'STICKLIE, YOU'RE DOING A HECK OF A JOB'

Recently, a reader posted a comment to the speak up column of my local newspaper, wondering 'how long it would take the democrats to blame President Bush for the Utah mine collapse". Well, not to disappoint, here are but a few of the reasons why the Bush administration is to blame for the deaths of these, and other miners. The coal mining industry has donated over 10 1/2 billion dollars to GOP candidates since Bush took office, and you'd have to be incredibly naive to believe that this huge multi billion dollar industry is giving away that kind of money for nothing. The first order of payback business for Mr. Bush, was to appoint a new 'mine safety czar', Richard Stickler, who was much more amenable to looking after the monetary interests of the mine owners, than in actually making the industry safer for its workers. What's more, Sticklers safety record as a mine operator was so poor that his appointment was twice rejected by both parties, but in true Bush fashion, he was snuck in the back door, in a dubious recess appointment. So much for our system of checks and balances, which means nothing to this administration. Sticklers first order of business was to approve the controversial 'retreat mining method', an extremely risky maneuver, that ensures that the mine owners can extract even more coal, for bigger profits. Prior to Stickler, the man appointed to this position by Bush in his first term, was industry insider, David Lauriski, who wasted no time in firing more than 200 coal mine inspectors, and dropped over a dozen safety initiatives in place since Bill Clinton was in office. He also vowed to be "less confrontational" with the mine operators, and to cooperate with them more on safety issues. In addition, he filled top spots in the MSHA, with like minded former executives from the mining industry. What's truly frightening, is that all of this is just the standard M.O. for this administration. Safety and environmental standards have been reduced and eliminated in this country so that our power obsessed president and his enablers can appease the big business interests that pay them off. If people fail to make the connection between the Bush administration, and these recent mining accidents, they must have their heads in the sand.