Clairton in 20 years

C town gal wrote:

<quoted text>Been to Mon View Heights in WEST MIFFLIN lately???
Clairton is a vacation spot compared to there.

Thats in Whitaker honey-with many other very nice places in West Mifflin-that place is nothing-not even a worry to West Mifflin-

get real wrote:

<quoted text>
Thats in Whitaker honey-with many other very nice places in West Mifflin-that place is nothing-not even a worry to West Mifflin-

Get real I have to agree with you I have grandchildren in both school districts and babysit them at their houses and attend sporting events for them There is no comparisson. There are more two parent families-more extended families-alot more discipline in the school including alot more classes at West Mifflin. My grandaughter moved to West Mifflin in 6th grade-made honor role all the time in Clairton-but had alot of catching up to do when she moved-her testing was alot lower than alot of the kids in her class,she had good teachers and has caught up. My son is looking to move his kids away from that vacation spot of Clairton. So I have to agree with you and I am from West Mifflins rival-TJ!

C town gal wrote:

<quoted text> This post may be off topic, but still valid. Go to http://www.spp.gov/ The dirty little secret got out so Pres. Obama has distanced himself with this initiative, but it still lives on.

Hey I agree with you on these points!

if USX leaves Clairton, the town will be finished within 2 years. The school district needed merged, like 10 years ago.

The problems and decay of the Mon Valley is due to the neglect of our local, county and state politicians to do anything. Nobody is pushing for anything past Duquesne and Homestead. Glassport, McKeesport, Clairton, and Elizabeth are unknowns to the county and state politicians except at election time. But our local politicians make sure to remind us to support these phonies and cronies.

You think its bad now, wait for a couple more years.

Mon Valley is Done wrote:

if USX leaves Clairton, the town will be finished within 2 years. The school district needed merged, like 10 years ago.
The problems and decay of the Mon Valley is due to the neglect of our local, county and state politicians to do anything. Nobody is pushing for anything past Duquesne and Homestead. Glassport, McKeesport, Clairton, and Elizabeth are unknowns to the county and state politicians except at election time. But our local politicians make sure to remind us to support these phonies and cronies.
You think its bad now, wait for a couple more years.

I take exception to your first statement. As many others, myself included, have already pointed out, most of the people who work at that old dump don't even live here. Therefore they contribute nothing to the economy, cash flow or tax base, In effect the economic damage with which USS/USW have threatened and continue to threaten the MonValley has already occurred.

The existence of the Clairton Coke Works likewise locks out any new industry for environmental reasons. Pollution from that old dump is simply too high for any modern plants, no matter how efficient, safe, clean and profitable to even get a construction permit let alone an operating licence. Yet that old dump gets handed permits that it doesn't even use. Moreover, what other corporation would want to buck US Steel or the USW just to build here, when other cities would welcome them with open arms?

None of this would matter very much if the domestic steel industry were at least properous. This, however, is not possible due to its reliance on obsolete labor-intensive technologies, old rundown equipment and facilities and programs of breakdown maintenance -- run it until it breaks and hope it doesn't happen to often.

This latter situation cannot be corrected because the USW insists it remain in place. This is necessary so that a few overpaid bums can continue to delude themselves that they have real jobs, demand that their victims, the people of the MonValley respect there work and continue their fanatasies about "job killers" and "conspiracies" Thus new industry is locked out and the economy remains locked down as long as USS/USW keeps the MonValley locked in.

So....close the old dump! Blow it up, plow it under and give the rest of the MonValley a chance. Why keep an obsolete industry on life support at an inordinate expense to the taxpayers that will never and can never be modernize? Put these bums on welfare -- if nothing else its less expensive. Once they are gone, new industry can be developed and we are certain to get a better class of people.

The MonValley has suffered too much for too long just accomodate a few neanderthals that want others to pay the price and bear the burden of their desire to remain backwards. They have already decided they prefer to live elsewhere anyhow -- let them take their business elsewhere too!

Mon Valley is Done wrote:

if USX leaves Clairton, the town will be finished within 2 years. The school district needed merged, like 10 years ago.
The problems and decay of the Mon Valley is due to the neglect of our local, county and state politicians to do anything. Nobody is pushing for anything past Duquesne and Homestead. Glassport, McKeesport, Clairton, and Elizabeth are unknowns to the county and state politicians except at election time. But our local politicians make sure to remind us to support these phonies and cronies.
You think its bad now, wait for a couple more years.

