The Environment
“Everybody talks about green energy,
but you have to consider where the raw materials to produce the products used in creating green energy comes from.”
For example, iron, copper, aluminum, and other battery components come from the ground. It just doesn't magically appear out of thin air.
Your electric car is possible because of the 400-ton haul trucks, each drinking 1200 gallons of diesel fuel every 24 hours and mining those raw materials used to make the batteries.
So when you think clean energy, the end product might be clean, but to get there is not a clean business. We need to make sure that we do all that we can to source those raw materials from US companies.
Mining gets a bad rap. It is a dirty business. But people need to realize that in the United States, it's very regulated. Elsewhere in the world, mining does far more harm to the environment because it’s not closely regulated.
Women's Rights
“We need to quit arguing about what women are allowed to do with their bodies. We waste a lot of time and money battling over it. We’re never going to agree on it. It should be a woman's right to choose.”
Women should have the right to decide if they want children or not. A mother is responsible for caring for her health and her children. Too many women and their children struggle to survive. Low-wage jobs force women to choose between earning an income and paying for childcare. No one else has the right to decide if she should bear another child if she isn’t able to provide the care they need.
In situations where a woman’s life is in danger because of a pregnancy, who gets to decide which life is more important – hers or the unborn child’s? Who should make that decision? It should be a woman's right to choose.
Education
Education in rural communities is very different than in more populated areas like Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson.
Enrollment is so small that school districts can only afford to offer a limited variety of activities and programs for students. Think about the vouchers that are being given away to people whose children attend private schools. Just one $6000 voucher could pay for a whole sports program for one of these small schools.
“Our teachers don't get paid nearly enough. Their wages are far less than what other communities with higher enrollment pay. I think that's wrong because their jobs aren't any less valuable.”
We need to pass legislation to increase funding for rural schools so our students can earn the same quality education as those in larger cities, towns, and communities.
Jobs
“Mining and manufacturing are not only crucial to green energy; they are industries that provide good, high-paying jobs with wages that can support workers and their families.
For people who are smart and good with their hands and maybe aren’t cut out to go to college and get a degree, there are opportunities to learn skills in mining, manufacturing, mills, and construction industries. Those jobs are all needed to produce green energy.”
But copper has always been important to Arizona’s economy, and we need to keep it that way. We need to remember that when we're talking about mining, we can’t just think about the negative impacts of mining. We understand that it's not the most environmentally friendly thing we can do, but at the same time, remember that the United States is the safest place for people and the environment to do those things.
