Newspapers and other media outlets nationwide lust after government growth and they constantly try to pass their careless assertions and one sided survey results off as hard and factual news. I'm Irish, so I'm calling Shenanigans! (An Irish term for pointing out trickery or deceit.) The truth is, in Kentucky we probably do use more energy than in most other places. For two reasons: it's cheap and we need it.
It's cheap because energy is one of the state's major products. It's responsible for a large portion of our GDP. We have abundant supplies of coal and we know how access it, we know how to use it, and best of all, we know how to sell it. Ironically, many Californians enjoy energy produced by Kentucky's coal industry.
We need it because there are a large number of rural residents who commute for employment and the rest of our economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing. Farmers need more energy to expand their own businesses and one of the few advantages that Kentucky offers manufacturers for moving here is cheap energy. Ask Toyota of Georgetown.
Just before the election a tape surfaced of Barack Obama saying that he wouldn't lose any sleep if his energy policies bankrupted the coal industry. His Vice Presidential running mate was caught on tape saying "â?¦there is no such thing as clean coal." Our own state newspapers and many politicians happily get on board this dangerous philosophy that will eventually bankrupt not only the coal industry but Kentucky as well.
When editorial boards and liberal politicians extol the virtues of saving the planet by destroying the coal business, I often wonder if they ever think of the number of people in Kentucky who will be negatively affected by their legislation. Do they see that Kentucky already has a high unemployment rate because of its unfriendly atmosphere to business progress and burdensome tax policies?
Do they see that Kentucky has a low per capita income and that if we raise energy prices through senseless legislation and tax increases we'll close the vice grips on low income earners even tighter?
Clean Coal is achievable and Kentucky can lead the way. It is irresponsible for liberal media and ignorant politicians to close their minds to the possibility of Kentucky becoming a leader instead of a follower. We should be cooking dinner, not eating the leftovers. What an irony it will be when we're all broke and unemployed on the day the news breaks that man-made global warming was a farce.
Leland Conway is the executive editor and co-founder of www.conservativeedge.com and the Host of the Pulse of Lexington on News Radio 630 WLAP.
