A century ago, the U.S. coal industry was at its peak, employing 883,000, and today, coal employs fewer than 41,000. Is that a bad thing? Is the U.S. worse off because of this? Though it’s remarkable––that 95% fewer coal miners are needed to power a population that’s now 2.9x larger––can you name someone who cares? Is declining employment in the coal industry a threat to “national security”? Do the majority bemoan the rapidly declining prevalence of Black Lung? I’m sure there are some who’ve been personally harmed by the coal industry’s decimation––I’m not making light of that––but those who voluntarily chose another profession vivify what’s been disregarded for the past three years: tradeoffs.
Read Full Article »
