How Important is Coal to Pennsylvania? Obama-Biden Does not get it!

How important is coal to Pennsylvania? Here are some facts.

Most anthracite coal is found in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has 29 billion tons of coal reserves, or 6.1% of the country's reserves.
The combined direct and indirect contributions of the coal industry to Pennsylvania's economy are more than $10 billion.
Using more than 57 million tons, Pennsylvania ranks fourth in coal use.
Pennsylvania employs more than 9,300 miners.
Pennsylvania distributes more than 75 million tons of coal each year.
Pennsylvania has 82 underground mines and 225 surface mines.
About 58% of the electricity used in Pennsylvania is produced by coal.
Pennsylvania produces about 7% of the country's coal supply.
Pennsylvania has 23 coal-fired power plants.

Source American Coal Foundation

Recently, Mr. Biden made some comments(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rXyTRT-NZg ) about coal and where they stand...YIKES! and he says he is from Scranton??? Maybe he forgot what happened to Scranton when the coal industry fell.

And they want the huddled masses to think that McCain doesn't get it?
There is so much that this ticket does not and will not ever understand about this country and the people they wish to "lead". They want to make us feel that the government will save us, when all the while for decades, as we seek to re-tool out communities and extend infrastructure and technologies to the "last mile", we have long been abandoned by that government, and have fended for ourselves.
Well, Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama, let me help you "get it". We are a resilient people. We believe in ourselves, our families and our country. We have small businesses and we help our neighbors. We care for our old and feed our poor. We go to church. We believe that roosters always come home to roost, and a person is always held accountable for their own actions. This is the end of your belittling the people who live on Main Street, because on November 4, 2008, we who are called to a cause greater than ourselves will be voting for McCain-Palin. That cause is not about making history, but more about putting Country First.

On Sarah Palin...

I find it very interesting that some people are having 'heartburn" with this. I think that strategically, it shows that McCain is thinking about the country, the party, and the future. He has his opponents scrambling, since this was not out of the 'playbook' that they had for McCain. That was first very obvious, as they unsuccessfully try to tie him to Bush '43. So it will take the O-Biden (now he's Irish) Team longer to come up with a plan. If the first few 'attacks' are any indication… then, as long as McCain stays "on his message" then the American People will see the truth.

Another strategic thing that must be considered is in choosing Gov. Palin, age 44, with a win, she is a shoe-in for 2012, if McCain chooses not to run again, and also for 2016. In 8 years, she will only be 52.

This helps with the rebuilding process. Lest we forget, the Republican party, and the Conservative movement, have no BENCH! We have not been growing leaders, getting them started in the political process. Placing them into position for the future, making them a part of the political process. I don’t think that the message that we want to send to Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation V, that they are not an option. This is a generation of socially conscious, aggressive, people, who feel they have something to contribute, and will use alternate means to accomplish their goals.

AMAZINGLY, Obama forgot one of the bullet points of his own speech “Sometimes change does not happen in Washington, Sometimes change COMES TO Washington". Discarding Sarah's EXECUTIVE experience as a Mayor insults most Americans, because America, is a collection of small towns. Discarding Sarah's EXECUTIVE experience as Ethics Commissioner and Chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, upsets their apple cart, since this is evidence that it is the people and not “Big Oil” that will be the priority of this administration. Discarding Sarah's EXECUTIVE experience as a Small Business Owner, insults the fabric of American ingenuity, accountability and determination. Discarding Sarah’s EXECUTIVE experience as a WORKING MOTHER, is an insult to anyone who has managed a family. Running a home & family is the quintessential executive experience of managing people, process, budget, tools, etc.

Is Obama & his team implying that only Washington experience that they consider relevant? If so, then this shows that it is HE that is “more of the same”.