Support coal miners
Although repugnant to some today, the smell of diesel, the dampness of the interior of a coal mine, the emission of sparks from the high-voltage trolley line and coal dust were analogous to the generation of income for the familes of many coal miners.
The coal industry has enabled miners the ability to provide food, clothing, shelter and an education for their children. My wife and I both benefited by the employment of our fathers with the coal industry. They both endured hardships like black lung, injuries and layoffs.
Was it the facile speaking skills of President Obama that encouraged the members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) to support his candidacy twice? Shortly after his inauguration, Obama declared war on fossil fuels and the power plants that burned them. I can’t fathom how Cecil Roberts, the president of the UMWA, could lead the union’s membership to support Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, if that is what he chooses, after her comment that coal mines would no longer exist and the coal miners would be out of a job in her administration.
I agree we need to develop alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar. But mining coal requires highly-skilled individuals and there are new techniques to curtail pollution.
Remember, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow.
Ron Lemley
Berkeley Springs, W.Va.