General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBuzz Clik
(38,437 posts)... just what regulations were de-regulated to allow that "plant" (sic) to explode.
You can tell here, or jump to one of the other threads and tell us there:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2737557
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1078&pid=7993
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022728726
PD Turk
(1,289 posts)maybe there were never sufficient regulations in the first place, or more likely, a lack of enforcement. One thing is for sure, this never should have happened.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)It does not help when the operators lie about their inventories.
I grew up in rural Oklahoma in the 60s and 70s, have lived around Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas all my life, mostly Oklahoma. I know pretty much what life in that little town is like and how "big important people" like Mr Adair that owns that place are looked upon by the common townsfolk. I really don't want to see him get away with this, but somehow it wouldn't surprise me a bit if he did.
bhikkhu
(10,708 posts)...you just cut the budget for inspection and enforcement until neither happens.
Libertarian paradise on the cheap!
Marie Marie
(9,999 posts)Too bad innocent people always seem to pay the price.
the idea that they can be allowed to "police themselves" has been proven to be a total fallacy. I have a 7 year old daughter, allowing her to do the same would probably net similar results
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)walk outside due to the unregulated pollution.
haele
(12,581 posts)The free market will regulate population - if you have enough money to ensure you can buy healthy living and still put aside for a food and drug purity tester, you and your family should be able to be healthy for a good long while - until monopolies buy everything up and you have to purchase what they offer.
If not - if you work for a living, you'd better just start out putting aside half your salary to save up for high medical bills ten/twenty years down the road and just forget about seeing grandchildren grow up.
Haele
Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)examples given. He thinks these OPs are "bullshit".
I think they are right on the money!
PD Turk
(1,289 posts)Lack of enforcement is as big if not a bigger problem than a lack of regulation. When the inspector drops by to see "'ol Ray that owns the plant", has a cup of coffee and a donut with 'ol Jerry and pencil whips the inspection form, the enforcement arm is defenitely broken. I've seen that scenario a time or two out in the rural areas where I've lived most of my life. Everybody knows everybody and the good ol boy system is alive and well
Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)I tried
Pretending that deregulation of industry in Texas (both by legislation and deliberate non-enforcement) has nothing to do with accidents that occur because there are no regulations left requiring safety is an absurd argument that no one but deregulation fans believe. Even with them it is just a rationalization.
His answer
that and a bunch of rhetoric about them not requiring fire suppression systems around flammable and explosive stored material didn't count because it was not deregulated, just never regulated or something and no regulations like that were required
I worked in a lumber mill that made moldings out of rough kiln dried hardwood, even wood dust in that plant, which was one large room where the lumber and moldings were stored and milled, required dust collection systems, and automated fire suppression systems be installed AND maintained by scheduled maintenance with pressure tests and were subject to inspection before the business could begin milling and subject to fines and immediate ceasing of operations until up to code, the inspectors came and checked all that plus hand held fire extinguishers that had to have current tags on them (their charge has to be checked according to a schedule and tagged with the date last checked), once before opening and twice in seven years (seemingly at random, but we were told the day before both times to expect them). We closed for a week the third time and fines had to be paid over the hand held extinguishers by the doors because the tags were 4 months too old, the main pressure driven automated pipe system passed as did the dust collection system.
I don't know the name and number of those different regulations and it is in Buffalo, so I couldn't answer according to his rules.
He just doesn't think Texas has a regulatory problem.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Show me unemployment and wages, Texas.
Initech
(99,915 posts)what it all boils down to is, we either have a government of the people or we have a government that serves only the most priveleged among us. If the owner of this plant is allowed to get away with only a "me so sorry" after his enterprise blows up half the damn town then it's painfully obvious we have the latter of the two.
And make no mistake, the majority of the right-libertarian types would support him being able to do exactly that, no consequences, no responsibility. "You shouldn't have been living so close to the plant, it's your own fault for moving there". Blame the victim.... it's a way of life with them