Comments on: Sign O’ The Times

By: slim

slim — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:16:18 +0000

It doesn’t help matters that Democrats like Robert Byrd are willing to vote for a corporate whore like Alito, who will strike down any attempt by the states to patch the gaping chasm that is the federal regualtory scheme right now. When Byrd voted for Alito, he assured his legacy would be counted in dead West Va. coalminers.

By: theBhc

theBhc — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:41:41 +0000

Actually, I think the problem is deeper and more severe than diminutive punitive fines or jury awarded damages. An argument can always be made against those, especially when companies’ behaviour fall within regulations.

It is the climate of deregulation and piss poor oversight that is the real culprit here. Conservatives have spent untold time and effort vilifying regulations and government oversight as the enemy of efficiency in business.

Indeed, it can be, but it also saves lives in inherently dangerous industries like mining. But under most Republican administrations, safety regulations are usually allowed to lapse, if not de jure at least in a de facto sense, and that is when workers are endangered. Fining is not a real solution; it is still only a post hoc penalty for a situation that often should not have been allowed to exist in the first place.

By: Kamachanda

Kamachanda — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 20:47:31 +0000

Hey, whatcha trying to do, reverse the Reagan Revolution?

By: dAVE

dAVE — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:42:41 +0000

The problem with corporations (well, one of ‘em) is that when one does threaten to impose strict fines, they hold up their employees as hostages – “hey, if you fine us that much, then we’ll have to lay off all these hardworking people who didn’t do nothing wrong!”

I think that as well as fines, one should hold the officers of the company liable and actually jail them, like the organized criminals that they are.

Oh yeah, and no golden parachutes, either.