IF the middle class continues to shrink, worker safety loses an important advocate. I think we are seeing the beginnings of the impact already.  When politicians openly question the value of “overly protective” safety laws and decry an overly litigious society as the bane of modern society it's because they believe saying such things will get them elected.

I’m looking at a photo sent by a reader that shows nine workers standing in a line – one woman and eight guys it appears to me – who form the team that starts safety meetings. All are wearing jeans. All are smiling. You can tell they’re good guys (and women). They’re workers, man, plain and simple. Eight of ‘em wear ball caps.