year than the US and Europe combined.

Building a 21st century clean energy economy in the United States will create new jobs and industries, deliver important health benefits, and reduce carbon pollution. But we can’t ignore the impact this transition is already having on mining communities, or the threat it poses to the healthcare and retirement security of coalfield workers and their families. This is particularly true in Appalachia, where production has been declining for decades, but impacts are beginning to be felt in the Illinois Basin and Western coalfields as well. And it’s not limited to mining communities: reduced coal shipments impact barge and railroad workers, and power plant closures can contribute to local job loss and economic distress.

Hillary Clinton is committed to meeting the climate change challenge as President and making the United States a clean energy superpower. At the same time, she will not allow coal communities to be left behind—or left out of our economic future. That’s why Clinton announced a $30 billion plan to ensure that coal miners and their families get the benefits they’ve earned and respect they deserve, to invest in economic diversification and job creation, and to make coal communities an engine of US economic growth in the 21st century as they have been for generations.

Honoring Our Commitments

Clinton will ensure that we honor our commitments to the coal miners, transportation and power plant workers, their families and their communities, who have given so much to our country.

Ensure health and retirement security. Weak global coal demand and a sharp drop in global coal prices have pushed a number of mining companies into bankruptcy. Clinton has fought, and will continue to fight, against attempts by these companies to use bankruptcy proceedings to shirk the healthcare and pension commitments they’ve made to their retirees, many of whom suffer from black lung disease and other job-related illnesses. As part of this promise, Clinton will put in place a federal backstop that ensures retirees get the benefits they have earned and deserve, building on the bipartisan leadership of Senators Manchin, Capito, Casey and Brown, and will expand these protections to any power plant or transportation company retiree who loses his or her benefits due to a coal market-related bankruptcy.

Reform the black lung benefit program. Clinton supports sweeping reforms to the federal black lung benefit program to prevent coal company-funded doctors and lawyers from withholding evidence or willfully misdiagnosing patients in order to deny medical care to sick miners. She will empower those who have been wrongfully denied benefits to reopen their cases, help miners secure legal representation, and adjust black lung benefits to reflect cost of living changes.

Safeguard funding for local schools. Coal mining and power plants are a major source of public school revenue in many coal communities, and a decline in coal production or a power plant closure can leave local school districts with a significant funding gap. To address this, Clinton will establish the Secure Coal Community Schools (SCCS) program. Similar to the Secure Rural Schools program that helped offset lost local revenue from a decline in timber sales on federal lands, the SCCS will mitigate declines in coal-related revenue until alternative sources of local tax revenue arise through economic growth.

Investing for the Future

Coal is not the only resource mining and power plant communities possess. From Appalachia to the Uinta Basin, coal communities have rich human and cultural capital, diverse natural resources, and enormous economic potential. Clinton will partner with the local entrepreneurs, community leaders, foundations and labor groups working to unleash that potential, making federal investments that help people to find good jobs without having to move and build a strong, diversified economic future.

Build infrastructure for the 21st century. The infrastructure in coal communities today was built to mine, ship, and burn coal. Unlocking new drivers of economic and employment growth in these communities will require new infrastructure that connects workers to new jobs and companies to new markets. Clinton’s infrastructure investment program will include a focus on economic diversification and revitalization in coal communities, building new roads, bridges, water systems, airports and transmission lines, including completion of the Appalachian Development Highway System. She will also work with the Department of Transportation and the railroad companies to develop a strategy for leveraging available rail capacity previously used to ship coal to support broader economic development in coal-producing regions.

Repurpose mine lands and power plant sites. With rich soil and abundant water, abandoned coal mines can provide prime real estate for new investment – whether in forestry, agriculture, or manufacturing. But significant remediation, site preparation, and infrastructure development is often required before this land can be successfully repurposed for new economic activity. Clinton will unlock existing unappropriated resources from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to help finance this work. Clinton will provide similar support for redevelopment of retired coal power plant sites to attract new investment, such as Google’s plans to build a data center on the site of a recently closed coal plant in Alabama.