I have a different view of Clairton minus the mill. We already know that USS pays virtually nothing to the city for all of the property its plant sits on, and almost no one that lives in Clairton happens to work there, so how do you come to the conclussion that the city will be done in two years? I live directly up the hill form the works so I see the beautiful smoke billowing into the sky, I smell the lovely aroma in my back yard, and I can hear the peaceful clanking of machinery to lull me to sleep at night. If only that eye sore were gone, I see cleaner air, potentiality valuable riverfront property, better class of business. Future homeowners buying there for a small town feel and without fear that they are poisoning their children with toxic air. I think the dynamics of the city of Clairton would change for the better if the mill were gone. The Clairton Works is a dirty, dangerous unprofitable and depressing place. It needs to fade into obscurity along with its outdated batteries and business practices. I can only hope it will be sooner than later.

C town gal wrote:

<quoted text>I have a different view of Clairton minus the mill. We already know that USS pays virtually nothing to the city for all of the property its plant sits on, and almost no one that lives in Clairton happens to work there, so how do you come to the conclussion that the city will be done in two years? I live directly up the hill form the works so I see the beautiful smoke billowing into the sky, I smell the lovely aroma in my back yard, and I can hear the peaceful clanking of machinery to lull me to sleep at night. If only that eye sore were gone, I see cleaner air, potentiality valuable riverfront property, better class of business. Future homeowners buying there for a small town feel and without fear that they are poisoning their children with toxic air. I think the dynamics of the city of Clairton would change for the better if the mill were gone. The Clairton Works is a dirty, dangerous unprofitable and depressing place. It needs to fade into obscurity along with its outdated batteries and business practices. I can only hope it will be sooner than later.

BRAVO!!! My dear friend.....I would add only that isn't it interesting that the technolgical obsolescence that makes it unprofitable and uncompetitive also causes the high pollution? As you point out, modern coke plants in Germany, Japan or even Korea -- not to mention our own oil refineries -- do not seem to have ANY of these problems!

Comments have been made here about "job killers" -- but these are not even REAL jobs. This industry is surviving entirely on life support NOW -- in the form of import quotas, protective tarriff and government subsidies. Yet its preservation makes no sense at all if it will not and cannot be modernized.....and ....we all know that the USW will never allow that.

So why should everybody else be sacrificed for a few overpaid bums who caused the problem in the first place and contribute nothing to the community? Wouldn't it be much simpler -- and far less expensive -- to put them on welfare, shutdown that old dump and give the rest of the MonValley a chance?

You yourself and other have pointed out that numerous alternative industries are available. The claim that NONE of these could be attracted to the MonValley is just stupid. Too many other cities with far less resources have had to reinvent themselves and have done so successfully. In any case, there is no risk because all of the economic damage to the MonValley that could result has already occurred. It is no longer "the Coke Works or nothing"; it is "the Coke Works and nothing"

Destroying the Coke Works will not ASSURE the recovery of the MonValley -- but it will at least open the possibility. The alternative is to keep the economy locked down and new industry locked out for the sake of a few overpaid bums who don't live here and do nothing for the place. Maybe once these neanderthals are gone we will get a better class of people too.

ANYTHINGS BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE GOT NOW!

Okie wrote:

The town was never nice to begin with. Even back when people say it was nice.

Clairton was once a fine place to live and grow up in. My entire family worked the mills, including my Mother, it's a shame that the current residents themselves don't know what it was like. Then possibly they would band together to retore the city.

Ras, I have been reading your posts for a long time. In fact, I believe I christened you with your name, Rasputin. I think you must either be a paid consultant for for some anti-USX, thumb sucking, clean air group of hippies, or you have a one track (or smoke stack, as it were) mind. But be careful what you wish for. If the Clairton Works were to disappear either your consulting contract would also disappear, or you would have nothing left to write about. If you think I am joking, you're half right.

CHS Grad wrote:

Ras, I have been reading your posts for a long time. In fact, I believe I christened you with your name, Rasputin. I think you must either be a paid consultant for for some anti-USX, thumb sucking, clean air group of hippies, or you have a one track (or smoke stack, as it were) mind. But be careful what you wish for. If the Clairton Works were to disappear either your consulting contract would also disappear, or you would have nothing left to write about. If you think I am joking, you're half right.

