The Richwood Report

If the trucks stopped delivering boxes of product to the back door and she lost her job, do you think it would occur to her to regret and rescind her knee-jerk support of scorched-earth "environmental" policies that seek to shut down the mines and the lumber mills, to force the cattle off the land?

Why would she, when her "education" has consisted of a full-court press of hatred and revulsion at "greedy capitalists who don't want to pay their fair share of taxes to help the less fortunate," memorizing little ditties about how the greedy miners and industrialists "want to pollute our air and soil" -- when she can see no link between our resource industries and our manufacturing industries and her weekly paycheck?

Mining and manufacturing are, like it or not, vital to the advanced civilization we enjoy. The processes and machinery to produce it were developed over hundreds of years involving the work of millions of people. If we only consider our own business, the belt cleaners, impact devices, and other Richwood products seen in our shops every day involve the contributions of generations of people and the investment of millions of dollars and years of work. It took a long time and a lot of work to get where we are. In millions of other businesses, the same story could be told. Risks were taken. Money was spent. Inventions were invented. Devices were designed and built. Processes were developed and improved. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't. Regardless, the sum total of all this risk and work is the civilization, the standard of living we enjoy. If we allow it to be lost, starting again from scratch will be difficult.

Certainly, there are right and wrong ways to do things. Our choice at Richwood has been to be a good neighbor in our state and community and to consider the long-term effects of the choices we make. We ought to expect that of each other. Whatever we do, however, we must acknowledge that our way of life involves producing the materials we consume every day and that we must allow for the needs of producers if we are to enjoy their benefits.

Get it? "Broad financial questions" are not to be considered. The EPA and the Greens will have their pristine paradise no matter what it costs, even if the river basins end up occupied by starving welfare slaves or by no human beings at all. Why anyone would invest any further capital to create jobs under such a regime is simply "not germane."

So first we export our manufacturing jobs, and then we export our jobs in the underlying resource industries -- closing down the ranches and the mines and the lumber mills -- as well? Do they really think the American economy can continue to run on the strength of video games and Disney movies and selling each other insurance and dry-cleaning services? We appear to be in the hands of little children, who believe power and light and jobs and wealth can be created out of the darkness by fairies swirling little magic wands -- no resources required.