Today there was debate over a new mining safety bill. This is a bill that would fix the holes left by the 109th’s toothless nod at mining safety. It goes without saying that were there not several mining disasters in recent years the 109th would have done with this issue what it did best; nothing.
There is no surprise that the GOP hacks are out there fighting this tooth and nail to fight this bill. They say it will interfere with the 109th’s mine safety bill. Every once in a while they bring up their real concern. The real GOP concern is of course the economic impact on stakeholders and the fact that stakeholders will no longer have as great of a voice when it comes to safety and air quality measures concerning their mines. They also use the fact that President Monkeyboi will of course veto this economy hampering and superfluous legislation.
The robber-barons want their disposable labor pool back. In the beginning of the industrial revolution the progress was fueled by the sweat and blood of Irish, Chinese, and other immigrant labor. It was just as common for laborers to be shot at the end of laying a railroad spur as it was for them to actually be paid. These are the good old days that the Grand Old Party looks to with a tear of nostalgia in their eye. Oddly enough one of their arguments is that working people would lose their jobs from mines being shut down due to the technological and economic infeasibility of the safety requirements. To translate: Better you have an unsafe job then no job at all serfs.
Again all issues relate back to the class war. The poor live at the sufferance of the rich and should be happy to take what is offered to them. We have free trade to keep the labor market open. We have industry hacks heading up industry regulation. We have illegal labor issues both to distract the workers from those who truly create the problem (the companies who solicit, import, and employ undocumented workers) with politics of negative emotion and to provide a new pool of disposable laborers.
On a positive note the bill passed the house with none of the GOP backed amendments intended to eviscerate it. But Chuckles still has plenty of ink in the veto pen and is ready to keep the screws to the working class and protect big business. So be it. People with nothing to lose are the most dangerous.