Portugal’s mining strategy may favour copper over lithium
Portugal already has the largest copper mine in the European Union, operated by Lundin Mining.
Here is one way to make money from mining that I have not hitherto thought of: do what Rick Santorum did. It is described in a report at this link thus:
Santorum did not register as a lobbyist, but he aided corporate and other interests as a consultant. He was paid $142,500 by Consol Energy, a Pennsylvania-based energy firm with numerous Appalachian coal mines. The firm has lobbied against Obama administration efforts to tighten limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Of course if you cannot become a lobbiest in Washington for a mining company like Mr. Santorum, then at least you can claim charitable deductions, as noted here:
Santorum and his wife, Karen, took standard deductions each year for their seven children, the returns show. In 2007, the Santorums took a $4,000 charity deduction for giving away “clothing, footwear, accessories and household items.”
Just imagine being able to raise seven kids and give away $4,000 of old clothes each year and getting a tax deduction on that! My daughter has not spent that amount on clothes for the six kids she mothers in ten years. How many coal miners can afford that amount on clothes? You must admit the guy’s stressing of his coal-mining background wears a little thin when we consider these numbers.
Here is an extract from another report on Mr. Santorum’s mining instincts:
During a campaign stop in Steubenville, Ohio, Mr Santorum called said that he understands the needs of the coal industry because of the fact that he came ‘from the coal mines’.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we need someone who understands, who comes from the coal fields, who comes from the steel mills, who understands what average working people in America need to be able to provide for themselves and their families,’ he said Monday.
Spanning history: Rick Santorum keeps bringing up his coal-mining roots, but his dad was a doctor, his mom a nurse, and he is a life-long lawyer and politician.
In spite of his efforts to show off the coal soot in his family history, those ties may not be as close as they first appear.
His grandfather Pietro Santorum- and not his father, named Aldo- was the one who has a connection to the industry, as he worked in Pennsylvania coal mines at one point in his career.
Oh well, it just goes to show that precision is not a criterion for winning the hearts and minds of people with a vote to award. Will somebody please tell me why they admire this guy. It cannot be because he has mining ancestors.
