Time for the union movement to rise again for the same reason they did 150 yrs ago; to protect the workers from the owners. And the Bush should hang his useless head in shame.

It is too bad the unions seem bent on getting some set number of minutes for potty breaks on assembly lines, and re-instating serious screw-ups...instead of doing honourable work.

Read of John Henry, and play a few ballads to one of the pre-union martyrs.
cheers,
Douglas

cheers,
Douglas

Really?

Last I looked, we were a federal republic comprising some fifty states which were granted the broadest powers under the Constitution. Powers for example which would allow states to regulate mining operations as they see fit.

Has there been a constitutional amendment or convention that I missed? I haven't kept up with politics as much as I used to, but I'd like to think I'd have noticed something like that.

se

So? None of that prohibits states from having and enforcing their own mine safety regulations.

So where do you get the notion that if the Feds aren't doing their job (which personally I don't believe it is their job), that "safety is now almost non-existent in new mining operations"?

se

At the federal level.

Mining Comanies are going to abide by those regulations.

They must also abide by state regulations.

Are you saying that States have the ability to over-ride the federal Government rules and establish contrary Mining Safety rules and then tax the citizens heavily in order to provide their own oversight agencies that might or would conflict with the federal government agencies?

They certainly do.

Which regulations would the companies abide by; the Federal rules that are favorable to them or the state rules that cost them money?

If the state regulations are more strict, they would have to abide by the state regulations, just as automobile makers who sell cars in California must abide by our more strict fuel and emissions standards.

And virtually every state which has mining has mining safety regulations.

So this notion that because the Feds aren't doing their job (and I don't know that they aren't) that safety is now almost non-existent in new mining operations is just plain nonsense and apparently little more than partisan politics.

se