Say It Isn’t So
By Mitch Berg
Back in 2006, when a collapse at the Sago mine in Utah killed 13, the left and media (as always, pardon the redundancy) blamed President Bush. The precedent was obvious; mine safety is the Presideht’s responsibility.
Today, after the worst mining disaster in 26 years, though, we learn that mine safety is apparently not the job of the President.
No.
It is, however, entirely related to management’s ostensible political sympathies.
As the left becomes more and more depraved in defense of the administration its’ hold on power, expect to find the plague, the Spanish Inquisition and auto accidents blamed on the Tea Party as well.
But just remember, Democrats – someday you’ll be out of power. Maybe someday soon. And you’re setting a crappy precedent for civility in dealing with the minority. There’s that whole wind/whirlwind thing you might wanna think about.
Again, just saying.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:44 am
There’s no conflict, Mitch.
Back in 2002, the media blamed Bush.
Yesterday, Rush reported the MSM had investigated the mine owner’s political contributions and learned they gave money to Republicans during Bush’s presidency. Gasp!
There’s no conflict . . . it’s still Bush’s fault!
April 8th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Never loath to politicize a tragedy, 0B will use this incident to shut down coal production in the US.
April 8th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Of course mine oweners giving money to Republicans might have something to do with Democrats wanting to close eastern coal mines.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:02 am
I think you’ll find that this has all been blown out of proportion… see PolitiFact for details.
😉
April 8th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Actually liberals believe that the Government is only the 2nd best protector of mine safety. The best tool for mine safety is the workers themselves. If these workers had been working under a United Mine Workers contract, they would have been able to take action themselves to protect their own safety, up to and including refusing to work.
Absent a union contract it is the Federal government’s job and that includes President Obmama. He should take swift action to make sure the Bureau of Mines Safety does a better job protecting workers. Speaking as a Democrat, I am perfectly happy to lay this at the President’s door and call on him to take more action.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:37 am
RickDFL said:
“liberals believe”
You are a spokesman? Hehe.
“If these workers had been working under a United Mine Workers contract, they would have been able to take action themselves to protect their own safety, up to and including refusing to work”
As it was they were poor helpless children, unable to protect themselves in the least, and no ability to refuse work.
“President Obmama [sic]”
Freudian slip?
April 8th, 2010 at 10:43 am
If these workers had been working under a United Mine Workers contract
RatioRinkyDink, why do you hate freedom so much? What it is it that compels you to want to live on your knees and wish the same on everyone else?
April 8th, 2010 at 10:49 am
If these workers had been working under a United Mine Workers contract, they would have been able to take action themselves to protect their own safety, up to and including refusing to work
Unlike most Democrats, I’ve actually been a union member. I support collective bargaining and, as Rick notes, the role of unions in enforcing safety rules.
Of course, the unions long ago turned from those key jobs and turned the labor/management seesaw into a game of squeedging more and more out of management for its own sake, including the immense, undisciplined defined-benefit pension plans that are bankrupting so many big enterprises (private and public) today.
So to add to Rick’s original, partly-correct line, “If these workers had been working under a United Mine Workers contract, they would have been able to take action themselves to protect their own safety, up to and including refusing to work, although it’s more likely than not they’d all be working at SuperAmerica or driving trucks or would have moved south where the rest of the jobs are, because the mine would have closed years ago”. Which is a form of safety, I guess.
April 8th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Mitch:
So mine deaths are just the cost of doing business? Workers having the power to enforce mine safety would cause the mine to shut down?
Seriously, to the degree that enforcable contracts with saftey protections make Federal regulation less necessary doesn’t that promote small government?
April 8th, 2010 at 11:48 am
RickDFL said:
“So mine deaths are just the cost of doing business? Workers having the power to enforce mine safety would cause the mine to shut down?”
So you can just pull things out of your a** like someone actually said them and expect people to interact with you?
No.
April 8th, 2010 at 11:55 am
unbelievable, this is just like after 9/11 and the 35W bridge collapse. Screw mourning and offering repect to those who have tragically died we need to find someone to blame for this! That is borderline soulless, it was said all over dailykos and RDFL parroted it like a good lib. Is anyone else as disgusted by these tactics as I am?
April 8th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Point missed, Rick. The extra costs imposed by corrupt unions make many businesses unprofitable, and therefore impossible to maintain. It’s got nothing to do with “safety”, and everything to do with unsustainable pension and health insurance costs.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
“up to and including refusing to work.”
DickyDFL just claimed the miners are actually slaves.
Dicky, are you surprised that no one believes anything you say?
April 8th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
You ask if mine deaths are the cost of doing business. If that’s not the dumbest question ever asked in all the history of humanity, it’s certainly the most disingenuous.
Skyscraper deaths are the cost of doing business. If they weren’t – if even one death were too many – society would ban skyscraper construction.
Automobile deaths are the cost of doing business or cars would cost a billion dollars each and travel 6 miles an hour.
Policeman deaths are the cost of doing business or we’d pull all the cops off the street.
