tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post4715678785372024644..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: Trump's Economic Plan: Hydraulic MiningAndrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-17705252344847409692017-06-26T21:58:08.561-07:002017-06-26T21:58:08.561-07:00Liz: Yeah, there's a gold mining story about ...Liz: Yeah, there's a gold mining story about that, too. I should probably write that one up, too.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-59717395060010380012017-06-26T21:57:21.265-07:002017-06-26T21:57:21.265-07:00TAS: But the Republicans believe very strongly in ...TAS: But the Republicans believe very strongly in doing the same thing over and over again in case it works at some point.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-47940528441993605822017-06-26T21:56:02.935-07:002017-06-26T21:56:02.935-07:00Jeanne: Cogs.Jeanne: Cogs.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-22540118727897345302017-06-26T21:55:26.795-07:002017-06-26T21:55:26.795-07:00Briane: It's not even preserving the present; ...Briane: It's not even preserving the present; it's rewinding to some idealized view of the past. And, sure, moving forward will mean that some people will lose their jobs, possibly even permanently, but that's why there should be social programs to support those people. It's like taking care of your elders who at one time supported you. Society has to shift, and, hopefully, it's shifting forward.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-4176089570652673532017-06-26T17:37:03.394-07:002017-06-26T17:37:03.394-07:00It's a sad state of affairs. In the end, the j...It's a sad state of affairs. In the end, the jobs will still be lost. They're just trying to eke out a few more years, I think. Because the pendulum will have to swing back. Sooner rather than later, I hope.Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-32193233587120211882017-06-26T12:48:10.356-07:002017-06-26T12:48:10.356-07:00The whole "miners made shit wages while owner...The whole "miners made shit wages while owners got rich" is exactly what they want to go back to, with all of us as the miners. Not necessarily as miners, but whatever else they need for their serfdom.J E Oneilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780097298061829471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-23760654354322150752017-06-26T08:40:58.013-07:002017-06-26T08:40:58.013-07:00Trickle down economics is a dangerous and powerful...Trickle down economics is a dangerous and powerful myth. Thank you for this concrete demonstration.The Armchair Squidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509001761075530940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-14225200984266311072017-06-26T06:03:42.363-07:002017-06-26T06:03:42.363-07:00I've long hated the idea that jobs can't b...I've long hated the idea that jobs can't be "lost." From the GM intervention to Trump's deal on the factory in Indiana, politicians act like preserving JOBS is the only thing. It reminds me of Vonnegut's "Player Piano." <br /><br />Progress, and economics, means that sometimes companies will become obsolete, or will fail, and jobs will be lost as a result of that. As a society, our goal should not be to preserve a *particular* kind of job, but instead to ensure that people displaced by progress or economic warfare aren't refugized (?) themselves: we could provide retraining, education, housing incentives, moving assistance, easier access to bankruptcy, those kind of things. <br /><br />The coal subsidies are presumably meant to help keep energy costs down, which itself is harmful; not only do the upper crust of the companies peel off unnecessary profits, but artificially-low fossil fuel costs help prevent innovation. Gas has stayed at a couple bucks per gallon in our part of the country for the past decade, maybe? I can't really remember how long. But I can recall $4/gallon gas and it was during that time that the hybrid and electric car boom really began. Now we've stalled out at our hybrids again and they're making less fuel-effiicent hybrids. The Lexus Hybrid gets fewer miles per gallon than my old (nonhybrid) Saturn did: 20 mpg, for a HYBRID. <br /><br />So it's not just that it wrecks the environment, or that people get rich. It's that a focus on preserving the present helps keep us from moving forward.Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.com