I do, too. I'm very happy for the miners and their families, but I think the real heroes were the rescue workers, including all those who planned the operation and those who designed, built, and operated the equipment.
i'm still disapointed that they didn't play the Thunderbirds tune when they got the first one out but yeah. fookin' good work Chile... they all back on the surface and stuff, nice job... and you seem to have the coolest president ever
To zero? Only by closing every mine in the world. But more seriously and just FYI, mining is far, far down the list of things that kill people, worldwide. It's not even in the top ten of overall accidental deaths, although among occupational accidents, it's first. Chile spent $20-30 million to save 33 men. Of course, I'm not suggesting they shouldn't have done it, but how many traffic deaths could have been averted if they'd spent the same amount on improved roads, signage, and traffic enforcement? How many children would have lived if they'd spent the same amount on immunization programs? How many heart attack or stroke victims would have lived if they'd spent the same amount on early detection and prevention programs? For that matter, do you doubt that the cave-in itself could probably have been prevented if the mine had been inspected more stringently and the regulations enforced, at a cost much, much less than $20 million? I realize there are priorities involved in these things, and I don't mean to pick on Chile. They're not the first to realize after the fact that you're supposed to close the barn door before the horse gets out. But wouldn't it be nice if the priorities made more sense?