Expand broadband access. In the 21st century, reliable high-speed internet access is as economically vital as traditional infrastructure like roads, rail and bridges. Many coal communities lag far behind the rest of the nation in level of internet connectivity. Clinton will increase high-speed broadband access and adoption in coal communities, improving education and healthcare delivery and connecting local entrepreneurs and workers to the global economy.

Expand clean energy on federal lands and from existing dams. Most Western coal production takes place on federal lands, but coal is far from the only energy resource these lands possess. For example, Wyoming is the nation’s largest coal producer, but also has the richest wind resources in the Western electrical grid. Clinton will work to capture this potential by streamlining federal permitting both for the renewable energy projects themselves and the transmission lines required to get that renewable energy to market. Existing dams are another large source of clean energy potential. The Department of Energy estimates 12 gigawatts of generation capacity could be added to these dams, enough to power Alaska, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont combined. More than half of this potential is in large coal-producing states. Clinton will launch a major public works project aimed at electrifying existing dams in partnership with the Army Corp of Engineers, private hydropower developers, local utilities and labor unions.

Increase public investment in research and development. To help seed the next wave of innovation and industry creation, Clinton will increase public investment in research and development at universities, national labs and other institutions in coal-producing regions. Given the important role that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology can play in meeting long-term global climate change objectives, Clinton will support CCS R&D and demonstration projects, both in the electric power sector and in industry.

Attract private investment through an improved New Markets Tax Credit and zero capital gains taxes. Complementing the public investments in infrastructure, land, energy, and innovation described above, Clinton will attract new private investment by extending and expanding the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program so all communities suffering from a decline in coal production or a coal plant closure qualify. The NMTC program has steered billions in investment to low income neighborhoods since it began in 2000. Clinton will also offer companies a chance to eliminate capital gains taxes on long-term investments in hard-hit coal communities.

Locally-Driven Economic Development

Every coal community is different and successful economic diversification and revitalization must be locally driven and comprehensive in scope. Promising community-based initiatives have begun to take shape, including SOAR in Southeastern Kentucky and Reconnect McDowell in West Virginia. Unfortunately most existing federal economic development programs available to coal communities are complex, fragmented, and overly prescriptive. Those that are the most successful, like the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), are severely underfunded. Clinton will improve coordination across existing federal programs and establish a Coal Communities Challenge Fund that awards new competitive grants in the following areas through qualified local entities with integrated economic development strategies:

Entrepreneurship and small business development. Nationally, small businesses are the leading source of new job creation, and that holds true for coal communities as well. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and other federal programs have a vital role to play in providing the capital small businesses need to grow, but many new entrepreneurs first need support in preparing their business for that growth. Clinton will increase funding for technical assistance for entrepreneurs and small businesses in impacted coal communities, through programs like the Innovation Center at Ohio University in Athens.

Education and training. Job training programs are of little use if they are not paired with job creation. That’s why the Coal Communities Challenge Fund is focused on both. Community colleges play a critical role in providing marketable skills, and under Clinton’s New College Compact, students will be able to attend tuition-free. Clinton will also increase federal support for local education and training programs designed as part of a comprehensive economic development strategy, expand successful models like Coalfield Development Corporation’s “33-6-3” program in West Virginia, and offer businesses a tax credit for every apprentice they hire.

Health and wellness. Building strong communities starts with supporting healthy families. Coal communities have higher than average rates of diabetes, addiction and other diseases. In addition to her national plans to provide high-quality and affordable health care and address the quiet epidemic of substance abuse, Clinton will award competitive grants to community health centers that develop holistic public health and economic development strategies like the Williamson Health and Wellness Center in West Virginia. Clinton will also support the growing number of local food and agriculture businesses in Central Appalachia and other coal communities that are improving public health and strengthening local economies.

Arts and culture. A community’s artistic and cultural capital can be as important in attracting new jobs and investment as its roads, rail lines and bridges. The rich cultural history in Appalachia and other coal communities is a unique asset that can be leveraged for economic growth. Clinton will increase funding for the local arts and culture programs that are designed to support broader economic development, like the Crooked Road project in Southwestern Virginia.

Housing. Attracting new jobs and investment to America’s coal communities will require upgrading local housing stock. Energy efficiency improvements are particularly important given the high share of household income many families in coal communities spend on their electricity and natural gas bills. Housing upgrades can also be an important source of job creation and economic growth in and of themselves. Clinton will award competitive grants to programs that improve the quality and energy efficiency of local housing, building on and expanding successful models like the How$mart program in Eastern Kentucky.

