Coal mining deaths double in 2017

As someone who has worked in industry I have to disagree with you. The cost of paying for injuries to workers exceeds the costs of implementing safety procedures. Also, as work places get safer workers are happier so productivity increases. We have data showing this.

MAJ Bryan Zeski - SSgt Christopher Brose SSgt Brose has it right, Major: Nuclear is the ONLY (currently) viable alternative, and ironically, the same wonks decrying the coal / oil businesses get heated about THE SINGLE HISTORICALLY SAFEST power source in history. Wind will never power civilization. Solar never will until and unless we put giant mirrors in orbit. And geothermal is theoretically viable...once we can drill down the 200 or so miles that we'd need to. To date, we've drilled, iirc, 10 miles. So yeah. Embrace nuclear or live with fossil fuels. That's it. For now. Fusion IS possible (just look up at the ball of fire in the sky), and will eventually be cracked, and then all of this is moot. Until then...*Shrugs*

It only stands to reason, Maj Bell......if Trump wants to take credit for no lives lost during his watch (whether he had anything to do with it or not), then he should accept blame for all lives that were lost during his term (whether he had anything to do with it or not). He wants to take credit for all things good, but accept no responsibility for anything bad.....that fails the leadership test.

SSgt Gary Andrews - By your logic, if you want to hold him responsible for the mining deaths THEN you should accept his claim about avaiation deaths. But you aren't; why not?

His claims are hyperbole (commonly known as BS) and was there EVER in the entire history of government a single politician who didn't engage in it as if his/her life depended on it. I am 99.999% sure you and 99.9% of Americans didn't take his claim about aviation safety seriously.

Please, focus on hyperbole. Although, if Donald Trump was a skunk, you are worried about his stripe. Instead, I worry about the the scent sack, the potential of rabies, and what he'll do if he gets in the trash can. Obvious hyperbole from ANY politician isn't even low hanging fruit.

Maj John Bell - I don't think he is responsible for either......that was my point. He can't claim credit for one, and shun responsibility for the other. He's either responsible for neither, or both.......he can't cut the baby in half, which is what he is trying to do. As I understand it, most of the mining deaths happened before his regulatory cuts took effect.....so he can't really be held to account for those. However, cutting back on safety related regs could certainly lead to even more deaths in the coming months and years......and if that happens, it is on him.

And the white horse you rode in on.