In 2008, the U.S. economy collapsed under the weight of predatory greed decisively enabled by a conservative view that Wall Street shouldn't be subject to any regulation. Social responsibility be damned, just let mammon-
worshipping capitalists do their selfish thing!
Soaring joblessness and home foreclosures were the disastrous result of thinking that a moneyed elite should have priority -- and free rein to run roughshod -- over wage-earners who comprise America's indispensable backbone.
Now that get-rich-at-any-cost belief seems to have tragically played out in West Virginia where a notoriously anti-union mining company willing to absorb safety-violation fines rather than protect miners' lives has committed virtual murder.
Massey Energy, a hugely profitable firm, seems to be super-exploiting the populace of one of this country's poorest regions. In Appalachia's unionized mines, workers have the collective strength to remedy dangers that arise if bosses callously cut corners to maximize the corporate bottom line. Additionally, except for decades of hard-fought union struggle, we'd probably all have take-home pay around half the present rate, plus no benefits to speak of.
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Here's a key question to ask ourselves during this election year: When was the last time a conservative supported, rather than virulently opposed, organized labor?
Dennis Rahkonen
Superior