Walker's Dirty Double Standard

Gov. Scott Walker decries protesters at proposed iron ore mine

Gov. Scott Walker says activities of protesters at the site of proposed iron ore mine near Lake Superior "has no place in Wisconsin."

Gov. Scott Walker blasts anti-mining activists

"The type of harassment and abuse we saw on the recent video of radical activists at Gogebic Taconite's proposed mine site has no place in Wisconsin. These extremists - who are disrupting work and causing harm to law-abiding employees - should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Walker said.

Was Scott Walker calling for the full prosecution of the Tea Partiers and other disruptors (during the last election cycle) who impeded, interrupted and scuffled at their opponents Town Hall meetings and other gatherings?

And, nevermind the environmental harassment caused by mining.

Seems Scott Walker likes his politics and his business really dirty.

For Further Reading:
Mining For jobs
Corps Of Engineers Questions Wisconsin Rewriting Mining Laws
A Fractured Process
Clean Coal Jobs?
Coal Job Promises Overblown?
Oil & Gas Industry's False Jobs Promise
Frac-Sand Mining’s Promise of Economic Prosperity Fails to Materialize

Shale Oil Jobs Vastly Exaggerated

Where The Jobs Are

From NPR's Planet Money:

To see how the jobs picture has changed since the start of the recession, we created the graph below. Here's how it works: 

• The size of the circle represents the number of jobs in each industry today. 
• The circle's position on the vertical axis shows the number of jobs lost or gained since the start of the recession. 
• The circle's position on the horizontal axis shows average hourly earnings for workers as of this spring. 

[source]

A few notes on some key sectors from the graph:

Manufacturing lost 2 million jobs during the recession. The sector has actually added back about half a million jobs during the recovery, and average wages are over $24 an hour. But many of the jobs that disappeared during the recession are probably gone forever. Even before the recession, automation and global competition led U.S. manufacturers to cut jobs, even as they increased output. That trend is likely to continue.

Construction is the other big sector that really got wallopped. This isn't surprising, given that the recession followed a massive real estate bubble that triggered an unsustainable building boom. Still, it's worth noting that even now, with the housing sector coming back to life and adding jobs again, there are nearly a million fewer construction jobs than there were a decade ago.

Health care is the big bright spot in the jobs picture. The sector has added 1.5 million jobs since the start of the recession, and average earnings of over $26 an hour are solid.

Leisure and hospitality mostly means jobs at restaurants and bars. The sector has more jobs now than ever. But average earnings, at about $13 an hour, are low.

Mining and logging includes the oil and gas industries, which have been booming, and where average hourly earnings are nearly $30 an hour. But, as the graph shows, even after strong growth, the sector has fewer than 1 million jobs. It just isn't big enough to make much of dent in the national jobs picture.

Professional and technical services includes a big swath of the tech industry as well as architects and lawyers and other skilled professionals. Not surprisingly, average hourly earnings are high, at about $37 an hour.

Weekend Reading

What If Obama Spent Like Reagan?

U.S Has Some Of The Lowest Energy Taxes In The World

4 States Considering Laws That Challenge Teaching Evolution

The Real Reason For The Decline Of American Unions

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Should Take Tougher Stand On Mine

Why The Founding Fathers Loved National Debt

Home Depot Syndrome

Paul Ryan Breaks Down Under Wonkterrogation

Our Incredible Shrinking Government

Weekend Reading

Death Of The Fringe Suburb
Double Taxation Of Corporate Profits & Other Fairy Tales
George Will Confused By Numbers At The Post Office
Mining Bill Rushed Before Governor's Office
Myth Of Profligate Euro Zone Countries
No New Drugs? Blame Wall Street
The Obama Spending Non-Surge
Skilled Jobs Go Begging? Not Quite
Small Business & The Millionaire Surcharge
The Squeeze On State Workers
Top 0.1% Of The Nation Earn half Of All Capital Gains
Walker's Union-Busting Bill Challenged In Court
Who Does Not Pay Taxes? Kimberly Clark, Brunswick, Rockwell, & Snap-On

Bluff Stuff

Articles regarding the bluff collapse in Oak Creek:
Bluff collapse came weeks after Congress rebuffed EPA on coal ash rule
Collapsed bluff got pass from state regulations
Bluff collapse at power plant sends dirt, coal ash into lake

For more on why we need the EPA and regulations on dirty industries like mining:
Tests find toxins at Flambeau mine

Mining For Jobs

The Journal Sentinel editorial board opined support for relaxed mining laws for a possible mining site near Ashland, Wisconsin. They believe less regulation on mining will create jobs, and if done properly won't hurt the environment.

They admit the Wisconsin outdoors are a major source of pride, tourism and income. But the editorial board feels we can deregulate whilst protecting the environment.

And, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas.

By making mining laws weaker, we would be weakening environmental laws, and thus, harming the environment.

Yes, new mining would create jobs. But so would greener, sustainable projects, which wouldn't compromise the future of Wisconsin's environment. And, how long will the mining last? What are the guarantees? The article mentioned glowing projections for job numbers and pay, but will there be clawbacks or penalties for the mining company if they don't meet these goals?

The article states, "Too much red tape and too many bureaucratic delays can be deadly. That's why the state should change its laws." The "red tape" encumbered by mining companies was put in place because of the deadly consequences of their past actions. Mining is a filthy business. The disaster that occurred at WE Energy's plant (where hazardous materials ended up in Lake Michigan after a bluff collapse) in Oak Creek is another recent reminder that maybe we should take a pause before pushing forward with more potentially destructive legislation and deregulation all in the name of supposed job growth.

High unemployment should not force us into the dilema of weakening environmental laws for the sake of jobs. It's time we take a high-road strategy to development and jobs. This is the only planet we have.

Mining for Dollars

It's good to see someone is keeping an eye on Scott Walker and his crony capitalism.

Corps of Engineers questions Wisconsin rewriting mining laws.