jakee 1,501 #51 April 11, 2010 QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteGovernment oversight is not necessarily a sure way to make the mines safer Then what alternative do you propose? Didn't say we needed an alternative. Only said that government oversight is not necessarily the best or the most effective. That is not the same as saying it can't be. Then what do you think might conceivably be better or more effective? First thing that comes to mind would be a committee made up of miners who actually work in the mines and not behind desks. The committee would have equal power to any government board. And where would the power of that committee come from? They could be backed by the UMW. As it is now the union is run by people who don't have to go into those mines. How are they going to oversee a non-union mine? the company in the OP would be unaffected.Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Belgian_Draft 0 #52 April 11, 2010 QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteGovernment oversight is not necessarily a sure way to make the mines safer Then what alternative do you propose? Didn't say we needed an alternative. Only said that government oversight is not necessarily the best or the most effective. That is not the same as saying it can't be. Then what do you think might conceivably be better or more effective? First thing that comes to mind would be a committee made up of miners who actually work in the mines and not behind desks. The committee would have equal power to any government board. And where would the power of that committee come from? They could be backed by the UMW. As it is now the union is run by people who don't have to go into those mines. How are they going to oversee a non-union mine? the company in the OP would be unaffected. It would be difficult at best. The workers at the non-union mines would have to decide whether to stay non-union and look out after themselves and hope the UMW would support them on safety issues, or they could unionize and have the backing of the entire UMW. I'm afraid that, until the people who are in the mines and whose lives are at risk have the power to halt mine operations, little or nothing will improve. The people who do have the power all have monetary losses at stake by shutting down a mine.HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,501 #53 April 11, 2010 And is that really going to happen? What I'm getting back to is what realistic, implementable and enforcable alternative could there be to government oversight?Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Belgian_Draft 0 #54 April 11, 2010 QuoteAnd is that really going to happen? Doubtful. Very, very doubtful. What I'm getting back to is what realistic, implementable and enforcable alternative could there be to government oversight? Probably none at this time. We are, for all intents and purposes, stuck with a less-than-perfect and, at times, inefficient system that places financial gain over worker safety.HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #55 April 11, 2010 QuoteAnd is that really going to happen? What I'm getting back to is what realistic, implementable and enforcable alternative could there be to government oversight? That's the rub in this case. That particular mine received more than 500 citations in 2009. Across the board in terms of severity and regulations applied, but several of the larger fines for failure to provide approved ventilation plans (critical issue in gaseous mines). They were fined close to $1 million in 2009. In the 1st 40 days of 2010, they have been fined $188K. How and why MSHA didnt shut them down is beyond me. They have the authority to do so. Something VERY fishy was happening in the corridors in WV.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
funjumper101 15 #56 April 13, 2010 Come on, where are all the anti government regulation Right Wing Conservatives? Stand up and be proud of the predictable outcome of your anti-regulatory attitudes. According to you folks, government regulations are a hindrance to business operations and should be minimized or eliminated. Who gives a shit if people die? You can't impose any regulations that would cut into profits. That isn't the American Way, if you are an RWC. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
