No group of people in our area has suffered for so long at the hands of corporate pillaging and government bungling than those living in the Tar Creek Superfund Area.
They remain trapped in an environmental dead zone, following nearly a century of lead and zinc mining in their community.
Picher has become the nation’s shame. It’s a community where its students couldn’t even play football because opposing schools refused to come to town for fear of abandoned mines collapsing.
All that after the government spent more than $100 million to try to clean up the area, after mining companies walked away.
Now, there’s growing evidence that money being offered to residence to move out of Picher is inadequate to do the job.
Some residents say they are accepting whatever is offered because their properties in Picher and Cardin essentially have no value because of where they live.
Any offer to get out is a good offer because it is likely to be the only offer they will get.
“It’s desperation. It’s like having a gun held to your head,’’ said Missy Beets, who believes her house was undervalued by thousands of dollars even after a review appraiser increased the offer from $70,000 to $75,000.
The federal government spent $70,000 trying to clean up yards, but now, in some cases, are offering only $20,000 for the residents’ homes.
Corporate America failed Picher.
The federal government failed Picher.
The trust is the last hope for the people of Picher.
No one can ever make this right, but we believe the people serving on this trust must find a way to restore hope to those remaining individuals who need out of one of America’s worst environmental tragedies.
If it cost a few dollars more, so be it.
It’s the right thing to do.
Opinion
In Our View: America’s shame
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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