A smarter idea would be to keep telling them that coal's dead and help massively subsidize vocational/trade schools for those that want it to get them set up in other jobs and actually be able to do something else.
Except they've tried to do just that, and it's utterly failed. My Dad used to work for Joy Global, got laid off in February. Best job he could find to replace forced him to take an almost $10 paycut, even with the fact he has an associates. Same with my brother in law, who went from a well paying job checking local waters for mine run off to being forced to work for a cable company (He's got a bachelors). So please, do enlighten me as to how this is supposed to work, because just saying so doesn't form a coherent strategy. For the record millions has been put for former coal workers to get more education, the simple fact of the matter is that there aren't any quality jobs to replace coal and most lack the money to move elsewhere.
And for the record Red Avatars, do continue calling people like my father who's worked for 30 years in the coal industry and served 12 years in the Military "Hillbilly Trash". It's that elitism which has insured you won't win Appalachia anytime soon.
