On Saturday afternoon, I sat at my computer screen and watched Barack Obama announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.  I think it’s a good pick for a multitude of reasons—some personal, some political and some practical.  When Biden spoke on Saturday, I found myself smiling and nodding my head in agreement.  When he said the following,

“…of all my years in the Senate, I have never in my life seen Washington so broken.  I have never seen so many dreams denied and so many decisions deferred by politicians who are trying like the devil to escape their responsibility and accountability.”

I saw the faces of Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, OSHA Chief Edwin Foulke, and other senior officials in the Department of Labor turning their backs on the health and safety of worker —“trying like the devil to escape their responsibility.”  

Be it musculoskeletal disorders, respirable crystalline silica, cranes, combustible dust, disaster clean-up, asbestos-containing brakes, or the long list of other unaddressed workplace hazards, the Secretary’s and her staff’s deferred decisions speak VOLUMES about their disrespect for working men and women.  Don’t talk to me about “pro-life.”      

Senator Biden went on:

“…ladies and gentlemen, the reckoning is now. And the reality, the reality is that we must answer the call or we will risk the harshest version and verdict of history.”

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Celeste Monforton, MPH, DrPH contributed to both Joe Biden’s and Barack Obaman’s campaigns for President.