Wolf shows graphs beautifully illustrating our Resource Colony status.
Despite all the enviro loony publicity, underground coal production has been about steady since 1960. Surface mining rose tremendously from 1960 to 2002, then dropped back to 1960. We haven’t stopped PRODUCING at all, which is very good for the coal industry and the states where it’s strong.
Meanwhile, our CONSUMPTION has dropped dramatically, with essentially zero coal-burning power plants. Wolf doesn’t show this, but I’m guessing coal is still used in steel production, for the few remaining steel plants that haven’t been offshored.
Where is the coal going? Exports, mainly to our Master Country China.
Again good for the coal industry but bad for reliable power systems.
The people of Free-Trade countries are therefore driven into the few occupations which are left, by reason of the destruction of their formerly more varied pursuits. Hence those diversified talents with which men are endowed are not developed but remain latent and unused, an incalculable detriment to the prosperity of their respective countries.
Polistra's Mill 