Does it matter?

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Posted on February 25th, 2011 12:01 pm

As a society, we are busier than ever. Between Facebook, Twitter, TV, family and sports how do we find the “me” time. It’s hard to clear the clutter and make sense of which way is up. Further, as an employee in the coal or natural gas industry, you are pulled into events, meetings, or letter writing campaigns all to protect against over-burdensome, activist government agencies. Just think back to last year, when the Commonsense Movement requested you to attend the EPA hearing in Pittsburgh on coal waste. Many times these activities can distract from the daily work or take time away from friends and family. At some point you have to ask yourself – does it matter? Collectively, are we having an impact?

If you have been following the news, you know this past week Wisconsin has been the talk around water cooler. As a recap, the teachers union has shut down schools because Governor Scott Walker has proposed to end collective bargaining and increase the contributions to health care and pension by 12.6% and 5.8% respectively. It was estimated over the weekend that 60,000-plus protesting the plan flooded the state capitol. This attention has sparked a nationwide press cycle with each side weighing in on the proposal. Furthermore, this is causing other states to join the “flee” movement. Indiana Democrats walked out to halt a vote on “collective bargaining” in that state.

But wait - it does not stop there. A group of environmental protestors staged a “sit in” in Kentucky’s capitol for 3 days over the weekend to stop coal mining. The following Monday, February 14th, a crowd outside the capitol estimated at 1,000 protested further against mining and demanded its end. (Editor’s note: Although Governor Steve Beshear's came into office lukewarm on coal mining issues, he has stood strong against these protests). Nonetheless, the Governor had to agree to a meeting with this group to hear their concerns. We hope he continues to stand with the good paying, job creators.

Over the years politics has become a messy business. As this past week can attest, the most aggressive and loudest group will get the attention of our leaders and the press. It’s kind of like the 80/20 rule, but with only the small vocal 20% of the people driving decisions that affect our daily lives. When a small group of people coalesce around an industry and activate, people take notice. One more example is the Tea Party Movement.

Now, on this page, we will never suggest that we discard public discourse or disrespect our elected officials. However, what we will suggest is that participation does matter. Think about it this way. In Pennsylvania, we have over 41,000 jobs (direct and indirect) related just to the coal industry. If we stood collectively when necessary, do you think we could move public opinion? Absolutely, yes. Mark Twain agrees once stating, “The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.”

In this light, thank you to the nearly 5,000 individuals that have signed up for our Movement so far. Work is still left to be done and it does matter. Will you find 3 more people to sign up today? How about our Facebook site? Please sign up and tell us what you think.

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