Incest with The Coal Industry

I really believe that the Democratic Party is the political party that best represents the citizens of Kentucky and the United States.

The Democratic Party has a big tent, everyone is welcome.

The problem with everyone being welcomed is that sometimes the smell coming from some individuals on the on the other side of the tent makes you want to puke.

Take for example State Representative Jim Gooch, D-Providence, I hope this guy is just greedy and is not really this stupid.

From Page One of the Herald-Leader:

Chairman Jim Gooch, D-Providence, a longtime ally of the coal industry, said he purposefully did not invite anyone who believes in global warming to testify.

"You can only hear that the sky is falling so many times," said Gooch, whose post makes him the House Democrats' chief environmental strategist. "We hear it every day from the news media, from the colleges, from Hollywood.”

Gooch doesn’t seem to care who gets hurt as long as the money flows into his pockets. From the Richmond Register:

Widows of miners killed in coal mine accidents, miners, and the president of the state AFL-CIO Wednesday accused Rep. Jim Gooch, D-Providence, of scuttling a mine safety bill because of conflicts of interest from his business dealings with the coal industry. But Gooch denied the accusations and said he will call the bill if some things in it can be improved.

Bill Londrigan and several widows of miners gathered in the Capitol Rotunda while supporters shouted “Gooch must go.” Londrigan said the group wants “action now” on House Bill 207, sponsored by Rep. Brent Yonts, D-Greenville, and hopes their calls for action will force House leaders either to bring the bill to a vote or move it to another committee – even if necessary to remove Gooch as chairman of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee…….

Londrigan said Gooch has received $25,000 in campaign contributions from coal interests since 1999 and that “omissions in (Gooch’s financial disclosure) statement that warrants serious review.” He said the information will be shared with House leaders.

He said Gooch has “an incestuous relationship at best” with the coal industry and Gooch is standing in the way of passage of a bill which would save miners’ lives.

Of course he doesn’t appear to be alone in shilling for coal in the General Assembly.

From the Editorial Page of the Herald-Leader:

Some members of the state Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources applauded loudly after the viscount told them not to worry about climate change…..

It says a lot that Gooch, whose family's business manufactures coal-mining machinery, would take up the committee's time with Monckton and another speaker from a think tank funded by Exxon Mobile, without scheduling anyone from the other side.

And they wonder why the public doesn’t trust the legislature.