I THINK MINING

From one perspective, sustainable mining involves educating the spouses and children of the local miners.  We always read about the new schools and books that mines in primitive places provide free of charge to those who otherwise have no access to education.

I know two very liberal local ladies who give a hint of the possible consequences of all this mining-derived education.  One was the spouse of a fellow who makes a good salary in a large mining company.  He works so hard that she took him to the cleaners in the divorce: he had no idea of the family finances being too busy developing mines in far places.   The other is the well-educated daughter of a fellow who has grown rich off mining.

Now they are both very liberal, espouse environmental causes, and decry the impact of mining on the good life.   One has moved to an exotic far country to her new house and younger lover.  The other works in the provincial system for a most adequate salary and lives in a house bought with father’s money. 

Recently I was at dinner with both.  The topic of the high taxes on liquor in British Columbia arose.  An example of the taxes: a locally brewed beer cost $23 a twelve-pack—the same twelve-pack can be bought in the United States for $11.  Apparently liquor taxes brings in about $1.8 billion a year to the province of British Columbia.  

The two liberal ladies loudly supported this tax on the basis that it “provides the money for the life style we all enjoy.”

I countered that this is a most regressive tax.   For them a few dollars more on a bottle of wine is irrelevant, but to the poor working man and average miner, the tax is significant. 

“Then think of it as a sin tax,” was their ready reply.

Not so, I countered.  For I and four others in out townhouse complex make our own wines at about $4 a bottle and avoid most of the sin and other taxes on liquor.  To provoke them further, I noted that I support taxing the rich, but not the working miner.  

This set off a storm of protest.  The storm ended with a defence of social responsibility for the homeless of east Vancouver (who always seem to have plenty to drink regardless of the tax.)  And our host passing around another bottle of “expensive” but mediocre wine to calm the debate. 

I recognize that the socialist opinions of but two persons educated and well-provisioned by mining hardly establishes a valid basis for fearing the negative impacts of sustainable mining—at least the “educate-the-locals” part.  But then I wonder, for I read somewhere that the wealthier a society, the more environmentally aware it becomes.  Only the future will tell. In the meantime I urge that those colorful publications put out by the big mining houses take a look in a footnote at the impact of all the education they are so liberally spreading around.