Quote:
Originally posted by dzrose93
I see what you're saying, valkyrie. The way I'm looking at it is that these poor guys (and many others like them) were working in the mines because it's all that was available to them in that economically-oppressed area of WV. Even with all the safety violations, they probably didn't feel as if they had a choice about going to work every day. They had families to provide for, and knew that their wives and kids were counting on them to put bread on the table each week. And with the Christmas season just finishing up, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of those guys were thinking that they needed the money now more than ever.
I also would be willing to bet that the people running that mine knew that they had their employees between a rock and a hard place, and knew that they would have to work regardless of how many violations came to light. That's why I hope that the miners' families will sue the company. Money talks when nothing else does. I realize that the company doesn't have a bottomless pit of cash, but coal is big business. My guess is that they'd be able to settle the lawsuits and still have enough to fix the mine. That, or another company would come in and buy it from them and it would get fixed that way.
Anyway, that's how I see it. I could be way off base, but that's how I feel. I just want those folks to have easier days ahead of them. They deserve that much at the very least.
|
I absolutely understand what you're saying. I really think this is an issue that needs some kind of broader resolution than can come from lawsuits in the case, if that makes sense. It sucks that people, for whatever reason, work in unsafe or otherwise crappy conditions. It would be great if, as a society, we could work on fixing that.