Friday, May 28, 2010

Plug the Damn Hole

Plug the damn hole. Those were President Obama's words. America and the world couldn't agree more. Bush-era policies of deregulation, a questionable federal regulator, BP/Transocean's cutting of corners and efforts to do everything on the cheap (to protect their meager $220 billion in profits last year) all lead to the world's worst environmental disaster.

Right wingers and the Tea Partiers think the president is being too hard on BP and think the government should be the ones cleaning up the mess, leaving BP to pay their meager $75 million in maximum liabilities. (Gotta protect their bottom line you know.) These are the same people who think government is too big, spends too much, and should be less involved.

Sound contradictory? It is.

Do the right wingers and Tea Partiers realize this obvious contradiction? They still don't realize most of the crowds attending their events are only there if Sarah Palin is there; and she's only out to make millions being a celebrity. She hasn't expressed one real idea/plan since she first appeared on the national stage. She's little more than an older, better-looking version of Snookie, from Jersey Shore.

Back to the oil spill...

If the federal government were left to clean this up, how would they do it? The government doesn't have the equipment related to oil drilling. The government doesn't drill for oil; BP and other private companies do. Even if the government commandeered the equipment, who would operate it? The Coast Guard? The Marines? IRS?

Let's face it: whether anyone likes it or not, BP has to be the one to solve this problem. Only they and the rest of the oil industry have the proper connections to talent and technology to stop the continued leakage of oil into the gulf. The only role the government can play is as a facilitator, seeking to ensure as rapid a response as possible as strategies to stop the oil from gushing forth come forward. Aside from that, the Coast Guard can only really help in oil slick containment measures.

BP should be held to the full cost of this cleanup, not only the $75 million in liabilities under current law. This cleanup will cost much, much, much more. Remember: BP made $220 billion last year! They can afford to pay every cent it will take to clean this up - and they must. Even if the Bush administration had relaxed regulations, BP didn't have to comply. The company could have run their business as if the tougher, safer regulations were still in effect - going the extra mile. After all, year after year they continue to make more and more in profits; this time at the expense of the entire economies of the gulf states and island nations.

My advice: until BP ensures they will pay ALL COSTS, BOYCOTT BP. After all, there's always another gas station down the block.

No comments:

Post a Comment