Alaska Residents Get Oil Dividends. Shouldn't Coal Mining State Residents Get Dividends, Too?

[NashVegas]

[Bandit]

1. Alaska should be a model for every state with Natural Resources

They do belong to the people after all. The people should have more of a say. Remember the old Republican meme "It's your money" Well it really is and that drives Republicans crazy...They say it is socialism when in reality it is just plain Capitalism. Alaskan's no longer receive anything from oil They receive their dividend checks from Profits made off their HUGE Savings Account. Money from this HUGE Savings account is invested and the profits made from those investments plus the interest made from the account is where the money for dividend checks comes from. Granted the HUGE Savings Account was created using Oil Royalties but that was two decades ago, since then it is on it's own..

[POAS]

2. Ohio has

coal and natural gas. Let the windfall taxes begin (after all, that's what those "oil dividends" amount to!

[Bandit]

3. There are no "oil dividends" Why do people keep spouting off their ignorance

See post #1

[NashVegas]

5. Okay, Fine

However, I think people better get the concept of "(resource) dividend" than whatever its name is now.

Granted, in AK there are far less people to split it amongst. I just can't help but wonder what kind of campaign issue it would make for PA, KY, W.Va, VA, OH, etc.

[Lyric]

4. If only this were true.

The poorest of the poor are often found right here, in Appalachia--conveniently situated atop much of the nation's coal and natural gas. The mining companies are swimming in cash, but the poverty level in places like West Virginia and Kentucky is just staggering. I think the entire concept of "mineral rights" is disgusting, to be honest. Those "mineral rights" belong to the citizens, not to a handful of wealthy tycoons. How on earth did the state governments of West Virginia and Kentucky ever come to the conclusion that it was in the state's "best interest" to sell the rights to the ONE source of natural wealth that we have?

It's insane. People here live on crumbs and hope. Something should be done.

[alfredo]

6. We do. Flattened mountains and polluted streams.