My job was on the line. Within minutes after the CEO chewed my ear, I arranged a confidential meeting with the operating company president. I briefed him on the situation, described changes that must occur, and I promised to protect his plant management the best I could.

The nation’s red and blue states often are miles apart in social attitudes and, of course, political outlook. It turns out that they also divide into distinct camps when it comes to a grimmer measure — fatal traffic accidents.

The people who write huge swath OSHA standards are from the same philosophy (big government solves all ) that wrote: 2700 pages of healthcare law, begatting multiple thousands of a pages of regulations; 2300 pages of financial law, with more thousands of pages of regulations, etc. etc.  Enough!!

Fanta Grape was nearly my downfall as a child. On a hot African day, there was nothing to beat the colour, the taste and the icy bite at the back of the throat. For all I know, the closest this Fanta got to a grape was the deep purple colour – but it was pure joy in a bottle, and even better with a blob of vanilla ice cream floating on top.

I have comments and questions about OSHA’s March 12, 2012 memorandum with the subject line: “Employer Safety Incentives and Disincentive Policies and Practices.”

OK, they have not erected barricades in DC yet (other than the ones to prevent terrorist suicide bombings). But the partisan fighting is wicked and will only worsen as the 2012 election nears.