Again we see so-called leaders of the city of Vancouver, Washington turning a blind eye to the plight of citizens not only in the city, but in nearby communities and the rest of the state as Vancouver’s Mayor, ‘Teflon’ Tim ‘the Liar’ Leavitt stood with enviro-wacko’s, speaking against the proposed coal export terminals being planned that will ship coal to Asia, providing much needed jobs to our state and even benefit the citizens he claims to represent.
Previously covered here, the terminals would accept coal shipped by rail and barge to be loaded onto ships and sold to countries in Asia that are building coal powered facilities to economically benefit regions in their countries that have until now been without electricity.
These countries will buy coal, if not America’s low sulfur coal, other countries coal with much higher concentrates of sulfur. But, they will buy the coal they desire.
In advance of the terminals construction, a series of scoping meetings are being held across the state to assess public interest, each well attended by well organized factions of the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and other groups who now believe they have the right to not only deny you a decent paying job, but now wish to stick their noses into the dealings of other countries, telling them how they should live, or generate much needed power to remote regions by methods they claim are acceptable, even though they would deny those regions electricity by making it far too expensive for the people of that country.
Once such meeting was held last evening in our city with many in attendance from well outside the city, covering both sides of the issue. A representative of Greenpeace proudly posted on twitter of the Mayor of Vancouver standing with them in opposition to the terminals and the jobs they promise to bring.
Leavitt, undoubtedly the worst Mayor in Vancouver’s history is well known for blatantly lying his way into office back in 2009 by expressing a strong stand against tolls on the proposed Interstate Bridge replacement, only to swiftly change his tune once elected. He is known for his slippery actions in trying to silence citizens who oppose his efforts to force Clark County taxpayers to subsidize Portland, Oregon’s financially failing light rail. He is also known for questionable ethics, even having friends appear at council meetings to counter citizen concerns on light rail and other matters, stacking the audience to give the appearance of public support.
As the issue of coal terminals was becoming known and that the trains carrying coal would pass through Vancouver, Leavitt told the city, “I’d like to be better informed about the issue before I take a stand. Whether its coal dust, additional diesel emissions, a massive influx of train freight traffic … this council will weigh in on the community’s behalf.”
Leavitt, who should remain publicly neutral as the city council determines whether or not to issue a toothless proclamation against the coal trains passing through took a very public stance, against coal and the jobs they will bring to the region Wednesday, Dec 12. The local newspaper of record was kind enough to post photographs of the Mayor addressing anti-coal protesters here and here.
Much of the opposition for our community centers around rail traffic with claims of massive clouds of coal dust expected for our community off of the rail cars.
Contrary to those claims, I was recently downtown with my camera and was fortunate enough to be near the tracks as a coal train passed through.
December 7, 2012
I see no cloud or even a hint of coal dust from any of the cars as that train passed through town.
But when does the anti-everything left care about truth and facts?
If you think that trains passing through our community can bring no jobs and only harm, think again. You’re thinking short as the terminals, even though not located inside of our community, hold the promise of jobs in constructing them and manning them once built. Good paying jobs and likely union jobs as well.
As the terminals are being built, they will hire laborers from all over. Those laborers will need to buy tools, contractors will need to buy materials, and hire truckers to bring those items to the construction site and all of those people will need to eat lunch, likely at restaurants along the way and near the site.
They will need clothes, shoes, hats and quite possibly a temporary place to stay while working.
The train traffic will see a need for increased rail maintenance, possibly newer lower emission locomotives and people will be hired all over to build them, repair them and maintain rail beds.
Why would we believe none of that will ripple down to our community as well, considering one terminal proposed is just north of us in Cowlitz County?
And Vancouver’s Mayor stands against you getting back to work after seeing four full years of double digit unemployment in our community?
He’s had no problem voting to increase property taxes, increase sales taxes, and advocate slapping you with tolls, parks fees and more to see the city maintain the amount of revenue they bring in, even though your family income has decreased.
And now, he stands up with enviro-wackos in opposition to you being able to recover.
The Columbian’s Editorial Page Editor John Laird, the bombastic, acerbic purveyor of vitriolic hate against those of us who oppose bankrupting citizens for the massive boondoggle CRC, famously labels conservatives and CRC opponents as “ankle biters,” Hounds of Whinerville” and the “BANANA Bunch (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything).”
Now that Mayor ‘Teflon’ Tim has joined in with the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and others opposed to private sector job creation will Laird similarly label them?
Unlikely.
We need jobs if we are to grow out of this elongated recession. People need to have the ability to care for their families, to make purchases for their needs and wants. The Coal Terminals promise a good beginning to growing our economy again as well as improving the revenue base of the state.
What we don’t need is a Mayor who stands against private sector growth and would rather bury constituents under massive tax and fee increases, as well as prohibitive tolls for a project the people have voted down 4 times now.
