Coal Workers Are Heroes

American Spectator discusses the West Virginia coal mining tragedy with Iain Murray. 

The coal mining tragedy in West Virginia shows that we should celebrate and appreciate the people who take on this difficult work as much as we do soldiers, police officers and firefighters (or others). It is because of their sacrifice that we enjoy the blessings of low-cost energy, which increases our quality and length of life. The Competitive Enterprise Institute's Iain Murray spoke to this, from his heart, earlier this week:

So whenever tragedy strikes a mining town as it does and as it has since the beginning of the industry, it's important to keep in mind that the people of coal country are not villains. Cynical exploitation of a disaster by anti-mining activists is no help to mining communities.

By opposing mountaintop removal and the operation of private property rights that are the workable solution to the pollution problem, they have helped ensure that coal miners must operate underground, in conditions of great risk, rather than outdoors.

Read the full article at the American Spectator.