Who Saved The Miners?

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2010/10/14-0

10.14.10 - 10:13 PM
Saved, In Essence, By Socialism
by Abby Zimet

The drama that unfolded in Chile as 33 miners were miraculously, meticulously rescued from the depths was riveting. It was not, however, "a smashing victory for free-market capitalism," as claimed by a surreal op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, http://www.theawl.com/2010/10/actually-big-government-and-foreign-intervention-saved-the-miners rather a victory for faith, technology and especially caring, competent governance.

"The miners were employees of...an out-of-control, anti-union, government-regulation-defying, safety nightmare corporation undergoing a (state-run) audit. The miners were rescued by a government-sponsored intervention supervised by Codelco, the state's copper company, (along with) the expertise of NASA, an American government agency, and gifts from foreign governments."

This is why I really wish we would nationalize most of our extraction industries here in the USA. We could do a lot with that money for the commons instead of the profits going to Wall Street. I believe taxes could be reduced down the line once we pay off our debt. There would be enforced safety regulations like with Codelco and NASA and the welfare of the workers would come before the bottom line. Also, Codelco workers are unionized and most of the union miners in Chile are socialists.

I don't think nationalization is necessary. I would go with significant extraction fees with those fees providing the bulk, if not all of the enforcement costs. Anything beyond supporting enforcement should be put in a trust to correct any unforeseen errors in enforcement regulations. If those regulations and enforcement avoid unexpected problems, the surplus extraction fees would return to the general fund to support, first the area where the extraction occurred for community improvement, then to pay down debt.
If there is no debt and no real need for community improvement, then mabey send some of that back to the extraction industry as profit.
It might be the best option to nationalize resource extraction industries, but it might not be the most practicable.
Our country has been based on resource extraction since before day one but I don't think we can scuttle that in one election cycle. I'm not saying take baby steps but we have to consider the strength of our opponents. Kick them in the shin, then the knee, then the balls. If they don't crumble after that, then you grab the baseball bat. I have to admit that in my 57 yrs I felt like I was beat by a baseball bat since 63.

It's really simple: socialism is about society. Capitalism is about capital.

Which one do you care more about?

...who camped out from DAY ONE and refused to accept any defeatism, even after a week, even after 10 days... their presence ensured that the search was continued.

And huge, primary credit to the miners themselves. Not knowing if anyone was still searching for them, and if so, if they would ever find them. Yet still they rationed their food, and waited, and waited... Hard to imagine that kind of discipline, and how they were able to keep hope alive for 17 days until contact was made.

Then credit goes to every single person on the teams who worked to find and rescue these men.

Saving them had nothing, zip, zilch to do with capitalism. Except for the fact that the mine caved in and they needed saving in the first place.

Well said!

This is incontrovertible proof that 'big government' works, and the privatization of public institutions does not.

:hi:

The Bells of Rhymney

Oh what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.
Is there hope for the future?
Cry the brown bells of Merthyr.
Who made the mine owner?
Say the black bells of Rhondda.
And who robbed the miner?
Cry the grim bells of Blaina.

They will plunder will-nilly,
Cry the bells of Caerphilly.
They have fangs, they have teeth,
Shout the loud bells of Neath.
Even God is uneasy,
Say the moist bells of Swansea.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney.

Throw the vandals in court,
Say the bells of Newport.
All will be well if, if, if,
Cry the green bells of Cardiff.
Why so worried, sisters why?
Sang the silver bells of Wye.
And what will you give me?
Say the sad bells of Rhymney?

Words from "Gwalia Deserta" by Idris Davies
Music by Pete Seeger
© 1959 & 1964 Ludlow Music, Inc.

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Idris Davies

Idris Davies (born 6 January 1905 Rhymney, died 6 April 1953), was a Welsh poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English. He was the only poet to cover significant events in the early 20th century in the South Wales Valleys and the South Wales coalfield, and from a perspective literally at the coalface.

He is now best known for "Bells of Rhymney", a poem about the failure of the 1926 UK General Strike and the Great Depression in the United Kingdom and their effects on the South Wales coal mining valleys.... ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idris_Davies

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The Byrds - The Bells of Rhymney (2:33)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8gBysv5gYQ