That's OK.....US Steel has plenty of other old dumps all of them using obsolete technologies, facilities and equipmentr sustained by breakdown maintenance so those bums with the USW can make believe they have real jobs, fantasize about "job killer conspiracies" and expect others to respect their work when they were the ones who caused the problem in the first place.
I am just a traditional american who thinks that companies that are not competitive should go out of business. Certainly companies that have ceased to be competitive by choice should not be maintained at the expense of the government and by extension the taxpayer as a reward for operating in violation of Federal law.
What good is it having a steel industry whose technology is obsolete, whose equipment belongs on the scrap heap and is only being kept off it by breakdown maintenance? The very things that have made this industry fall hopelessly behind foreign competitors have made also made it a death trap and an environmental detriment.
AND ALL THIS IS THE USW'S OWN DOING!!!
Now they want everyone to "buy American". Translated this means "respect the foreign import quotas, pass on quality products at competitive prices, and pay top dollar for junk!"
Meanwhile, as you and others have pointed out, they have shown such wonderful team spirit by moving out of the MonValley to "live some place nice" while they commute to pollute and steal the loot. In doing so they have destroyed the cash flow and the tax base and are thus responsible for wrecking the local economy.
THAT.....is their concept of teamwork!
The high pollution from these old dumps also assures that no other plants -- even those of a clean and modern design -- cannot be built here even if other corporation COULD be induced to move in.
Yet US Steel gets handed permits that it does not even use for upgrades that they have no intention of carrying forward. In effect the innocent are punished to keep a repeat offender alive on life support!
THAT.....is the USW concept of justice!
It also assures that new industry is locked out and the economy is locked down as long as US Steel has the MonValley locked in. As long as US Steel is here the situation CANNOT get better. Without those bums it could POSSIBLY get better -- but it CANNOT get worse.
SO WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? Worst case the pollution gets stopped and we get rid some bums that don't even live here. Best case the MonValley gets a chance to move on with modern industry and a better class of people.
ANYTHING'S BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE GOT NOW!!!
By the way.....good to here from you again, old friend.

Lighten up, Buddy, I was just taking a good natured tweak at your nose. Relax. Do not.. DO NOT respond to this with a justification of whether we should let the stacks fall where they may. As to whether that will ever happen, as the great philosopher Archie Bunker once said, "Cue Seru Seru."

CHS Grad wrote:

Lighten up, Buddy, I was just taking a good natured tweak at your nose. Relax. Do not.. DO NOT respond to this with a justification of whether we should let the stacks fall where they may. As to whether that will ever happen, as the great philosopher Archie Bunker once said, "Cue Seru Seru."

You betcha! But.....do remember the last time you took "a good natured tweak" at the nose of certain neanderthal who used to post here! See, even in the MonValley, we still have such a thing as progress!

CHS Grad wrote:

Ras, I have been reading your posts for a long time. In fact, I believe I christened you with your name, Rasputin. I think you must either be a paid consultant for for some anti-USX, thumb sucking, clean air group of hippies, or you have a one track (or smoke stack, as it were) mind. But be careful what you wish for. If the Clairton Works were to disappear either your consulting contract would also disappear, or you would have nothing left to write about. If you think I am joking, you're half right.

Actually this conjures up a rather interesting scenario. Consider.

The Coke Works is at last plowed under; the bums at last depart. A colony of flower children settles upon the site of the old Coke Works.....I was saying that modern industry would give us a better class of people, but....who knows....it could happen the other way around

The coke works has nothing to do with Cliarton going down. Some of the people that live their will bring it down on their own. I here Heroin is the new factory in Clairton. See ya all they don't care about the mill-they go there for a different trade!

sorry wrote:

The coke works has nothing to do with Cliarton going down. Some of the people that live their will bring it down on their own. I here Heroin is the new factory in Clairton. See ya all they don't care about the mill-they go there for a different trade!

Lethal injections or the gas chamber! Helluva choice for the MonValley!

You see....not only do we need MODERN industries even more so we NEED that better clas of people that they are certain to bring. Sorry....but you won't get any improvement from these neanderthals with their "hit and run" chemical warfare.

If you want a better choice, get rid of the old dump and at least open the door for it.

ANYTHINGS BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE GOT NOW!!!!

If the U.S. comes under attack OR is politicaly and economically isolated then look for the valley to spring back to life and the polution concerns will be put on the back burner or ignored. Low wage and long time unemployed previously trained workers will move and be brought into the area as part of a massive rebuilding plan to shore up the country and "deal with foreign and domestic enemies". If such a situation or 3rd world war does not happen then the area will continue to decline and become unlivable for most people. The Government may be encouraged to move people out of most of these dying ghost towns into the one of 30 million empty homes, condos, apartments that dot the land. If you wanted to see that happen then contact your local gov. representative and ask them to do just that. Invoke Eminent Domain, declare the area a financial disaster, buy out the property owners, and move them and the renters out, and tear down the buildings and restore the land or let it be used by the corporations.