Kilgore on Coal Mining
By: Brian
Published On: 9/18/2005 1:00:00 AM
One thing that has been a constant in my life has been my family's dependence on coal mining. Both of my grandfathers worked a lot of their lives (one his entire) in the coal mines. My brother and father have been lucky enough to avoid working "in" coal mines for the most part, but both work "at" coal mines (and sometimes in if necessary).
To go beyond that, absent coal mining in Dickenson County and Southwest Virginia, I doubt I would have even grown up here. We would have probably been forced to move north in search of jobs. For a long time, the only jobs in this part of the state were coal mining and jobs that supported coal mining.
Through the years, because of our abundance of coal mines, we (Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky) have been forced to witness more than our fair share of mining accidents resulting in permeant injuries or deaths.
A little over a year ago, on August 20, 2004, a 3-year-old child was crushed to death in his bed by a rock that had rolled from a strip mines. In wake of this tragedy, on February 10, 2005, Governor Warner signed new mine safety legislation. Coal mining critics overwhelmingly agree that even this new legislation did not go any where near far enough to protect people in a dangerous, but increasingly necessary industry.
On December 7, 1992, one of my good friend's father was killed in the Southmountain explosion that claimed the lives of eight miners and injured another. The reason for that explosion was faulty or tampered with Methane detectors failed to alert coal miners who were smoking. There were significant changes to the state mining law following that accident.
People here in Southwest Virginia know that we have to have coal mines and know that a by-product of regulation is an increased cost for the mining companies to operate. For this reason, most Southwest Virginians (myself included sometimes) might suggest Virginia needs less regulation - premised on the belief that less regulation will equal more wages and jobs for miners.
What disturbs me is this new television ad that Jerry Kilgore is running here in Southwest Virginia. It is called "Better Opportunity". Watch it for yourself and notice the last few seconds. He flashes up several coal miners and the voice proudly proclaims he will "stop excessive regulation."
My question to Jerry Kilgore is this - what current mining regulations do you want to repeal? Do you want to overturn the bi-partisan legislation that was recently enacted after the three-year-old was crushed? Do you want to overturn the laws that were passed after my friend?s father passed away in the Southmountain explosion? Do you have your eye on some other laws that we need to know about?
Comments
Once more we see the (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Once more we see the Republican political philosophy here: divide and conquer. The "anti-regulation" kick runs right through the Smithfield illegal immigrant business--Jerry won't complain about (illegal) immigrants' working conditions, after all it's a job that wouldn't be there otherwise; Jerry will comlain about the Americans With Disabilities Acts becaue it interferes with corporate profits, and so on. When will the workers and small business people wake up, and understand that the New Republicans are NOT pro-worker or pro-small business, but basically mouthpieces and flacks for international megacorporations. A vote for a Republican is a vote for turning yourself and your children into serfs of international (global) business and the new nobility of corporate world feudalism.
Click here, for a more recent (this past weekend) example of the dangers of coal mining in Southwest Virginia.
State mining regulators halted blasting at a strip mine after an explosion sent a rock flying through the roof of a house in the Glamorgan community.
. . .
A rock the size of a hard hat punctured through the roof of Raymond Hoskins’ home and landed on the kitchen floor, [Mike] Abbott said. A second rock the size of a softball landed near the home’s underpinning.
Does Jerry want more of these accidents to happen?
This is for the coa (The Rev - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
This is for the coal mining operators (who have contributed to his reelection in large sums) not for the miners .He does have a paper trail from comments made during the time the horrible accident happened that took the life of the child in Appalachia, His brother Terry is representing the family that has filed a lawsuit for 20+ million against the company responsible for the accident. Does this this mean that he would lift regulations put in place to protect human life and property from these companies? I think the answer is pretty clear.
Jerry Kilgore give d (Alex - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Jerry Kilgore give details? NAH. That would actually make him think!
Brian, that would ma (Jambon - 4/4/2006 11:28:09 PM)
Brian, that would make a perfect ad in retaliation! I was just browsing the Kaine media site and I noticed most of the ads are positive. In some of them he takes the defensive, but I didn't notice any "attack ads" so to speak.
Is Kaine trying to take the "high road" in this campaign? Or are other groups going to fund attacks on Kilgore? I think he needs to do something with the race this close. We all saw where taking the "high road" got John Kerry.
Terry: as the daught (Mandy - 4/4/2006 11:28:10 PM)
Terry: as the daughter of a coal operator, I can tell you that some of the individual small operators (and, as far as I know, all of the large operations) offer good health care and disability plans for their workers. It really just depends on what the operator can afford. It costs a lot to run a mine, just the everyday costs of electricity, salaries, keeping equipment in working conditions and safe, paying for all the "upgrades" required by some new regulations...some smaller operators can't afford to give much health care or they would never make any money. Perhaps Kilgore can next advertise a plan to reduce the cost of everyday mining for operators so they all CAN give good health care plans to their employees...of course, I wouldn't expect any details in the implementation from him...
What kind of disabil (Teddy - 4/4/2006 11:28:10 PM)
What kind of disability and health care do the mine operators offer their underground miners? John L. Lewis back in the 1940's during wartime, no less, fought strongly for these things. Brian, have the Appalachia miners forgot?
Yes. Kaine's ads ha (KathyinBlacksburg - 4/4/2006 11:28:10 PM)
Yes. Kaine's ads have been positive. But you'd hardly know it from some of the blogs. For eg. Commonwealth Conservative says, "Kaine Goes Negative." Funny, sorta. Jerry's been on the attack since spring. And we're supposed to be apologetic if Kaine is assertive. Besides, setting the record straigh isn't going negative.