Thanks for the info, Frank. I've put a link to your post on my blog, The Dumb Ox. Maybe you would consider adding us to your blog roll? Your blog would automatically show up in our "Blogs that we read and that link to us" area.

Let us know when you post on topics that interest us.

All the best,
D. Ox
http://thomistic.blogspot.com

I appreciate the spirit in which you've made the comparison, but by and large I don't think the sentiment "Communist China's even worse!" gives much comfort.

As for the US Dept of Labor stats -- do you have a link handy? Thanks.

I was reacting to an almost knee jerk "meme" by many people to assume that this was clearly the act of an "uncaring and hateful business owner who exploited the employees without concern for their lives", when there is scant evidence that this is what has occured. All too often that idea is given without due context, the idea being that the so called rational and loving "Peoples Socialist Republics" are far better for the "working man" than the exploitive and hateful capitalists of the west.

The numbers simply do not back this idea. This and many other tragedies point to the idea that the opposite is true. Unfortunately that untrue subtext runs through most of the "reporting" that is given in the culture today.

In this tragedy, 12 people died and that is horrible and nothing I say one way or the other will change that. But the industry they worked in is at a 10 year low in deaths and the industry that is based in this county is at a level of h"ours worked to injury" that is unforseen in the world at any time in history. To slander it now with accusations that are unfounded, does nothing to honor men who died there or the families who live there, but it does help insure that the industry they work in will be driven out of the country.

To many people it is an automatic to say that it is "American industry that is to blame". Yet, when it comes to workplace and ecological safety, American business (unlike its counterparts in China) is the exemplar of the world! Unfortunately, it never gets the credit it deserves.

Business can always do better and should do so, but lets try to put it in the proper perspective, shall we? every business owner isnt "snidely whiplash" out to screw the little guy.

I think it is both relevant and significant to compare our record with that of other nations in terms of population.

However, it is also *particularly* insightful to look at the historical record, and I think someone should look into mining deaths by year (or at least by decade).

The reason for this is that I distinctly remember the *seventies* (doesn't the press LOVE to play on the lack of historical background of their readers?!?) in that there would be one or two such accidents **each year**, and it would be news for a week or so...

Now, consider:

*When* was the last time you heard about one of these events?

I may be missing it, but I --can't recall-- the *last* time it happened. It certainly doesn't seem to have happened too many times in the last *decade*...

Now, WHAT was that about the mine owners not caring about the miners being the cause of this?

Of course, if we'd switched decades ago to nuke plants for our energy needs, in addition to the miners in question, we'd have saved about 2000 lives a year from railroad accidents (my last statistic, posibly very much out of date) to say nothing of the 20-60k people who die **each and every year** from various pollution-related illnesses...

But, hey... that's *not important*, right?

> Business can always do better and should do so

To be honest Frank, one does need to -rationally consider- costs, too -- you can *always* do better, but:

What if it costs an additional US$50,000,000 per miner?

What if it raises the cost of coal by 75%?

[continued]

[continued, in an effort to guess what idiocy the filter is whining about]

What if it raises the cost of coal by 75%?

Is it true then that they should do so?

[continued]

[continued]
How much more are we *all*

[continued]

[continued]

willing to fork over

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in order to save someone's life?

This could get REAL expensive REAL quick, if we apply it across the board...

There is always a rational limit to safety concerns.
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Yeesh. Your filter objected to the word "P" followed by "AY".

That's a kind of ridiculously common word to be eliminating arbitrarily from conversation, even with its relevance to spam.