virginia: There are 25 dead and 4 missing (dead) in the West Virginia mine explosion and hundreds of safety violations in the mine in the last year. (fifty in the last thirty days) It evidently is cheaper to pay the fines for the violations than it is to make the mines safe for the workers. Why shouldn't someone go to jail for these senseless deaths? Isn't this involuntary manslaughter?|||While working in the Chicago area in 1985 there was a company that was using illegal aliens in their establishment where they were reclaiming the silver in used photographic films. They were using poisonous chemicals (cyanide for one) and the workers were complaining of nausea and headaches. They were told by their bosses to live with it or quit as they were illegal and had no rights. Eventually, I believe it was 3, employees died from exposure to the chemical. To the credit of the Cook County authorities, they investigated the working conditions and filed murder charges against the supervision and owners of the company. Several where convicted of manslaughter and served prison terms. It is readily apparent that the management of this Coal Company have a total disregard for the lives of their first line employees. Perhaps it is time murder charges were filed against them and a little prison time would change their views. Of course, this would necessitate a Prosecutor that isn't in the company's pockets.|||You are not going to believe this, and I'm too tired to find a link, but companies like this, that do dangerous work, actually do a cost analysis and figure out if it's cheaper to pay fines for violations or pay off families in lawsuits, and many times it's cheaper to pay off the families than to run the business properly and safely. They consider it a cost of doing business. I think life in prison for the owner might make that profit risk seem not so appealing.|||They don't go to jail for violations, but regulators can (and should have) shut the mine down. The owner of the mine failed to ensure those people's safety, but so did regulators.|||i remember 8 or so years ago the same thing, a movie called there will be blood comes to mind, and so does condi rice of exxon and bush fame. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu鈥?/a> good movie if u have not seen it,.