Stop Cutting Workplace Safety Funds

The 12 miners killed in the West Virginia mine explosion have been put to rest. And, it appears, so has the underlying story. But the media has misplaced its emphasis on the story. Instead of news, we are fed entertainment. It is no secret that the Bush administration has provided corporate interests great savings by cutting back on workplace safety. The budgets of workplace watchdogs such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and, specifically, the Mine Safety and Health Administration have been cut every year since President Bush took office in 2001. Mr. Bush's policies that ease restrictions on greenhouse emissions have led to an increase in coal mining at the same time budget cuts are implemented. The cuts have resulted in a marked decrease in inspections and enforcement. This has resulted in fewer prosecutions for violations and smaller fines than those imposed during the Clinton years. What I would like to know is why the media basically failed to connect safety underfunding with accidents and worker deaths? The media made the connection in the Gulf Coast when it was learned that the Bush administration had cut U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dike maintenance dollars in New Orleans, another quickly forgotten story. Giving corporations subsidies that make them more competitive is one thing, but it is time to draw the line when those cuts and subsidies may result in workplace deaths.

NICK REINA

Milmay

Letter published in the Daily Journal, January 21, 2005