Appalachia coal mine closures strain ministry centers

Baptist Press ^ | 9/19/2012 | Dannah Prather

[Outside da Box]

Ministries in Appalachia are bracing for a tough winter as hundreds of residents have been furloughed or lost their jobs because of cutbacks in coal production amid the nation's changing energy industry.

A single employer, Arch Coal, laid off 750 workers across Appalachia in August. Other companies have been forced to idle employees or close operations.

[henkster]

Hope.

Change.

Well, UMW workers, Obama promised to take all your jobs, I don’t remember him promising anything in return but dependence on a government ration. He kept is promise. You got what you voted for. Congratulations.

[WakeUpAndVote]

They voted for change, now they got it.

[hadaclueonce]

Obama promised he would shut down coal generation. Who did not get that memo?

[samanella]

And they will vote for Obama again — why? They are UNION members.

[AT7Saluki]

As advertised, as intended.

[Argus]

And as a bonus, the rest of us get more brown outs and blackouts and higher prices.

[Scoutmaster]

I would encourage FR members to consider helping the Appalachia Service Project financially or with a long weekend of their labor.

ASP helps make fairly major home repairs for those in the Appalachian region who cannot afford to do so.

Many of these people lost their jobs in the mines several years ago and are living in abject poverty. Over past years, I've helped rebuild homes for families with children who were living in tents because their homes had burned and they couldn't afford to rebuild them; installed indoor plumbing and a wheelchair ramp for an 82-year-old woman trapped inside her home for several years; and similar stories.

There are also week-long summer projects for youth groups. Participants come from every state east of the Mississippi River.

You will be touched spiritually.

[George from New England]

This freeper asks:

If we help out these unemployed idiots that voted for Obama in ‘08. After our help won’t they just keep voting ‘D’ anyway.

The help has to come after they suffer and lose the will to vote ‘D’. Right ?!

[Timber Rattler]

Nearly all of the lay-offs are non-union, and most of the areas affected are all solid “red.”

[Timber Rattler]

No, they didn't vote for Obama. There's this myth that all coal miners are UMWA floating around. They're not, and in fact the UMWA is only a shadow of its former self and does not have near the membership numbers it had 20 or 30 years ago.

[Sacajaweau]

Time to TOTALLY get rid of the EPA.

[N8VTXNinWV]

You are absolutely correct. My son was fortunate enough to have a paid internship with Consol in VA this past summer (he's an engineering major) and was saddened to learn that 600 people lost their jobs at that mine and others with Consol. He had such a wonderful experience with them... It is non-union.

[Michael Barnes]

Sorry assholes, its not like we didn’t try to warn you. You made your bed, now freeze in it.

[Scoutmaster]

If we help out these unemployed idiots that voted for Obama in ‘08.

I don't do this work for political reasons. I do this work thanks to the grace of, and in the name of, Jesus Christ.