I too have been a bureaucrat. I am not particularly proud of swilling at
the public trough with the other bureaucrats. I often wonder if bureaucracy
breeds anything but more bureaucracy. It seems that every bureaucrat I meet
is more involved with keeping his job, expanding his department and growing
his authority than providing for the common good.
While early day mining was dangerous, coal from Wales and tin and copper from
Cornwall were the raw materials for the bronze age, the industrial age and
the electrical age. Minerals are the basic materials for our civilization.
We can do nothing without them.
We should be celebrating what mining has given us and recognizing the
progress we have made since we fell out of the trees. Running down the
industry and its practitioners in the present and past will not make our
lives better. Understanding its problems and recognizing the solutions
that have been gained by labor, government and management will provide even
better solutions.
Some people apparently think, mining is a design by the devil for the
destruction of mankind. That somehow we can stop all mining and the world
would be a better place. Well, its an economic enterprise, if you don't
like mining, try living without its products. If we can't make any money,
we'll quit.
It is good to see this thread take on active discussions without flaming and
I am sorry if some of you feel flamed in my effort to bring about a lively
discussion by taking an adversarial view.
Mason Coggin
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