WV Mining Tragedy: Massey coal mine "has more or less purchased the state's government."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Ezra Klein of the Washington Post writes about coal, corruption, campaign finance reform and yesterday's mining tragedy in West Virginia. Klein says that some sort of reform is needed in this case.

WV: West Virginia Mining Tragedy: The Caperton v. Massey/Campaign Finance Connection? http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015641.html

Coal, corruption and campaign finance reform
...
Even aside from its abysmal safety record, Massey, and its leader, Don Blankenship, are almost cartoonishly villainous in the way they approach everything from the environment to union rights to media scrutiny. They've pioneered mountain top removal mining, a particularly destructive form of mining that dirties local water supplies, ruins animal habitats, and damages the foundations of nearby houses, all while eliminating much of the Appalachians. Massey refuses to hire union workers, and thus denies its workers an advocacy group that could press for, among other things, safer ventilation systems. And Blankenship himself has been downright thuggish to critics and reporters, grabbing an ABC news camera and saying the cameraman was "liable to get shot" if he kept taking pictures.
...
Blankenship has more or less purchased the state's government. He's certainly bought the state Supreme Court, spending millions to unseat a justice who had ruled in favor of mine workers. The court, including the new justice Blankenship had elected, soon thereafter reversed a $50 million judgment against Massey.

Should judges be elected? The election system in WV is corrupted by Massey money in much the same way that Clay Co KY election system corrupted by vote buying scheme.

[Lugnut]

1. K&R n/t

[senseandsensibility]

2. Kick for the miners

This needs to be on the news every day until something is changed.