Earlier quoted context omitted.
And Norway was basically warned about the problem by an Iraqi that had experienced it once before. Not that the oil fund is perfect. Using it can drive the currency haywire.
Any references on that?
The Future of Coal Country
71–80 of 97 posts
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#72Trump says he is going to bring back coal as a part of his program to make America great again. But the reason America was so great is that it was at the leading edge of technological change. That is relevant because in the 19th century, coal was the hot new technology. It was used for powering factory machines, electric generators, railroads and steam boats, heating, and producing steel. But technology continued to…
The geography is special and we're kind of the "Saudi Arabia" of world coal production. As the worlds best producer (or one of the best anyway) we should be the one place in the world still digging coal. Kind of like how wheat is not quite as sexy as javascript frameworks. However, the midwest has the unique geological feature of being the "Saudi Arabia" of wheat production, so despite wheat not being as sexy as SV s…
China is Nr.1 world producer by far. Then comes the US, Europe, India, Australia with more or less the same output each. Sure you could try to compete with China by removing all environmental regulations but even the Chinese slowly understand that drinkable water might have its use also.
Your corn example isn't a good story also, because without subsidies the "Saudi Arabia" of wheat production wouldn't exist.
How about concentrating on stuff which actually generates money?
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm originally from an area not in coal country, but right by it and heavily influenced by it. I couldn't agree with you more. Both my home state and the federal government are already essentially subsidizing these people to live in these communities simply because it's where they were born. There is no infrastructure for jobs because there are no industries other than coal and growing marijuana / making moonshine (a…
Is there remote work these people could do using the internet?
Maybe mechanical turk, but that would probably only pay like $1-$5/hr at most if done at a regular rate (e.g. a 40 hour work week). Other than that, no. The vast majority of the US, including unemployed people in Appalachia, do not have the luxury of having such an in-demand skill that employers are willing to let them work remotely.
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#74Trump says he is going to bring back coal as a part of his program to make America great again. But the reason America was so great is that it was at the leading edge of technological change. That is relevant because in the 19th century, coal was the hot new technology. It was used for powering factory machines, electric generators, railroads and steam boats, heating, and producing steel. But technology continued to…
I wouldn't say we are going technologically backwards if you take a systemic look at energy, manufacturing, & infrastructure. Steel is needed to rebuild existing infrastructure (roads, bridges, railroads) that have been falling apart over the years. Steel is also needed to new infrastructure (buildings, electrical grid, solar panels (including those which will line the Mexican border wall), walls, housing, equipment,…
Coal will only become more expensive as it becomes more difficult to extract. The easy to access coal is gone. That is why in the article, they are resorting to destroying the county's state park. Everywhere else is either depleted or hard to access. All the more reason to use renewable, non depletable energy sources. Even China is beginning to moving away, producing a ton of solar panels.
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#75Trump says he is going to bring back coal as a part of his program to make America great again. But the reason America was so great is that it was at the leading edge of technological change. That is relevant because in the 19th century, coal was the hot new technology. It was used for powering factory machines, electric generators, railroads and steam boats, heating, and producing steel. But technology continued to…
This reminds me of Kodak, who was given advanced warning that digital would disrupt the film industry. Kodak did little to prepare, and that blunder ultimately led to its decline. I fear the US is also blundering in the areas of energy and infrastructure policy.
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not a fairy tale at all. In the 19th century De Tocqueville commented on how eager Americans were to sell land in pursuit of profit relative to Europeans at the time. It seems that in the post-war era we settled on this notion that families should largely remain rooted and stable, and that became part of the modern "American Dream". I wonder if all of that is just a long-term backlash against the forced migrations of…
On the other hand, it's much more difficult to build lively, supportive, and necessary communities when everybody be moving all the time. Granted, obviously is the one source of income in a town dries up, you should probably move, but seeking out employment by hoping coast to coast does harm to our communities, especially when you aren't involved. Unlike you, (and I don't mean this in a negative way, it's a complicat…
Yeah just depends on your goals/place in life. I imagine once kids come along I'll start growing more roots, but for now my focus is on my fiancée's and mine careers. And right now I'm at the best software development job that doesn't require a 1-hour commute. So while I could chase pay-grades for the next 30 years and make a decent run of things (plenty of my coworkers have), I kinda see that as a path to career mediocrity.
I agree that moving around makes developing strong ties tough. Once I get further along I'll reconsider taking my foot off the gas a little. My standard is essentially: "If I was trying to convince my kid to go into engineering, would I use my job as an example to aspire towards?" Right now, while I'm grateful for my job and the work certainly isn't bad, the answer is no.
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The main difference is that there are at least jobs in cities. There just aren't any houses, so their quality of life takes a greater hit than staying put in the form of huge commutes and dramatically increased cost of living. See service workers or teachers in San Francisco. 1. https://www.curbed.com/2017/6/20/15834514/rent-transportatio... 2. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607957/the-unaffordable-u... 3. http…
This is often true on the coasts, but not particularly true in Appalachia or Appalachia-adjacent urban areas. A basic house is $65k in Morgantown: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Morgantown-WV/22898744... And a nice house with a 10 minute funicular commute to Downtown Pittsburgh (the Paris of Appalachia) isn't too much more: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/11363350_zpid/globalre... And one can pay much le…
How many people in Appalachia can afford a down payment on any house? From a quick search of the addresses you linked, all are in places with high rates of property & violent crime. None of them seem like better options than being poor in your home town, and avoiding the myriad risks associated with big moves when you're a low earner who can't take any hits at all to monthly income without major sacrifices.
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not a fairy tale at all. In the 19th century De Tocqueville commented on how eager Americans were to sell land in pursuit of profit relative to Europeans at the time. It seems that in the post-war era we settled on this notion that families should largely remain rooted and stable, and that became part of the modern "American Dream". I wonder if all of that is just a long-term backlash against the forced migrations of…
IIRC, it was later than post WWII - more like the 70ies. Or maybe you're right and it's a longer term trend: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/02/american-mobility-has...
Interesting. So maybe it's a Baby Boomer phenomenon? Wish the data went back further, doesn't look like the Census started monitoring this before 1948. With some Googling it looks like federal home-ownership assistance efforts (either through providing subsidized housing or tax relief) started as far back as the Great Depression. Maybe people just wanted houses and prior to such programs it was unattainable for most?
Looks like a good topic for a book for anyone who has the time. I'm sure it's a confluence of several factors. :)
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
How do other countries deal with this? Or do they have the same problem of local communities extracting federal subsidies for their unsustainable, selfish, local desires?
They do. But other countries are often not as concentrated as the US is becoming.
concentrated in terms of what?
Re: The Future of Coal Country
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think in the long run it won't matter. For the most part, the jobs they could get in the cities are starting to vanish as well. In 10-20 years, the cities will have it even worse at the lower economic end. People might as well stay where they want to live. This economic transition will eventually effect everyone. Everyone. These people are just at the front end of it.
Why do you think this? Can you provide some evidence? There was a lot of hand wringing during the recession about the end of work--"we're all losing our jobs to the robots," etc.--but it seems like there are as many jobs as ever and more good jobs. This is especially true from a global perspective. While many blue collar workers in the US are suffering from competition from foreign substitution, there are literally b…
> It doesn't sound like the end of human work when you zoom out.
Say that in another thirty years, though. You're referring to billions of people in countries that haven't yet entered a post-industrial economic situation. Are those billions any safer than the millions in the U.S. who've fallen out of it?