Mining Engineer Provides Home Remedy for Michigan's Sick Budget

BALTIC, MI - Monday, March 14, 2011 - Today the Superior Chronicle received the following article from Mr. Jack Parker, with the following comments: "I am an 80-year old semi-retired mining engineer, and for the past five years I have been working on the application for mining permits which Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company submitted to the State of Michigan in February 2006 to mine in the Upper Peninsula. Initially I was hired by the National Wildlife Federation to evaluate the mining, geological and rock mechanics aspects of the application. For the past four years I have continued to work, unpaid, because somebody had to do it."

"I am in favor of mining, if it is done responsibly. I see problems in the existing situation and would like to help to set them straight. One of them is that by far the greatest proportion of the income from mining will go to the mining corporation – away from the Upper Peninsula and away from the state's coffers in Lansing."

"At this time we, the state, know that we have very serious budget problems. A more equitable distribution of the income could and should be returned to the state where it would alleviate our financial problems very significantly … to get us out of the hole. That is why I have written 'A Manifesto.'"

Here is Mr. Parker's 'A Manifesto' as submitted:

A

SICK

BUDGET

AND A HOME REMEDY.

A Manifesto.

Michigan is in big trouble.

Worse than broke! We are heavily in debt.

But we are sitting on a couple of virtual “gold” mines.

4.7 BILLION DOLLARS IN THE FIRST ONE

And we are doing our utmost to give them away.

Stupid?

This predicament should be put in front of ALL officials ,

All unemployed teachers, firemen, policemen. All Government employees.

But very few people can visualize a billion. It boggles the mind. Look at it this way:

4.7 billion dollars taped end-to-end would stretch how far?

$4,700,000,000 divided by (5280 ft per mile x 2 bills per foot) = 445,000 miles.

See what I mean?

The Australians have the right idea, a Supertax on excess profits – profit sharing.

The mine referred to above

is Kennecott’s “Eagle Mine” in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Even though the ore is valued at 4.7 billion dollars and the Eagle may be only

the first of many new mines in the U.P. (not just a flash in the pan), the State of Michigan has no mining tax law in place to make sure mining corporations

pay their fair share of taxes.

Let us not repeat the mistake made in Wisconsin,

where Kennecott mined in the 1990s and paid a miserly 2.4% of the value of the ore to the state in taxes!

Call Sen. Tom Casperson (517/373-7840) and Representative Matt Huuki (517/373-0850)

to demand that they push for enactment of an Australian-type supertax

on profits from your resources, immediately !

Help your own budget.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Jack Parker, Mining Engineer Baltic MI 49963, 906-482-0099