Saturday, October 21, 2006

Bush Wants to Kill Miners

Ok, the title is harsh but it might be true. Bush has made another recess appointment, you know those are the ones that he does while Congress isn't in session so they don't get a chance to vote on it. Remember when Republicans demanded merely and up or down vote? The position in question is the head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) this is the organization that's supposed to protect mine workers (40 miners have died so far this year, the worst year since 2001). Bush has appointed Richard Stickler to this spot.

"The UMW had opposed Stickler’s appointment to the Pennsylvania job, citing MSHA data showing that Bethlehem mines managed by Stickler had injury rates that were double the national average."

“The mines he ran when he was in the industry were some of the most dangerous and the most frequently cited for safety violations in the entire industry,” said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. “In fact, despite broad bipartisan support for new, more aggressive mine safety laws, Richard Stickler said in his Senate nomination hearing that no new laws were necessary.”

"At a Senate hearing in March, Stickler explained that if U.S. mines were unsafe, it wasn't an 'enforcement problem,' merely a 'compliance problem'." I'm not even sure what that could mean, you enforce laws to ensure compliance.

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