David Sirota: Texas Blast Exposes the New Normal

[marmar]

from truthdig:


Texas Blast Exposes the New Normal

Posted on May 16, 2013
By David Sirota


If I told you that government officials possessed ironclad proof that an imminent threat to this nation had the capacity to create a 9/11’s worth of injuries and deaths every year at an annual economic cost of a quarter trillion dollars, ask yourself: Would you say we should do something about it?

I’m guessing you would. Out of a basic sense of patriotism, you would probably at minimum support some new security regulations and investments in enforcing those regulations, even if that meant paying slightly higher taxes. After all, you profess to love America, and that’s the least we should do in the face of such a threat to our country, right?

Now ask yourself: Would your response to the original query change if you discovered that the threat at hand was not from a terrorist, but from unsafe workplaces—and that because of that unaddressed problem, these casualties and costs have already become a fact of life in America? Come on, admit it—your response probably would change. Yes, many who would reflexively support more regulations and enforcement in the face of a foreign terrorist threat would suddenly scoff at more regulations and enforcement in the face of unsafe workplaces. Why the double standard?

That’s the troubling question raised by the reaction—or, really, lack thereof—to last month’s catastrophic explosion in West, Texas. .........................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/texas_blast_exposes_the_new_normal_20130516/

[xchrom]

1. du rec. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I was surprised to learn that

(Texas is) “the only state that does not require companies to contribute to workers’ compensation coverage”.

I already knew that Texas has an abysmal record of workplace injuries and deaths, but this reeks to high heaven. Trouble is, workers (or their survivors) who may be forced to file lawsuits against deadbeat companies that balk at paying compensation probably don't get much satisfaction in court. I hope that the West explosion stays in the public consciousness of Texans, and others nationwide, long enough to prompt discussion leading to fundamental changes in how corporations operate.