Around the same time as The Godfather, the singer-songwriter John Prine wrote a song called "Paradise," which tells of how the Peabody coal company's activities led to the destruction of the real-life town the song is named after. I admit I am a softy for the tune, being as I am from Western Kentucky! But it could just as easily be a song about oil extraction in Carson, CA. Both towns have something in common: poverty.
As American wages have stagnated for the past 15 years, and most new jobs are paying below a living wage, fossil-fuel companies likely feel it's a godsend. When there are few job opportunities in a community, or when people are being economically exploited, it is almost impossible to keep out ecologically destructive companies. After all, people want to see their communities thrive. They yearn for something better than perpetual poverty for themselves, friends, and neighbors. So it's not surprising that many become tempted by the allure of jobs, no matter how damaging the long-term consequences. Who can we plan that far into the future when people are suffering now?
One clear way we can weaken the seductive hold of fossil-fuel companies and their promise for riches is by supporting worker movements fighting for better pay and local decision-making over the future of their communities. Having good paying and sustainable jobs makes it much easier for local communities to say to potential fossil fuel developers, "Shove off!" You can tell the Don Corleones of the world to get lost when you have an alternative to their no-win offer. When we have positive options in front of us, we may hopefully have fewer "Paradises" in songs and more in reality.
Seeking Paradise on earth,
Timothy Murphy
Executive Director
P.S. ~ You are invited to come out tonight and support Walmart workers' struggle for fair treatment and an end to management reprisals by offering a prophetic witness with them at 5:30 PM in front of the Pico Rivera Walmart Supercenter, located at 8500 Washington Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA, 90660. See you there!