Clinton’s plan for revitalizing coal communities is just one pillar of her comprehensive energy and climate agenda, which includes major initiatives in the following areas:

Clean Energy Challenge. Develop, defend and implement smart federal energy and climate standards. Provide states, cities and rural communities ready to lead on clean energy and exceed these standards with the flexibility, tools and resources they need to succeed.

Modernizing North American Infrastructure. Improve the safety and security of existing energy infrastructure and align new infrastructure we build with the clean energy economy we are seeking to create.

Safe and Responsible Production. Ensure that fossil fuel production taking place today is safe and responsible, that taxpayers get a fair deal for development on public lands, and that areas that are too sensitive for energy production are taken off the table.

Energy and Climate Security. Reduce the amount of oil consumed in the United States and around the world, guard against energy supply disruptions, and make our communities, our infrastructure, and our financial markets more resilient to climate-related risks.

Collaborative Stewardship. Renew our shared commitment to the conservation of our disappearing lands, waters, and wildlife, to the preservation of our history and culture, and to expanding access to the outdoors for all Americans.

[Armstead]

30. This

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/worker-just-transition-act-summary?inline=file
The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.)

For decades, workers in America have been under attack. Whether its trade policies that have
shipped jobs overseas or attacks on workers’ labor rights, as a result of our disastrous unfettered
“free trade” policies, almost 60,000 factories have been shut down and over 4.7 million decentpaying
manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2001. As of July 2015, only 12.3 million workers
in the United States were employed in the manufacturing sector, lower than July, 1941.
Coal jobs are also on the decline due to increased costs, lower prices, competition from cheaper
natural gas, and the public’s desire to move to cleaner sources of energy. These job losses have
been concentrated in regions of the country, like Appalachia, that are already struggling
economically. For example, through the third quarter of 2015, Kentucky mining jobs fell by
about 7,000, to around 10,000. In May 2015, Murray Energy Corp., the country's largest
privately held coal mining company, said more than 1,000 workers were laid off in Ohio, Illinois
and West Virginia. Several major coal companies have filed for bankruptcy in 2015 alone.
These patterns are not sustainable. We have a national responsibility to protect the livelihoods of
the working families and communities who have helped power and build this country. We must
act now to reenergize our manufacturing base, bolster our green economy, and protect the
livelihoods of these workers and the communities they support.
We must not only create new jobs for workers who have lost work, but we must ensure that those
new jobs are good jobs, meaning they pay a family-sustaining wage, they provide health care and
retirement benefits, they are safe, and the workers who hold them have a powerful voice on the
job. Moreover, we must create these jobs in the same communities that are suffering. While
workers are transitioning to new employment, they must receive protections to maintain familylevel
wages, health care, and pensions until they are able to start their new jobs. Further, workers
need support in connecting with new jobs and the opportunity to learn new skills through
vocational education programs. In addition, communities must have the infrastructure to attract
new investment that provides those jobs.
The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act achieves these goals, and covers the $41 billion
costs of implementing these protections by closing the tax loophole that allows corporations to
ship their headquarters overseas to avoid paying taxes.
Summary of Bill Provisions:
Section 1: Eligibility
• Workers are eligible when transitioning between jobs or are underemployed.
• Workers maintain eligibility until they have a salary, pension, and health care benefits
package within 10% of the previous benefits package.
• For the first 5 years, coal workers are eligible. Then, if 20% or more jobs are lost in other
energy sectors, then eligibility opens for those workers as well.
Section 2: Benefits
• For up to three years, workers receive unemployment insurance, health care, and pension
based on their previous salary.
• Workers may receive job training, health care, and living expenses for up to four years.
• If a worker is ready to retire, they may opt for pension support and health care.
• Employers receive tax credits to incentivize hiring transitioning employees.
Section 3: Targeted Investments in Coal Country
Once 35 or more workers in a county become eligible for the program created by this Act, that
county becomes eligible to apply for targeted, need-based development funds through an interagency
effort spearheaded by the Department of Commerce Economic Development
Administration (EDA). Funds will be allocated through:
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to assist economic growth in Appalachian
communities. Appalachian communities most affected by coal economy transition will
receive $40 million annually for a range of economic development planning and
implementation activities.
• Department of Commerce, Economic Development Assistance Programs (EDAP) to
assist economically distressed communities by fostering an environment conducive to job
creation and economic growth. The Act includes $10 million annually to coordinate
federal economic development funds government-wide. The agency will take a
leadership role in planning and coordination to communities and federal agencies.
• In order to address the continuing legacy of coal abandoned mine lands (AML) on the
health, safety, environment and economic development potential of communities, the Act
provides $250 million annually to States and Tribes for the reclamation of abandoned
coal mine land sites and associated polluted waters in a manner that promotes sustainable
redevelopment in economically distressed coal country communities. OSMRE will seek
input from States, Tribes and other stakeholders as it finalizes details of this proposal.
• The remainder ($7 billion over 10 years) goes to eligible counties for water, broadband,
and electric grid infrastructure investments.
Section 4: Workplace Protections for ALL Workers
• Promotes community outreach and mandate workplaces to inform workers of the
existence of clean energy worker protections.
• Makes it easier for workers to unionize by requiring only a majority of eligible workers
to sign authorizations with the National Labor Relations Board.
• Mandates companies to negotiate within 10 days of union certification and provides the
option of mediation after 90 days and the option of arbitration after 30 days following.

