Free Marketeers, shake hands with Massey Coal

[cmac2012]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/07/AR2010040704835.html

Blankenship sponsors the election of a judge who finds in his favor and is later spotted with another supporting judge on the French Riviera:

http://www.doublex.com/blog/xxfactor/don-blankenship-massey-coal-bought-judge-too

http://www.brennancenter.org/blog/archives/impartiality_still_an_issue_aftre_wv_judges_riviera_scandal/

The guy calls local papers havens for communists. Bashes unions, circumvents, and marginalizes them:

http://peoplesworld.org/union-buster-massey-energy-cited-2118-times-for-safety-violations/

Free market forces are powerful. Generally much more efficient than state run mechanisms. But this business of thinking that market forces alone will come to ideal solutions is just not supported. Blankenship chased profit above all else, miner safety included. Damn pinko unions had the audacity to enforce safety regs that cut into profit. Away damned commie stooges!

[OldPokey]

Sure free market forces can work. Just as long as people take responsibility for the damage their choices or abuses do to others. If the penalty for killing employees due to negligence was to suffer the same fate as the victims did, then there would be a lot less of this garbage.

[cmac2012]

Originally Posted by OldPokey

Sure free market forces can work. Just as long as people take responsibility for the damage their choices or abuses do to others. If the penalty for killing employees due to negligence was to suffer the same fate as the victims did, then there would be a lot less of this garbage.

If. But it never works that way. The ideal free market model has it that unscrupulous operators will be eventually punished by the marketplace - competition will drive them out, etc. Sometimes it works that way but frequently not, IMO.

[kerry]

The market he most wants 'free' is the labor market because cooperation among workers is what leads to concern for safety thru union action. Someone took a shot at Blankenship in the past but missed. Put him right up there with Frick.

[MS Fowler]

Looks like we are right in the middle of this exercise in free markets. The true cost to this person remains to be seen. If the Board of Directors, the Courts and the regulators let him off scott-free, then the systems has failed. Lets see what accountability there will be for the owner. He should serve as an example to all others in his position --that to ignore the safety of his workers will have a very definite impact on his, personal "bottom line". He was short-sighted at the very least, and deserves what his pursuit has earned--serious jail time.

[raymr]

Capitalism is all about exploitation of labor and resources. There needs to be balance which is why we have OSHA and dozens of other agencies to act as watchdogs. It's hard to say just how much abuse they prevent though. I agree that the punishment for these bozos who flaunt the rules should be more severe. Then make an example out of one so its a deterrent for others.

[AdvisorGuy]

The "Market" certainly took care of itself here.. The fines are less than making the corrections - Cost-Benefit Analysis - wins out. This is nothing new, "If" this was done and "If" that was done is all well and good, but in the few decades I've been alive. I've seen another mining disaster, I've seen the Pinto come to market... The "Market" does what it can for as long as it can.

That mine should have been shut down until corrections were made, There should be no choice. The repairs should be made AND fines levied... But then again, that's just more government intervention.. (insert sarcasm here)

[kerry]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Looks like we are right in the middle of this exercise in free markets. The true cost to this person remains to be seen. If the Board of Directors, the Courts and the regulators let him off scott-free, then the systems has failed. Lets see what accountability there will be for the owner. He should serve as an example to all others in his position --that to ignore the safety of his workers will have a very definite impact on his, personal "bottom line". He was short-sighted at the very least, and deserves what his pursuit has earned--serious jail time.

That might work if government regulation had not been savaged in the interests of the owning classes since the Reagan years. As long as unions are weak, the owning classes can secure their interests thru the electoral process quite effectively. This recent mining disaster is a good example of these practices at work.

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by kerry

That might work if government regulation had not been savaged in the interests of the owning classes since the Reagan years. As long as unions are weak, the owning classes can secure their interests thru the electoral process quite effectively. This recent mining disaster is a good example of these practices at work.

(from cmac's link):


Blankenship has also thrown his weight around West Virginia politics, shelling out more than $3 million of his own money for ads to help defeat a West Virginia state Supreme Court justice in 2004. That judge would have been in a position to rule against Massey in an appeal of a $50 million award for a small coal company owner, who convinced a jury that Massey had driven his company into bankruptcy. The new judge cast the deciding vote against the $50 million award. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the new judge should have recused himself.

Blankenship was also a top fundraiser backing GOP candidates for the state legislature before the 2006 elections, McKinney said. In the fall, Blankenship also gave $30,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

```

Blankenship repeatedly linked coal mining to prosperity, homeland security and freedom. He marveled at how Americans could squabble over traces of pollution when "billions" of people around the world are dying because they lack electricity.

"The thing about this industry is, it improves every year, only for the hurdle to be made higher," he told the audience while addressing environmental and safety issues. "West Virginians are the ones that work in it. Coaches and teachers and Sunday school teachers are the ones that work in it. We're doing everything we can to comply with a different law every day. . . . This industry is what made this country great. And if we forget that, we're going to have learn to speak Chinese."

Coal mining, Blankenship said toward the end of the debate, is "one of the safest industries in the country."

[Pooka]

In the oil business there are companies that are refered to as 'Jakeleg Outfits' due to their low regard for safety and their cheap way of doing things.

(Historical note: Jakeleg is a condition caused by drinking moonshine that contians too much poison. It destroys a part of the nervious system and causes a person to walk as if they have an injured leg.)

Until the cost of injuries and deaths is felt by the decision makers they will continue to take place. In over 40 years of dealing with companies like this I have never known of a one that made any safety upgrades unless they were forced to by laws or Union actions.

The sad part is that, based on what I have seen, the safest way is also the cheapest way. Look how much production has been lost just this week!

[Chas H]

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

Looks like we are right in the middle of this exercise in free markets. The true cost to this person remains to be seen. If the Board of Directors, the Courts and the regulators let him off scott-free, then the systems has failed. Lets see what accountability there will be for the owner. He should serve as an example to all others in his position --that to ignore the safety of his workers will have a very definite impact on his, personal "bottom line". He was short-sighted at the very least, and deserves what his pursuit has earned--serious jail time.

What impact to a personnal "bottom line" would be appropriate for the deaths of 29 miners? The punishment would need to extend to close relatives and business associates to have any clout.

Since it's now the 21st century, it might be time to start moving away from 19th century energy sources; or is that just "crazy talk"?

[t walgamuth]

Our history as humans is that the only thing that changes the use of resources is lack of financial benefit from using them.

[mpolli]

He will not serve a day of jail time, and there will be a line of people ready to work in that mine. He could kill a crew every day and there would be more workers ready the next day.

[AdvisorGuy]

Originally Posted by Craig

Since it's now the 21st century, it might be time to start moving away from 19th century energy sources; or is that just "crazy talk"?

WHOA THERE FELLA !!! Slow down with your crazy liberal talk there..