Is Trump to Blame for Ohio Train Derailment? Is Buttigieg?

Railroad & petroleum lobbyists fought against a 2013 US Department of Transportation safety rule that would have limited the impact of the derailment so that the 2015 issue of the rule was downscoped to cover only electronic brakes instead of breaking car-by-car to be installed by 2023 to only high-hazard flammable trains” carrying at least 20 consecutive loaded cars filled with liquids like crude oil. The Trump Administration repealed the law claiming cost exceeded benefit due to lobbyists from the petroleum & railroad industries.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/408125-trump-admin-rolls-back-obama-oil-train-safety-rule/

So just who is to blame for the damages caused by the Norfolk Southern derailment?

Facts disclosed recently (thanks to LeslieG and others for identifying, recounting and documenting those facts), clearly indicate that Norfolk Southern is directly responsible for the derailment for not having or abiding by adequate safety standards.

But, as usual, there are other forces at play in our uniquely American version of Crony Capitalism - which is at the core of large company’s putting the people at risk as an accepted trade-off between their god of gross profitability and what they feel the costs of reparations will be for their greed. 

Capitalism at it’s core is a good thing - companies compete to provide better products and services at price points that consumers are willing to purchase. It is an engine that rewards moderate risk taking to innovate and find new and better ways to compete. 

Real capitalism is a fairly far cry from the Crony Capitalism that we see practiced by most large corporations today - where corporations and their ‘trade groups’ find a better return on their investment in buying political favor than investing in innovation and developing better products and services.

Somewhere along the way, the notion that publicly traded companies only have a responsibility to be as profitable as possible for their shareholders became the norm - and the easiest way to gain those profits is to invest in buying political favor to assure they can remain profitable. This is a near term focus that has disastrous impact on long term viability. That’s why so many things invented and initially manufactured in this country and the giant companies that resulted are now mostly just shadows of what they were - because foreign competitors had to innovate their way to profitability and provide better products and services than these erstwhile giants could.

The only mega corporation that has truly earned their profitability, from my perspective, is Apple - a company that is a well run business, willing to take risks and a company that emphasizes ‘original’ innovation to truly make better products that work well instead of just marketing today’s ‘gimmicks’ that used to dominate consumer electronics products - and develops valued products and services worth the price that people are willing to pay to purchase. And sadly, this is the one company recently singled out by the DOJ for antitrust actions. But I digress. 

Crony Capitalism and their practitioner’s big, dark money investments in our governance and their investments in lobbying efforts are to blame. Their willingness to ‘stack the deck’ in their favor to eliminate or diminish safety standards, to avoid accountability for risking public safety in their lust for short term profits, to avoid accountability for their anti-competitive practices, to avoid accountability for their cavalier attitude to the needs of their employees or the public that they serve - all have contributed to the Norfolk Southern derailment and the potentially life long health damages due to toxic chemical exposure.

As I have said many times before - get all big-money out of having any influence on any part of our governance.

The fact that our country encourages these practices is at the core of this and many other problems in our society. The people that encourage big money influence are ultimately the ones that deserve the blame for this and many other threats to the public interest and the common good.

Money corrupts and big money corrupts BIGLY. 

this derailment should never happened we nee strong regulations not less people r more important than profit trump had no right to deregulate it and he should be held accountable for this derrailment

Donald Trump's legacy will continue to poison this nation for years to come.
I read today that Republicans feel they were duped into voting for George Santos I've got news for them they have been duped for years starting with Trump. I used to be an independent voter and yes I had voted Republican in the past but I never will again. The Republican party has become nothing but a bastion of liars and fools.

We all know our rail system is a monopoly. Three major rail companies control America. We already witness how our President step in the possible rail road workers strike, siding with the major companies. And he brags of being Union supporter. These same corporations paid big dollars into every elected representatives campaign funds. The we shut down pipelines to appease rail shipping. Transporting hazardous chemicals, toxic cargo within people homes, towns and cities and over or next to our streams and rivers. In the meantime instead of comply with safety standards, you pay off congress and the President to look the other way. This is why we have a majority of single track system instead of two or three track. This is why we do not use electric trains as we come close to towns or cities. Big bucks rule in our country, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it. Our Congress won't fund agencies to stop safety infractions,. They just support our monopolies in airlines, rail companies, big oil, auto manufacturers. 

The Railroads have an incentive to operate in a safe and effective manner. There is no proof that ECP brakes would have avoided this accident.

However video of an overheating bearing taken an hour before derailment spells out a lot kely maintenance issue with rolling stock. Attorneys will be all over rhis, Insurance companies will pay out claims and Norfolk and Southern will suffer with higher Insurance rates as well as a PR nightmare.