[Jitter65]

34. Just empty pandering word with no details and nothing for free...

can't be for real

Really this is a great, detailed plan and people in those depressed areas would be foolish to ignore this.

[yourpaljoey]

7. Ain't she something?

[mcar]

12. You are in favor of coal mining?

[yourpaljoey]

22. nope

[trumad]

8. That's one industry that must eventually go away.

[sufrommich]

10. Is Sanders pro coal industry? nt

[Armstead]

31. No here's a bill he co-sponsored

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/worker-just-transition-act-summary?inline=file

The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.)

For decades, workers in America have been under attack. Whether its trade policies that have
shipped jobs overseas or attacks on workers’ labor rights, as a result of our disastrous unfettered
“free trade” policies, almost 60,000 factories have been shut down and over 4.7 million decentpaying
manufacturing jobs have been lost since 2001. As of July 2015, only 12.3 million workers
in the United States were employed in the manufacturing sector, lower than July, 1941.
Coal jobs are also on the decline due to increased costs, lower prices, competition from cheaper
natural gas, and the public’s desire to move to cleaner sources of energy. These job losses have
been concentrated in regions of the country, like Appalachia, that are already struggling
economically. For example, through the third quarter of 2015, Kentucky mining jobs fell by
about 7,000, to around 10,000. In May 2015, Murray Energy Corp., the country's largest
privately held coal mining company, said more than 1,000 workers were laid off in Ohio, Illinois
and West Virginia. Several major coal companies have filed for bankruptcy in 2015 alone.
These patterns are not sustainable. We have a national responsibility to protect the livelihoods of
the working families and communities who have helped power and build this country. We must
act now to reenergize our manufacturing base, bolster our green economy, and protect the
livelihoods of these workers and the communities they support.
We must not only create new jobs for workers who have lost work, but we must ensure that those
new jobs are good jobs, meaning they pay a family-sustaining wage, they provide health care and
retirement benefits, they are safe, and the workers who hold them have a powerful voice on the
job. Moreover, we must create these jobs in the same communities that are suffering. While
workers are transitioning to new employment, they must receive protections to maintain familylevel
wages, health care, and pensions until they are able to start their new jobs. Further, workers
need support in connecting with new jobs and the opportunity to learn new skills through
vocational education programs. In addition, communities must have the infrastructure to attract
new investment that provides those jobs.
The Clean Energy Worker Just Transition Act achieves these goals, and covers the $41 billion
costs of implementing these protections by closing the tax loophole that allows corporations to
ship their headquarters overseas to avoid paying taxes.
Summary of Bill Provisions:
Section 1: Eligibility
• Workers are eligible when transitioning between jobs or are underemployed.
• Workers maintain eligibility until they have a salary, pension, and health care benefits
package within 10% of the previous benefits package.
• For the first 5 years, coal workers are eligible. Then, if 20% or more jobs are lost in other
energy sectors, then eligibility opens for those workers as well.
Section 2: Benefits
• For up to three years, workers receive unemployment insurance, health care, and pension
based on their previous salary.
• Workers may receive job training, health care, and living expenses for up to four years.
• If a worker is ready to retire, they may opt for pension support and health care.
• Employers receive tax credits to incentivize hiring transitioning employees.
Section 3: Targeted Investments in Coal Country
Once 35 or more workers in a county become eligible for the program created by this Act, that
county becomes eligible to apply for targeted, need-based development funds through an interagency
effort spearheaded by the Department of Commerce Economic Development
Administration (EDA). Funds will be allocated through:
