More proof that our system is a runaway train
Forked River, N.J.: I watched that powerful CNN town meeting from Palestine, Ohio, Wednesday night. The residents demanded answers from Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern Railway. Shaw said he will learn from this tragedy — but he never learned from previous deaths and disasters his railroad caused. When asked directly if he would buy the homes these people have owned for years, Shaw diverted and gave lip service that offered no real answers.
This train had a worn wheel bearing that led to its wheels catching fire and traveling another 21 miles before it exploded. Shaw said he spends a billion dollars a year on safety, yet this two-mile-long train that was on fire had only two employees and a trainee on it. People were calling 911 for more than 40 minutes but the train kept going. The people of that town are sitting in hospital emergency rooms with nosebleeds, violent sickness and migraines, all from greed and negligence.
Donald Trump gutted many environmental and safety laws, including those involving train safety. So instead of having modern braking systems and warnings, this train and so many others have brakes designed more than a century ago. On Wednesday, Trump used that town as a campaign stop. In reality, he was simply returning to the scene of the crime.
Shaw and so many CEOs like him spend tens of millions of dollars putting money in the pockets of our Congress members to fight safety regulations. Imagine if they had spent that money on brakes that weren’t designed when silent movies were in theaters.