Businessman Stands Up for his Rational Self-Interest

From the New York Sun:

"The New York Coal Trade Association, headquartered in New York City, recently held its 94th annual banquet and meeting at the New York Hilton. One of the guest speakers was Bob Murray, founder and CEO of Murray Energy Corporation and probably one of the few CEOs brave enough to challenge the militant climate control movement that threatens the future of America's economy."

Bob Murray, a former miner who during his mining years was involved in two accidents, said that Al Gore is "far more dangerous than his Global Warming". By fighting the irrational environmental movement, he says that he's "standing up for the little guy that no one cares about".

Mr Murray mortgaged his home to start up his Mining Company, which currently has about 3,000 employees. If the new envirofascist legislation currently before the American Senate passes, a good deal of those employees could lose their jobs. Mr Murray also spoke about the devastating effects of the 1990 ammendment to the "Clean Air" Act. He talked of the terrible damage wrought on Ohio towns because of that legislation, because of the loss of much of the coal industry. During the years from 1990-2005, no less than 118 mines shut down in Ohio thanks to the legislation, and 36,000 miners lost their jobs.

Bob Murray also believes that the Global Warming debate is one sided and exaggerated. Currently, 52% of America is powered by Coal, and that's because most of the towns and cities powered by Coal can afford little else, and most of them are in America's interior, which makes getting access to other, cleaner resources all the harder.

A final word from me: most people do believe that coal does degrade te environment. However, many poor Americans can't afford any other alternative. Instead, why doesn't America up the production of it's poorer citizens and poorer regions by providing a freer economy, and thus more incentives to produce wealth?

And why doesn't America strengthen Property Rights to use a protection against pollution of every kind?