The Wall Street Journal had an an editorial claiming "
Capitalism Saved the Miners".
To some extent it did but it did not do so for the reasons the argued by the Wall Street Journal.
The tv cameras saved the miners.
When the mine collapsed the relatives turned up to the mine demanding that the mine owners do every thing to free their loved ones. As the days progressed, more relatives turned up.
The arrival of more family members began to create the story, the mine company was forced to investigate. They drill down to where the refuge cave was and when the drill reached a response was found. The mine company, recognising the liabilities for failing to meet the minimal safety standards required under the laws of Chile declared bankruptcy. It was then the government took over.
This compares to the mine accidents of China and indeed the US. In the most recent US tragedy in Utah after 5 days the miners were declared probably dead and after ten days they were declared dead. They were no longer in the news.
In the case of Chile, the government, a Conservative one at that, took over. In contrast, in the US the mining company carried on.
The President of Chile devoted all of the resources available to the nation of Chile to the rescue of the miners.
The result may have capitalistic advantages, all of the miners can look forward to book deals and legal compensation. They are unlikely to see a coal face ever again. Capitalism gives them that but only as long as they remain a "human interest story".
The problem for the WSJ is that pure unadulterated capitalism is what put them there in the first place. Non union labour in a mine that that failed to meet basic safety standards already set by law.
The working conditions that the Tea Party supporters happily applaud as their candidates propose as a way of "taking America back". After all, what is health and safety and union labour other than "political correctness"?
The drill may have came from America, that however was charged for. The rescue certainly did not show any "charitable side" of the model of capitalism being praised by the right wing. The President of Chile was prepared to admit that the cost of the equipment was many millions.
Please never forget the oik on the coal face. The man who had no choice. This was his job. This was how he fed his family. He worked at the coal face in a non union, badly regulated mine, half a mile deep.He was happy to have a job. That is the choice unadulterated capitalism gave these men as an option.
They were to get paid the minimum that the employer could get away with.
The maker of the drill bit that "saved them" could demand whatever they could get away with. Thankfully, the President of Chile and the taxpayers of Chile thought that this money to save them was "worth it". They did not walk away after 10 days.
Chile may have done more than save their 33 miners. Chile has now made mining safer for all miners. Never again can a company or government just declare miners dead after 10 days. The public will never again accept that. Families will want at a minimum the rescue Chile carried out.That is not capitalism. It is not even socialism. It is common decency.
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