[DallasDeb]

The last U.S. rare earths mine was shuttered in 2002 because of a combination of environmental concerns and the fact that they could not compete with the cheaper prices for rare earth minerals being offered by China.

Correct. China can dig an ship it cheaper to the US because they have NO environmental concerns.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

By no means should the US do away with “all environmental restrictions.” If you really want to see countryside destroyed by mining, look at Russia. China is not far behind.

[Dexter Morgan]

While I do agree wholeheartedly that we need to largely dump the environmental restrictions, Freepers often ignore the cost of labor in the U.S. as a major factor in the price of production and manufacturing.

It would be an interesting study to see the effects of dropping minimum wage laws altogether. Would people work?