Editorial: Coal -- Not a Viable Long-Term Solution

Right now, our politicians are dragging our feet when it comes to creating energy independence and creating a strong economy that is not dependent on the whims of world leaders and foreign dictators. Case in point -- Chicago, where certain politicians there are dragging their feet on shutting down one of the dirtiest coal plants in the country, the Fisk & Crawford Plants. Located right in the middle of Chicago, the Fisk & Crawford plant emits so much pollution that patio furniture in the neighborhood is literally covered with soot. These plants were put in place with the promise of jobs and economic development, then the property values went down -- after all, who wants to live near a coal plant? Consequently, the only people who live near these places are people who can't afford to live anywhere else.

Mike Huckabee, who recently decided not to run for President, had a good idea which he put into action as Governor of Arkansas -- he put in a plan for preventative health, which saved taxpayers millions of dollars worth of healthcare costs. Herewith my suggestion -- focus on preventative health by phasing out dirty power sources such as coal and retrain the workers to do cleaner sources such as solar and wind. According to the University of Harvard, that would save $1 trillion in taxpayer money -- no more need for Obamacare or the need for us to purchase a private product in order to keep the IRS from assessing thousands of dollars against our taxes. The Fisk and Crawford plant alone caused 41 premature deaths and 550 visits to the emergency room for allergies such as asthma. In addition, there are 500,000 premature deaths in the US and 750,000 (at least) in China due to coal.

Now that Bin Laden is dead, we can start thinking about cutting funds for Afghanistan and how and when to get out. We can free up some funds so that we can put a wind farm or a solar plant in every town in the country -- our towns could sell the electricity to customers or to utilities and create a new source of income, as could the county. We can invest in math and science so that we can find ways of doing it cheaper so that we can reach the tipping point at which it would be cheaper to produce than conventional sources -- that would benefit our local schools. And we can put hybrid plants in every town the size of Maryville or bigger so that we can starve the Arabs before the next Bin Laden comes along. Yet certain politicians would rather be happy going the same tired old politics as usual. If we go that route, then the next 9/11 is an accident waiting to happen.