Maybe I shouldn't have included the part about the union - it was speculation on my part and the facts have yet to come out. I won't dispute your statement, ASTAC, but I do hold that in general, union employees are more skilled and knowledgeable at their craft than non-union labor (I'm thinking about building trades here but it also pertained to the union employees of a food processing plant I once worked in). But I won't argue to try to change your mind.
Really, the main point of my story was the magnitude of the disaster caused by contributing factors. Luckily, it happened while few people were in the building. I think there was one survivor. Who expects to go to work one day, answer the phone and have the entire building explode and collapse around you? Would almost be funny if people hadn't been killed.
Eventually some party or parties will be blamed, and rightly so. I'm not sure anyone can be punished though, since the company hasn't existed for quite a while.
If it does turn out to be intentional building code violations to save money, I guess the lesson is that it paid off? But it seems to me the inspections unit will bear some responsibility as well.
The local utility that inherited the problem may now have to raise rates for everybody in order to offset the cost of the massive records search and pipe repairs that will now probably be required.
Not sure how Bush could be blamed for any part of this local problem, Mav. But thanks for your comments
