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If you want WPA/TVA type jobs to replace the coal mining jobs that no longer exist, then the people have to be willing to go where the construction work is to b
by bradknowles 8y ago
If you want WPA/TVA type jobs to replace the coal mining jobs that no longer exist, then the people have to be willing to go where the construction work is to be done.
We can't just guarantee that they'll get WPA/TVA jobs to do all the construction in the country, without having them be willing and able to move to where the work is.
Moreover, construction is a young persons job. Older people can't work those kinds of jobs, at least not with the same level of efficiency and willingness to kill yourself (sometimes literally).
So approximately zero point zero percent of those miners would be able to actually do those construction jobs, even if they were willing to do so and willing to move close to where the work is.
- ethbro 8y agoIs mining that different in terms of physical requirements to construction? I'll admit I'm not intimately familiar with modern coal mining. But from the people I know in the industry (even older) vs who seems to be employable by our state DOT, I'd daresay the number should be a lot higher than ~0.0%.
- stevenwoo 8y agoModern coal mining has transitioned to mostly automated mountain top removal instead of the digging mines into the ground we might be more familiar with from film/tv, that's part of the reason the number of jobs has been shrinking combined with of course the switch to natural gas and renewables for power generation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/11/04/heres-why-central-appalachias-coal-industry-is-dying/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/11/04/heres...