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| Sweeping mine-safety legislation was proposed in the wake of the April 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in Montcoal, W.Va. The mining industry doubled up on its political contributions to members of Congress, and an amended bill ultimately failed by a House vote on Dec. 8, 2010. At least 144 members who voted against the bill received mining industry money, including two members who supported an earlier version. |
Some Alabama politician's votes are cheaper than others in the monetary sense, but the real cost of their selling out to the mining industry cannot be easily measured. What price do you put on a human life?
No one will forget what happened to 29 men last April in Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch (UBB) in Montcoal, West Virginia. Despite repeated safety violations spanning years, Massey was still in business. Risky business that was well-known to the MSHA, EPA, Congress and the men and their families who worked the UBB.
It was a disaster waiting to happen and it did. With tragic results.
It's been a little over a year since 29 men died in that preventable tragedy and the families of those men say that Congress has failed them by not passing bills to increase regulatory oversight on coal mining with provisions to protect whistleblowers from retribution.
Included in the bills was a measure to disallow mining companies to hide behind the well-worn tactic of delaying compliance through lengthy legal appeal maneuvers.
"Don't let this happen again" plead the families of those miners when President Obama delivered a eulogy at a memorial service last year for the dead miners. The president echoed that statement.
The entire nation agreed.
But some members of Congress weren't listening to those pleas, instead they were lending their tin ears to the industry lobbyists and willingly held out their greedy paws for big coal's vote buying blood money to defeat these needed reforms.
Which upright bastions of principles in Alabama partook in this corruption and for how much?
Let's have a look:
- Representative Spencer Bachus-R $25.000
- Representative Mike D. Rogers-R $13,050
- Representative Griffith Parker-R $9,500
- Representative Roger Aderholt-R $6,500
- Representative Bobby Bright-D $5,000
- Representative Jo Bonner-R $4,000
- Representative Artur Davis-D $1,000
So, what price is there on the life of a coal miner according to these bribes figures?
Obviously far too little.
We have to realize the money from the LaTimes investigation was just part of it. You have to look at the individual campaign contributions to find the rest.
ReplyDeleteIt is reprehensible that human life and safe working conditions, in an already dangerous job, is worth so little to the bastards!
Only in our completely crooked system can someone like Bachus, who consistently runs UNOPPOSED, continue to get rich from handouts.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sick!!!
Aderholt succeeded coal bastard Tom Bevill.
ReplyDeleteThese republicans and the dozen or so dems that joined them in voting this bill down should never be re-elected. Unfortunately many of them will.
ReplyDeleteIt should be a no-brainer to tighten mine safety, but obviously these idiots just don't get it.
What happened at that mine was nothing short of murder.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to agree with that sentiment Anon.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what else you would call it given what we know after the fact.
Each and every member of the US House of Reps who voted "NO" should have to explain their vote to the surviving families.
ReplyDeleteThey are Capital Hill cowards who hide away up there in their protected lairs and refuse to face the people unless it is a strictly controlled and abbreviated public encounter in a trumped up to look like I really give a damn Town Hall meeting.
I am really beginning to dislike these goons more with each passing day!