[Peace-discuss] miners don't just die

[John W.]

At 10:31 AM 1/7/2006, Ricky Baldwin wrote:

>The Man (and the System) behind the Mining Murders
>by Andrew Pollack
>Monthly Review
>
>Most of the coverage of the West Virginia mine murders
>quoted International Coal Group CEO Bennett Hatfield,
>who was on the scene. But its owner and "Non-Executive
>Chairman" is corporate takeover artist Wilbur L. Ross,
>Jr., who has bought up bankrupt firms in a variety of
>industries after they shed pension, health and/or
>other obligations to their workers. And after
>purchase, safety at these companies has nose-dived,
>thanks to the weakening or elimination of the unions,
>as well as nonenforcement of safety laws and
>regulations by state and federal authorities.
>
>[... the rest of this article includes some very
>interesting history and safety data behind these
>deaths, making the whole story a whole lot less
>natural-disaster/act-of-god-like ...]
>
>http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/pollack060106.html


This ties in completely with a book I just finished reading, published in 
the early 1990's, entitled "America: What Went Wrong".  It explains in 
graphic detail how changes in our tax laws led to the merger and 
acquisition mania during the Reagan Administration, which led in turn to 
the gutting of unions and pensions, the outsourcing of jobs, the savings 
and loan debacle, our huge and growing national debt, and sundry other 
evils.  It's a must-read book.  And nothing has really changed since the 
book was written, except that things have grown worse.

John Wason