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to assist economic growth in Appalachian
communities. Appalachian communities most affected by coal economy transition will
receive $40 million annually for a range of economic development planning and
implementation activities.
• Department of Commerce, Economic Development Assistance Programs (EDAP) to
assist economically distressed communities by fostering an environment conducive to job
creation and economic growth. The Act includes $10 million annually to coordinate
federal economic development funds government-wide. The agency will take a
leadership role in planning and coordination to communities and federal agencies.
• In order to address the continuing legacy of coal abandoned mine lands (AML) on the
health, safety, environment and economic development potential of communities, the Act
provides $250 million annually to States and Tribes for the reclamation of abandoned
coal mine land sites and associated polluted waters in a manner that promotes sustainable
redevelopment in economically distressed coal country communities. OSMRE will seek
input from States, Tribes and other stakeholders as it finalizes details of this proposal.
• The remainder ($7 billion over 10 years) goes to eligible counties for water, broadband,
and electric grid infrastructure investments.
Section 4: Workplace Protections for ALL Workers
• Promotes community outreach and mandate workplaces to inform workers of the
existence of clean energy worker protections.
• Makes it easier for workers to unionize by requiring only a majority of eligible workers
to sign authorizations with the National Labor Relations Board.
• Mandates companies to negotiate within 10 days of union certification and provides the
option of mediation after 90 days and the option of arbitration after 30 days following.
If you have questions, or your boss would like to co-sponsor the Clean Energy Worker Just
Transition Act, please contact Katie Thomas at [e-mail] or call 4-5141.

[iandhr]

42. I think that poster was reflecting on the irony of a Sanders supporter...

... using right wing talking points to smear Clinton.

War on coal BS.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Appalachia has one of the highest poverty rates in the country

It is the home of early labor organizing, where red neck really comes from. But in reality she will say anything to win the vote. Some American politicians have a center, some do not. But Apallachia has been left behind for decades.

[Jitter65]

36. She might say "anything" but all others are saying "nothing!" Jesse Jackson did well in Appalachia

when he ran for office because he went there, talked to the people. Hillary is doing that now and has a much greater chance of actually being in a position to bring about the changes needed.

At least most of my family there appreciates her attention.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Glad they do

But her plan really does not go far enough

Then again, I am in CA where AB 32 and a new EO place us well on the road to meet 40 percent reduction by 3030. So 33 percent is not that impressive. We went over that hump in many areas of the state last year.

Oh the economy is doing fine by the way.

[DetlefK]

13. Next, let's save shoeshine-boys and the people who weave silk-scarfs for pilots.

[NurseJackie]

15. The buggy-whip industry is suffering.

[TheSarcastinator]

18. yes, keep mocking the poor and unemployed

It's a brilliant campaign strategy! No way it could backfire on you savvy cultural observers!

[iandhr]

27. No one is mocking the poor and unemployed.

What has happened is there has been a constant false mantra of a " federal government war on coal."

The reality however is energy companies moved to natural gas when it was cheaper.


These market forces have been in play for a long time but West Virginia and other coal regions never diversified. The people got screwed because of this and believed the lies of liberals being at fault becuase they heard it so often it became fact.

Given this trend is likely to continue there needs to be job training so the region can transition beyond coal.

If we invest in clean energy manufacturing in these areas I am sure this unemployed miner would be more then happy to work at a plant that makes solar panels.

