Jay Rockefeller's Harry X-Mas

by: One Citizen

Fri Jan 01, 2010 at 11:50:32 AM EST

Don't worry about Rockefeller getting shafted for the purpose of "cutting the federal budget", fellow citizens. When Harry X-Mas gets to passing out the porkponies under the upcoming Cap and Trade bill, Senator Rockefeller (Coalocrat-WV) will have learned to dig in his heels and "bargain" us all a lump of coal in the form of even more subsidies for coal operators and call it his "Green Jobs Initiative". Ignoring the fact that mining more coal means poisoning more of his constituents.

Isn't it time we officially outlaw the nickname "Mountain State" (due to the love of flattening our mountains by coal operators who run things here) and revert to the age old "Panhandle State" tag to accurately reflect how our politicians let the coal companies panhandle ALL of the federal subsidies? Not to mention how our politicians in turn panhandle from the operators.

But you don't have to take my word for it. It isn't any wonder since Manchin's Stimulus Package website fails to take advantage of, or even mentions the "Green Jobs Act" portion of the Stim package.  In contrast our neighboring state of Virginia publicly notes outright that the stimulus package included $3.95 billion for training and employment services-including $750 million for research and job training projects in "green jobs," health care, and other high-demand and emerging occupations.

I say we rename our WVU sports teams "The Mighty Panhandlers".

Mountaineer fans should venture below the fold to see why I'm suggesting that they substitute sooty black in place of the traditional blue and instead of the rich gold that adorns their arena heroes, why blood red would be more fitting tribute to the people who live here.

Petition demands WVU reject gifts from coal execs
by VICKI SMITH Associated Press Writer

22 days ago

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Student environmental activists demanded Wednesday that West Virginia University reject future donations from coal executives Bob Murray and Don Blankenship, arguing their mining operations endanger lives.

Leaders of the Sierra Student Coalition delivered a petition with 1,000 signatures to WVU President James Clements, who told the students he understands their concerns.

"Our school should set a good example for its students," the coalition argued. "If our university forms a buddy system with the crooked, then which institution can be expected to do the right thing?"

WVU spokesmen said that gifts are not made directly to the administration but to the WVU Foundation, the school's private fundraising entity. They also noted Murray's $1 million pledge to the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in September was aimed at showing appreciation for the school where his three sons earned degrees in mining engineering and geology.

Murray is president of Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp. and owner of Utah's Crandall Canyon mine, where a series of collapses in August 2007 killed six miners and three would-be rescuers. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration fined Murray $1.6 million for violations that investigators say directly contributed to the miners' deaths.source

I can't wait to see how WVU's coal slurry injection study turned out,even though it rather curious that WVU was awarded the $221 million no-bid contract.

Let's start a betting pool on how long WVU will stall the fulfillment of its contractual obligations.

My guess is that they'll put it off for 2 years. They'll be able to do it by still getting performance installment payouts in the form of "engineering endowments" from as far away as San Juan, New Mexico.