We take strong exception to both the partisan tone and the general theme of the Toledo Blade's editorial "Earthquakes should slow down rush for riches in Ohio shale". One would think this trite theme of greedy companies and corruptible politicians would be relegated to late night movies to be viewed only by semi-literate teens and over the hill hippies. The "rush to riches" Ms. Johanek disdains means a few thousand Ohioans have found gainful employment both in the drilling industry and the ancillary supporting industries. For the first time in decades Youngstown's moribund steel industry is expanding to manufacture drilling pipe. Note well, in the video below 50% of the men hired were unemployed. Rush to riches? The highest poverty rate in the nation and Youngstown is rushing to riches? Note that both reports acknowledge the earthquakes and the risks as well as the upside potential, unlike the editorial that dwells solely on earthquakes and " unacceptable risks". "Unacceptable risks" viewed from a safe distance of 170 miles must be horrendous. Everyone in Youngstown should go back to being poor so editorial writers in Toledo can sleep nights.
Yes, you say Youngstown is doing well but what about the rest of eastern Ohio and CNBC is a business channel so naturally they are pro-business. Okay let's look at Steubenville through the lens of that right wing institution ABC News:
As to the assertion of political impropriety on behalf of Governor John Kasich, that he courted and accommodated the oil industry, damn right he did. If the Governor had done less he should be fired and you would know if you regularly read this blog that he he flew to Houston to pitch a development plan to Shell Oil that will bring to some lucky state, either Ohio, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia a petrochemical plant that eventually could attract up to $16 billion in private investment and create more than 17,000 jobs and billions in tax revenue. To date Chesapeake Energy has invested $2 billion in Ohio. It estimates that over the next 20 years that investment will total $200 billion. Chesapeake and its partners prefer to drill in Ohio but they do not have to drill in Ohio. Even the Toledo Blade knows by now that the Utica Shale is located in Ohio but has it heard of the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas or Colorado’s Niobrara shale, California’s Monterey Shale, Oklahoma’s Mississippi Lime Shale, the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale in central Louisiana or the Lower Smackover Shale that stretches from Northern Louisiana into Arkansas? Ohio is not the only place to drill. In other words, the next step will be taken somewhere and if it's not taken in Ohio workers in Youngstown and Steubenville will be forced to go where the job go or go back to poverty. Lastly, where a newspaper that consistently backs the Obama administration finds the brass to raise the question of political impropriety is beyond comprehension. All of the money invested in Ohio has come from private capital. The Obama administration has risked $6.4 billion in green energy loans. Twelve companies may never be able to repay those loans. We'll take the Kasich model to the Obama model any day. The video below was posted yesterday but it is repeated here to contrast the other videos. The source is another right wing institution, CBS News. CNBC, ABC and CBS can see the obvious why can't the Toledo Blade?
Johanek used to be a television personality but when she turned to writing Blade editorials, her true political personality emerged.
ReplyDeleteTalk about vitriolic.
She's hard left and very unpleasant. Thanks for writing this.