Hospital patient deaths are the cost of doing business or we’d instantly close all hospitals.
And yes, miners deaths are a cost of doing business. The nation needs coal to make electricity to power our Volts. A few dead miners raises the price of electricity a few cents but customers are willing to pay that upcharge to keep the juice flowing.
If you truly don’t understand that, you are the dumbest man alive.
If you do understand it but are pretending false outrage to score political points on this blog, you are wasting our time reading posts written by . . . the dumbest man alive.
Congratulations – you’re Number 1!
.
April 8th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Rick,
There are times when popping the little bubbles of obtuseness that you flop in front of us is fun. But eventually it wears thin.
So mine deaths are just the cost of doing business?
What Nate said. They’re something for everyone to avoid. And everyone does. If you have any evidence that people don’t care, well, that’s manslaughter. Bring it to a DA.
Workers having the power to enforce mine safety would cause the mine to shut down?
Again, another stupid question, which I did in fact answer above.
Seriously,
Oh – you were joking above? Well, then, it was a dumb joke!
to the degree that enforcable contracts with saftey protections make Federal regulation less necessary doesn’t that promote small government?
In and of themselves? Absolutely.
But we all know that unions don’t just write enforceable contracts, now, don’t we?
April 8th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
A concrete block fell on Mitch’s head and, not remembering a single thing that had occurred before he composed this post, Mitch said:
“But just remember, Democrats – someday you’ll be out of power. Maybe someday soon. And you’re setting a crappy precedent for civility in dealing with the minority. There’s that whole wind/whirlwind thing you might wanna think about.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHA! Hooo….. Wingnuts talking about civility is funny.
If the other side has anything to learn from you kooks, it’s that you neither practice civility nor respect it in others. Expect to be kicked repeatedly in the balls until you get a turn to resume ballkicking the other guys. Cause nothing anybody else does is going to change your behavior if and when you flying monkeys ever get control again.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Doh. Of course.
Because in the world of the lefty, saying “your balls are showing” is the same as kicking them. Rush using the term “feminazi” is no different than SEIU thugs putting a guy in the hospital. The idiot McCain supporter carving a “B” on her face is the same as Congresspeople lying about groups of tea partiers changing the N-bomb.
that’s right, clown; other than the fact that “wingnuts” never did any of the stuff you’re complaining about (other than the rank incivility of thinking different things than you, natch), no difference at all.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
angryclown only says that because he’s a sadomasochist.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
If the other side has anything to learn from you kooks, it’s that you neither practice civility nor respect it in others.
Home truth, clownie. It’s gonna be such a kick to watch you get frog-marched in your floppy shoes. But don’t worry, we’re watching out for our friends — we’ve made arrangements so that you’ll be sharing your cell with Lenny Dykstra.
April 8th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Clownie lecturing on civility is like Michael Moore lecturing on weight management and health care.
April 8th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Clown,
The internet called… it said you should stop pretending you’re interested in civility and stick to dick jokes.
April 8th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Badda, if you think Angryclown is about promoting civility, you have a serious stupidity problem. Angryclown simply enjoys calling you wingnuts out on your many lies and self-delusions. The idea that you wingnuts are somehow more civil than the other side (that one SEIU local sure carries a lot of rhetorical water for you, Mitch) is comical. Comical if you actually believe it, that is. Contemptible if you expect Angryclown to believe it.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
“stick to dick jokes.”
Not far from AssClown’s expertise; sphincter polishing.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
angryclown said:
“Wingnuts”
“you kooks”
“Expect to be kicked repeatedly in the balls”
“you flying monkeys”
“you have a serious stupidity problem”
“you wingnuts”
“your many lies and self-delusions”
Yeah, we’re the mean old bad guys, right angryclown?
A “culture of corruption”, eh?
And everything is Bush’s fault too, correct? (Sometimes I wonder when “the buck stops over there” is going to get old, but knowing you …)
You are a funny one. Well, at least I am laughing at you.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
We are all laughing AT assclown!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
April 9th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Hey everybody, get K-Rod. He can say something besides “liberal FASCISM!”
Silly douchebag.
April 9th, 2010 at 9:07 am
The media are at their carrion eating best when it comes to reporting mining accidents. All the right ingredients are there: anxious families, computer graphic illustrations that scare anyone but the most committed spelunkers and of course the evil mine managers and the capitalist scum who defend them. Mining causes a lot more chronic illness and premature death, but that doesn’t boost cable news ratings. According to the US labor department, the highest relative risk of death on the job belongs to the fishing industry, followed by timber cutters and airplane pilots. Mining doesn’t even make the top ten, which includes farming, roofing and taxicab driving. For the dead miners and their families, a tragedy, no doubt. But how about a little perspective from the fourth estate. Too much to ask, I guess.
April 9th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Actually, I think working the 3rd shift at a C-Store close to a highway has to be far more dangerous than any of the above.
Not that you’d get me into a coal mine. I’m a hard rock guy.
April 10th, 2010 at 10:04 am
I’m an open pit guy. 8)