Looking out: The operator

“[M]illions of Americans will find their lives changed because [of]
Bush's views on ... ergonomics.” — David Broder, the Atlanta Constitution,
March 16, 2001

A subtle contempt is expressed by David Broder in his recent political
commentary on the actions of the new man in the White House. I find that
a bit ironic since, more often than not, he praised George W. Bush while
he was running for office. As one of America's most respected political
columnists, his words, when printed in the Washington Post, can
make or break politicians.

Broder reports that “four days before [Bill Clinton left office] he
allowed sweeping Labor Department regulations to go into effect, requiring
employers to deal more promptly and fully with workplace conditions that
contribute to strained backs, stiff wrists, cramped hands and all the other
symptoms of repetitive motion distress.”

Now, however, corporations the world over will soon be flying high and
happy with Bush in the White House. You see, his henchmen and henchwomen
in the House of Representatives and the Senate have managed to slide a
resolution through that effectively ends the relatively new life of Clinton's
ergonomics regulations.

“The ergonomics battle drew a broad coalition of business groups, led
by the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.
They argue that the regulations would be costly to satisfy and might expose
them to a new wave of lawsuits... The losers are . . . organized labor,
consumer organizations, advocates of women's and children's causes.”

No surprise there. What I find so egregious about this latest Bush-attack
on working citizens is the stealth that went into its almost instant deployment.
Alas, most working Americans will not know that they have been given yet
another workplace-shaft. Indeed, many will not even know what ergonomics
are all about. Perhaps when enough workers find out that they cannot get
compensation for workplace injuries, they will not vote for Bush in the
next election. He certainly did not vote for them when he signed his name
on to his corporate-cronies' dotted/bottom line.

When those workers find themselves in the voting booth again it is my
hope that they will remember the definition of ergonomics: “Engineering
science concerned with the physical and psychological relationship between
machines and people who use them. The ergonomicist takes an empirical approach
to the study of human-machine interactions with, the object of improving
efficiency of operation and reducing strain and discomfort on the operator”
(Columbia Encyclopedia).

BY BRANDON ASTOR JONES

[The writer is a prisoner on death row in the United States. He welcomes
letters commenting on his columns (include your name and full return address
on the envelope, or prison authorities may refuse to deliver it). He can
be written to at: Brandon Astor Jones, EF-122216, G3-77, Georgia Diagnostic
& Classification Prison, PO Box 3877, Jackson, GA 30233, USA, or email
<brandonastorjones@hotmail.com>.
Jones is seeking a publisher for his collected prison writings.
Please notify him of any possible leads. Visit Jones' web page at <http://www.brandonastorjones.com>.]

From GLW issue 446