Here are two stories that show the injustice and immorality fueled bycorporate greed and government, both GOP and DINO, that does verylittle to nothing about it.

What has happened to the common good and general welfare? 

The 21st century is shaping up to be another 19th century GildedAge, where the lives of regular Americans are held to beinconsequential and cheap.  While true under the criminal Bush regime,that was supposed to change under President Obama.

From Mike Hall at AFL-CIO Now Blog: "When a worker is killed on the jobbecause of an employer’s serious and willful violation of the nation’sjob safety laws, the median penalty the employer faces isn’t time injail–it’s a mere $3,675.

"It’s time to put some real teeth and a bigger enforcement hammerinto the Occupational Safety and Health Act, (OSH Act), witnesses tolda House hearing today. In prepared testimony URL TK), AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario asked the House Workforce Protections subcommittee

" 'What kind of message does it send toemployers, workers and family members, that the death of a workercaused by a serious or even repeated violation of the law warrants onlya penalty of a few thousands dollars?  It tells them that there islittle value placed on the lives of workers in this country and thatthere are no serious consequences for violating the law.'

"Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) has sponsored a bill, Protecting America’s Workers Act (H.R. 2067), that would increase OSH Act civil and criminal penalties for the first time since 1990. Says Wollsey:

" 'Congress needs to put teeth into thesepenalties so that employers are held accountable for their bad behaviorand no longer view penalties as a part of the cost of doing business.'

"Along with increasing the amount of civil penalties, includingsetting minimum fines, the bill establishes a penalty of up to 10 yearsin prison for an employer–including top executives–for criminalbehavior that results in the death of a worker.

"Not only haven’t the penalties that most safety and health expertstermed too weak to begin with not been increased in two decades,inflation has eaten 40 percent of their real dollar value. In addition,says Seminario:

" 'The maximum civil penalties [$7,000 for a "serious" violation] providedfor under the OSH Act are rarely assessed. Indeed, just the opposite isthe case. In FY 2009, the average penalty for a serious violation ofthe law was $965 for federal OSHA and $781 for the state OSHA planscombined. Again this is the average penalty for violations that pose asubstantial probability of death or serious physical harm...' "

From Raw Story about Michael Moore on Countdown discussing the upcoming health care reform vote:

"As O'Donnell and Moore touch on some of the specifics of the healthcare reform bill, Moore explains "If I drove up an old AMC Pacer heretonight and said 'here, Larry, I'm giving you a free car,' I don'tthink you'd say 'get the hell, get that out of here.' I think you'd say'well, that's nice, Mike' and maybe you've got a sixteen-year-old you'dgive it to."

" 'So that's what this bill is,' Moore continues. 'It's the AMC Pacer. It runs. But it really doesn't take care of themain problem which is the profit motive will still dictate everything.The insurance companies will still be in charge. Even after they, ifyou have insurance with them, and this is really what I had covered inthis film, it was really about the people who have insurance, who, oncethey have it, then can't get the bill paid. Because they run youaround, they're going to look for loopholes.'

" 'Even.. You know what this bill says if they deny you coverage? Let'ssay they actually just say go ahead and say deny you because of apre-existing condition, the fine is $100 a day. Per individual you havedenied. So just think about that," says the Michigan native filmmaker."The insurance company is going 'So, for a year, that would 36,500dollars, but the operation is going to cost $100,000. You know what? Ithink we'll take the fine.' "

So,in the 21st century, workers' lives are valued at a maximum$7,000....maybe; median for those killed on the job is $3,675 even whendue to an employer's serious and willful violation of the nation'ssafety laws.

And, in the 21st century, the United States still lacksuniversal health care, available in just about most otherindustrialized nations.  

Shameful and appalling.