Protecting Miners And Military Families

by Stuart Shapiro

While Mitt Romney and his rivals talk about getting government off our back, those actually in charge continue to actually try to help people.  The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has ramped up its enforcement efforts after the Big Branch disaster and has found some pretty egregious conditions:

MSHA issued an imminent danger order when an inspector observed a coal pile, 5 feet high and 10 feet in diameter, on fire approximately 23 feet from an explosives storage magazine outside the mine. Additionally, the storage magazine, which contained two cases of explosives, had not been secured against unauthorized entry. A clearly identified key was lying on top of the magazine. Furthermore, a 5-gallon oil bucket full of burning coal and other materials was discovered near the intake portals of the mine.

Also, every Republican’s new least favorite agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is examining fraud perpetrated on military families:

Today, we proudly announced a joint effort with state Attorneys General and the Department of Defense to combat scams directed at servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Recognizing that this population is often targeted by financial scams, we created the Repeat Offenders Against Military Database (ROAM) to track companies and individuals who repeatedly target the military community.

So, I wonder, just which of these types of actions would a President Romney stop?

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.