It would be nice to know if coal companies are being more responsive to safety concerns since 29 men died in Massey Mines. However, since no one went to jail, no punitive fines have yet been levied, and the mine was sold to another company… probably not. Regulation without consequences is useless. But the families of 29 men are still without their brothers, sons, fathers, uncles, and grandfathers. Should we care since we don’t know them? Does it matter to the rest of us that strangers died working in a mine that had been cited many times for safety violations but never sufficiently punished?In a Civil Society, the first requirement of a Democracy, one would think the rest of us would want to protect those who are harvesting coal for our electricity as well as other workers in the nation. But talk of such things always comes down to the ‘bottom line". How much will it cut into share price and executive bonuses? After all, the suits don’t have to go into the mines, or drink the water being released into rivers, or any of the things to which most people are exposed.Mr. McDonnell graduated from Pat Robertson’s Regent University. He seems unable to separate church from state where moral issues are concerned, yet he always acts to enrich and empower the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Most recently, he cut the gas tax and raised the sales tax. Now people who don’t have cars as well as those who do will pay more at the grocery stores while those who can afford cars will pay less at the pumps. Why does it seem that so many people who claim to follow Jesus’s teachings have hearts like a lump of coal?Confusedly,C.
It would be nice to know if coal companies are being more responsive to safety concerns since 29 men died in Massey Mines. However, since no one went to jail, no punitive fines have yet been levied, and the mine was sold to another company… probably not. Regulation without consequences is useless. But the families of 29 men are still without their brothers, sons, fathers, uncles, and grandfathers. Should we care since we don’t know them? Does it matter to the rest of us that strangers died working in a mine that had been cited many times for safety violations but never sufficiently punished?In a Civil Society, the first requirement of a Democracy, one would think the rest of us would want to protect those who are harvesting coal for our electricity as well as other workers in the nation. But talk of such things always comes down to the ‘bottom line". How much will it cut into share price and executive bonuses? After all, the suits don’t have to go into the mines, or drink the water being released into rivers, or any of the things to which most people are exposed.Mr. McDonnell graduated from Pat Robertson’s Regent University. He seems unable to separate church from state where moral issues are concerned, yet he always acts to enrich and empower the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Most recently, he cut the gas tax and raised the sales tax. Now people who don’t have cars as well as those who do will pay more at the grocery stores while those who can afford cars will pay less at the pumps. Why does it seem that so many people who claim to follow Jesus’s teachings have hearts like a lump of coal?Confusedly,C.