On a plane, somewhere between Santiago and Dallas, while enjoying food , drink, and Green Day on my iPod, I read in one of the five magazines that I regularly peruse, an article that said that business leaders who support Romney are not coming out in his support. They think he will be good for the economy; but they do not like his, and the Republican’s, social policies. Who but mittconception and his tribe believe that pregnancy, even by rape, is God’s will?
The article that I read noted that business leaders recognize that their employees and customers include straights, gays, twisteds, and others. They cannot and mostly do not want to offend them by openly supporting social bigots.
I have just been in intense mining meetings in Santiago. Our team and the teams we met with included obvious, if not out, straights, gays, twisteds, and others. We deliberated, fought, and advanced on the basis of fact and intellect. Orientation was not an issue.
As we walked to a fancy place to eat, the beautiful lady mining engineer said to me: “I am so glad my boyfriend has moved to my city. It is so nice to come home to a clean apartment, a good meal, cats that are well-fed, and a man.”
“What else does he do?” I asked.
“Play golf,” was her answer. “And he is good at it.”
My point is that Mitt and his tribe are lost and well behind the mining industry in cognizance of social reality.
So too are the liberals. When I checked my email in the airport lounge, there was one from a lady proposing an article on the disparity of women’s versus men’s incomes. I rejected this proposal. I have been with women of intellect, power, and high income all week. The mining industry needs them and is advancing because of them. It is all about brains & ability, not about orientation or God’s will.
Thus, reluctantly I must vote against Mitt, his mittconceptions, and all Republicans. I too, like those business leaders who dare not profess their love, believe he may be better for the economy. But I cannot, as a mining person involved deep in work with all types of people, subscribe to their ugly social attitudes. I must, in clear conscience, reject their anti-scientific and anti-human attitude. Leave them to their church and prejudice. Let us advance mining on the basis of fact, science, technology, and engineering. And let us involve men, women, and all variations thereof.
I strongly disagree with your recommendation to vote against the ONLY candidates who stand for the mining industry and all downstream industries who benefit from what mines produce. The rhetoric around social issues that you speak of mask the root cause of many of our economic problems in the US and around the world. The current administration would shut down every mine and every coal-fired power plant in the country right now if they could do it. There would be no concern about job loss, the loss of energy independence, or the loss of the billions of dollars in economic impact. They would do it in the name of global warming and social justice and call themselves heroes.
The US has been taken captive by people that do not want the original intent and vision of our founders to survive. If that way of life survives, they lose power. Candidates who stand against the current administration are finally speaking with courage about its war on industry, jobs and individual prosperity. A vote for the republicans is the ONLY vote for mining and mining’s future in the US.
Jack -
An interesting post as always. I enjoy how you often incorporate sometimes overlooked factors (economics, politics, etc.) into the discussion.
Based on your post, I suggest that there is an alternative option that would fit well with your criteria and not require you to hold your nose while you vote: Gary Johnson.
I’ve already voted for him by mail-in and it’s the first presidential vote I’ve probably ever cast that I’ve truly felt comfortable with. He supports freedom in both economics (not resorting to the crony capitalism and bailouts of the republicans and democrats) and society/personal life.
While I have seen progress in my 45 or so years in this business mining in Canada has always been and continues to be a social laggard. There is plenty of evidence to support that opinion, perhaps the most obvious is the general attitude towards 1st nations.
US elections are interesting to watch. Kind of like halloween…..you never know what freak is going to show up at the door.