Arizona to screen Mine Your own Business

Memo to uranium opponents: 'Mine' your own business

By DENNIS FOSTER
Guest Editorial
Sunday, April 20, 2008

What good is mining? To those who care to notice, it is a more significant contributor to our standard of living than is our ability to hunt and gather. Without mining, you can't ride around in subsidized buses, you can't heat your affordable home, you can't operate your solar oven, and you can't enjoy your favorite microbrew.

Should uranium mining be banned in northern Arizona? Some argue it should, because it was poorly done in the past and that it poses some risk. But, then, why not ban all production? There is no such thing as a world without risks. Let's assess these risks, and assess the benefits. Then, let's have an open, and honest, discussion about uranium mining. Maybe it shouldn't be allowed, but maybe it should.

Indeed, if you believe all the mumbo jumbo about human-caused global warming dooming our planet to a fiery grave, you should be an unabashed supporter of uranium mining -- the benefits of saving the human race must certainly outweigh mining's risk factors. Stop being bitter, clutching at your solar panels and your copy of "The Population Bomb." Grab a shovel and help move us into a truly nuclear age.

The clash between environmentalists and people struggling for a decent living in mining is going on all around the globe. If that clash interests you, come see a special screening of the documentary, "Mine Your Own Business" at NAU's Cline Library Auditorium on Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.

Dennis Foster has a Ph.D. in economics, teaches at the university level, and is an avid Grand Canyon hiker.