Mining, death, and politics

What is politics for?

Politics is to make the world a better place. Otherwise, what the hell’s the point?

Case in point: the tragic, horrific deaths in the Sago mine in West Virginia.

In the past few days, we have been reminded by the mine’s owners that mining is no longer “even in the top 10” of the most dangerous jobs in America.

For hundreds of years, it was. What changed? Mine workers organized themselves into the United Mine Workers. And the Democratic Party (along with the occasional Republican -- nowadays, I supposed you’d call ‘em “Republicans in Name Only”) worked to establish rules and regulations to protect them.

In other words: politics.

If you think mining would have gotten safer if it had been left entirely up to mine management, you’re so naïve it’s a wonder you managed to grow up.

Now, what can we learn from the Sago mine disaster to keep it from happening again?

1. Investigate thoroughly and independently. We don’t know yet why this happened. Bring in the technical experts and scientists. Make sure they’re given a chance to work unfettered by the industry. That’s common sense. But, with the Bush administration in charge, it’s a lot to ask. Look at what happened to Jack Spadaro, the widely-admired superintendent of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy who Bush’s people hounded out after he told the truth about a disastrous coal mining leak in Kentucky.

It’s not “politics” to tell that story. It’s just the truth.

Since the Bush administration has a record of interfering with impartial investigations of the mining industry, demand that Congress supervise closely. (“Trust, but verify”: where have I heard that before?)

Which brings me to point #2: Get the foxes out of the chicken coop. As soon as he took office, Bush packed the federal government’s mining regulatory apparatus with mining executives. Long-planned mine safety rules were systematically and peremptorily abandoned. Budgets and staffing were cut. Aggressive inspections were discouraged. “Industry partnerships” became the watchword.

(Kinda like telling federal labor inspectors they need to give Wal-Mart advance warning of any inspections! You’re laughing. Bush did that, too. But that’s another blog entry.)

As we work on getting the foxes out of the chicken coop, we might want to revisit those Clinton rules from a more objective, less self-interested viewpoint. It could well turn out that some of them would have saved these lives.

Finally, point #3: You get what you incent. You don’t get what you disincent. Simple market economics.

Over the past two years, the Sago mine was charged with 205 orders and citations for health and safety violations, 96 carrying a “significant and substantial” risk of death or injury. And fined $24,000. That’s less than $120 a fine.

Subject to deeper analysis, what does this tell you? That the cost of the fines was far lower than the cost of fixing the problems. Low enough to make them a mere inconvenience: just a (deductible) cost of doing business.

OK, what does this tell you about the likely solution? Raise the fines. Make ‘em hurt. Especially for mines where, as in Sago’s case, the violations have been ongoing and worsening.

Three simple points. Each focused like a laser on one positive goal: making mines safer. Each of ‘em pointing up the difference between Democrats and George Bush. Politics? Damn straight. Politics that does what it’s supposed to do: make life better for people who need and deserve the help.