I advocate for a smaller, more faction government, but regulation clearly needed for the RR industry. Seems that regs were already in place to curb train speed through sensitive areas. Feels like the deregulation of banking all over again... 

So it's 3 questions with one answer button, Causes? Which am I answering?

I think the majority of the blame goes to Norfolk-Southern, who clearly does not have good safety practices in place and needs to do a much better job of protecting the public. Corporate greed and deregulation have allowed companies to put profits over people and ignore the consequences of this greed.

I don't think Trump is blameless, since he ruled back regulations on the industry, and I think the current administration would do well to re-impose regulations and ensure the railroad industry is doing better to protect the public. However, Congress could also have a rule here by doing oversight and ensuring regulations are being enforced.

But I still think the main blame goes on the railroad itself, and I hope this example shows the rest of the railroad companies how important their need to protect people should be.

Safety first! Have the courage and public service commitment on all organizations who put profit at the top of their priorities!

we need strict regulation!! not less!!!

listen to the people who know, the rail workers! they are overworked, and understaffed. the rail companies made record profits by cutting corners on safety, and staff. if unregulated, what would stop them from potencially poisoning other communities just to make a buck?

we need accountability!!!!

"According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, Norfolk Southern and its affiliates made over 100 contributions to Ohio state officials and candidates over the last five years. Including $29,000 to Gov. DeWine’s campaign and transition team, totaling nearly $100,000."

Since DeWine took office, Norfolk Southern has given him and other Ohio lawmakers $73,000 and successfully killed bipartisan railway safety legislation that would have helped protect railroad workers and the communities their trains passed through.

We now know why DeWine sees "no problems".

Rep. Mike Kelly should be on every news outlet screaming at him as the fact that he took bribes from Southern Norfolk has now put Western Penn. residents in danger.

Let's see how much Mike Kelly cares about his constituents...I am also going to look into whether the rr has contributed to any campaigns here and how much!

It's not Donations:  It's Bribery

Safety first!

To put it bluntly first off; if trump did it I'm against it. However many regulations are placed for a good reason - especially if it is to help protect wildlife, animals, environment and humans.

All deregulation does is put the fox in charge of the henhouse. The Grievance Over Policy partyis in the pockets of corporations and will always vote in their interests, not that of their constituents. Why do people keep voting them into office when it goes against their best interests?

You get what you vote for!

here is another reality check

In private, Fox News stars and staffers blasted election fraud claims as bogus, court filing shows

a constant barrage of lies impacting the lives of millions and no one held accountable? 

and the evil acts continue unabated 

shame on congress

shame on the judiciary 

No train deregulation!

Was Trump Responsible For The Train Disaster?

YES! 

Let's Simply Things! 

* Deregulation is always good for profits 

* Deregulation is always bad for the Workers' or the Public’s Health & Safety.

* The Trump Administration came down on the side of Deregulation.

* Therefore, Trump Was Responsible for the Ohio Train Disaster.

However...

* Norfolk Southern resisted employing the protocols to ensure safety.

* The Biden Administration failed to prioritize re-establishing the safety protocols. Did Buttigieg even bring this up? One would assume this should have been high up on his agenda. 

So,

1. Norfolk Southern is primarily responsible and is libel for damages. It should be compelled to give adequate compensation to the city and the citizens. It should also be appropriately penalized 

2. The Trump Admin administration reversed the Obama Administration’s safety protocols. It is responsible. It should be held libel. We need an investigation of Trump’s DoT department personnel. 

3. The Biden Administration failed to prioritize re-establishing Railway Safety Protocols. It too is responsible.

Look at that community in Ohio and ask yourselves that question.

Regulations are necessary to maintain order and save lives.  

Trump's roll-back of the regulation in fact did cause problems. Dead fishes, labored breathing, and poisoned water and land were the results.  

Like he held back that Covid was not dangerous which caused untold # of deaths.  If proper warnings (and regulations) were set up right at the very beginning of the Covid epidemic, a lot of lives would have been saved.

The Republicans tend to veer for deregulation because they felt profit outweighs safety.  I would say sacrifice safety for the God Mammon.  

We're witnessing mass murders - as of this writing already 68 mass murders since Jan 2023 -  because Republicans do not want to regulate guns or gun bearers.  If regulations were set up, then untold deaths would have been prevented.

So regulations do help and save lives.  

Deregulations save money for the richest people in charge, not the customers, not the taxpayers, not the workers, not the victims.

Generally speaking, in the debate between profits and safety, I find it pretty f-ing stupid to pick profits.

Check and balance on all private industry will always be necessary. It's just a sad fact. Money and power can never be without guardrails. 

Trump is to blame as is every politician that took the bribes from the Railroad companies to deregulate safety regulations.

They should all be imprisoned!