[DetlefK]

29. Oh, it depends on how you frame it:

"It had a good run, but coal is a thing of the past. Instead we must focus on getting the US-economy and our infrastructure ready for the 21st century. Our infrastructure is crumbling beneath our feet and the renewable-energy-sector is about to take off. THAT'S where we need people with elbow-grease. We need construction-workers, welders, electricians, engineers. And we need retraining-programs to get the people we need to fill these positions. That's how we make America great again. Not with a 19th-century mine-shaft."

[ViseGrip]

16. This is exactly why her events are small rountables. Imagine, lots of people caught up in Hillary

'mispeak'.

[JudyM]

24. And why she hides recordings of speeches. She is going to be so duck-and-cover if she gets

the nomination everyone's heads are going to be spinning.

[lunamagica]

43. Has Sanders ever done a roundtable? I mean going one on one with voters and LISTENING?

Because all I ever see him do is point fingers, wave hands and talk AT people from his safe place on the podium

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Posters here do mental gymnastics to undermine Hillary Clinton.

I thought it was liberal mantra that coal was inherently dangerous to the environment and we should move as quickly as we can away from its use.

People need to find a principle and stick to it.


As an aside when I was a young man I actually dated a coal miner's daughter. Those people are salt of the earth. I wouldn't go into a coal mine, no matter how much I was paid.

[Armstead]

33. This............

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511888931#post31

[DebDoo]

19. Her plan might address this man's situation. If she really believed in it she would've

Explained that to him. The fact that she didn't makes me wonder if she even knows what is in "her plan"

[ohheckyeah]

20. I worked for the bureau of mines in Richlands, va. And on my first day an 18 year old boy

Had his arm ripped off at the shoulder in a machine. It was his first day of work. I hated that job.

[MineralMan]

21. Using coal as a fuel should have already been phased out.

There is a serious disconnect here. Coal is a terrible fuel. Frankly, it should be banned, especially for power generation. Coal is going away, and that man's job will be gone, like harness-maker's jobs went away when the tractor and motor vehicles replaced horses and oxen.

If climate change is a crucial issue, coal mining must be recognized as a powerful contributor to it. So, what is a Democratic candidate supposed to do? Jobs in the coal mining industry will and should go away. There should be no coal mining industry. Instead, we need serious re-training programs and new jobs in green energy jobs.

Some of the same people who are decrying Clinton's statements about coal mining are also decrying the fossil-fuel energy industry, as they should be. We cannot have it both ways. If we are going to deal with climate change, we will have to discontinue burning coal as a fuel. There is no other way.

[KingFlorez]

25. They need to get educated and get better jobs

If you aren't smart enough to move beyond an industry that is becoming less viable, then you are going to be left behind.

With that said, when did Sanders people become pro-coal?

[Armstead]

32. This.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511888931#post31

[iandhr]

26. Wow. Now I have seen everything.

DU is so anti-Hillary they are now parroting coal industry talking points.

[Adrahil]

28. Ahem... We need to stop mining coal....

That's just reality.

[procon]

35. He doesn't know he's an anachronism and coal mining is going the way of buggy whips.

Clinton has nothing to do with the downfall of the coal industry. Coal is on the decline, and is dropping fast. He should be angry that the politicians from his state have been lying to him for years and hiding the truth from workers while they're propping up Kentucky’s dying coal industry.

I want to feel sorry for him, but he's probably a loyal Republican who always votes the straight party ticket, bringing his own misfortunes upon himself. He enabled the politicians in his state, and instead of doing their job to mitigate much of the damages caused by lost jobs, they sided with a failing industry that is becoming obsolete.

[Sunlei]

37. He and his children can always go work in the coal mines in other countries that don't care about th

the black lung and horrible pollution from filthy coal.

In America we can do better for our energy industries our air & water and for our childrens 'careers'.

[livetohike]

38. Well boo hoo. Tens of thousands of Rust Belt people had to leave

their homes for opportunities since the 80's. Things change.

[islandmkl]

39. 'things change'....what DOESN'T change is that those with the purse strings, with the money...

with the economic power, will do little to provide a real future for those caught up in the machinery of the economic engine...once the engine begins to sputter the true powers begin to discard any and all vestiges of responsibility and concern....and leave the detritus of their industry, including the thousands and thousands of workers, behind for someone else to clean up....