Oil Catastrophe off the Gulf Coast

[Mike]

I think this the time for debate on this topic is here. It's too important to just sit and wait for more studies.

I think action should have been taken long ago before the oil hit the shores. I think the blame game does nothing at this time as there will be plenty of time to play the blame game the next few election cycles. I think a certain president should acknowledge and address BP's huge financial contribution to his campaign and if any decision making or lack of, by him or the people protecting him.

I think every boat that can float should have been out there skimming, filtering, vacuuming, doing whatever it takes. I think there should be a lot less talk and planning to talk and a great deal of more action.

Catrina was a natural disaster that had just days of warning and days of reaction. This disaster had weeks of notice before the oil would hit the shores. Yet blame early on was focused on Bush and he continues to get the blame, where he clearly reacted expediently and the problem was and continues to be local and the corruption and waste of cleanup money. Where are all the green activists now? Wake up, put more pressure on Obama. Clean up as much as possible for hurricanes come and make it much worse. You would think oil is a lot easier to collect while it's in the open water floating on or below the surface than after the fact. After shores and wildlife are covered in it.

There are a great deal of inventive methods people including the actor, Kevin Costner’s water-therapy machine could be deployed.




any thoughts?

[chris]

Nice, Mike. Way to enforce that no politics rule. You ask posters here to keep controversial topics quiet. At least off the "most recent posts list". Unless you can say what you want. Way to be fair and balanced. I think this sucks. And for the first time, I'm disappointed in this place.

[Mike]

I think this situation and the topic is much bigger than any egos that may be hurt from this discussion. I considered closing down the other recently opened political topic concerning Paul's Bush joke but decided to let the discussion continue for a bit there. I'm sorry Chris but there is talk now that the gulf stream will bring oil along the east coast. I'm not going to wait to get into this debate til then.

[chris]

first, i agree with some of what you say. this is a horrible disaster. and it is one that will probably take generations to be corrected. every boat that can float should be out there helping. it made me sick to my stomach when the BP CEO paid what? 65 million dollars to run campaugn commercials to say i'm sorry, we screwed up? with as many commercial fishermen now unable to fish because of this, they should be paying the out of work fisherman with that money to help instead. not trying to repair their tarnished image.

if BP is going to reap billions of dollars in profit (and they have this first quarter, already) by drilling, they should have a plan, and then a back-up plan to fix things when things go bad. it is their mess. and they should be resposible for it. their stock is way down as investors are cashing in stocks. but so much wildlife is going to die because of this. and it isn't just oil floating on top the ocean. there are giant oil globs floating under the ocean, miles long that we didn't even know about till satellite photos confirmed it. but...the question has to be asked...who was in charge when it hapened?

i think obama could have...or mabe should have done more. what? i don't know. usually when a disaster strikes it takes the failure of local, state and federal governments to really screw things up. and disasters like this are more likely to happen when government refuses to plan and regulate for worst case scenarios. so i will not sit here and claim that obama is completely blameless.

just a month before the spill, obama insinuated himself into off shore drilling camp by agreeing to a deal, proposed by republican senator lindsey graham, in which off shore drilling and nuclear power would be added to legislation taxing carbon fuels and promoting alternative energy. but drilling can only be defended if it is closely managed and regulated. wasn't it vice president dick cheney, fresh from his days at halliburton, that had presided over the weakening of drilling regulations, including the exclusion of remote shut-off switches (commonly used in the north sea oil fields) which might have prevented the disaster?

but to suggest that obama and big oil are in bed together (as mrs palin also suggested) is laughable. and i think you know that, mike. it would be like suggesting the right is in cahoots with lawyers or unions. there may have been a contribution from BP. why wouldn't they? it would serve them well to try to get on the side of whomever won. but the left wasn't the side chanting drill-baby-drill, were they? rush limbaugh softened his original stance of suggesting it was caused by environmental terrorists by settling on this remarkable formulation..."the ocean will take care of it's own. the oil was natural. as natural as the ocean water is"...thereby upending several milleniums of "oil and water" adages.

although actually saying the blame game does nothing at this point...and then showing a vote now ad if obama is to blame is a little hypocritical, no?

[Mike]

It wasn't just a contribution, it was the largest of all American politicians over the last 20 years. A pretty credible news organization, Reuters said Obama received more of BP's money than anyone else.

During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.

That's not made up stuff. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64420A20100505

[chris]

i trust you not to make up stuff, mike. but that doesn't even seem to be that much money. you know what side is with big oil. before recent events, the left has never, not once, been accused of being on the side of big oil. but the right has.

[chris]

just did a little bit of research myself. BP also gave the mccain campaign $75,000. oil companies often give generously to both campaigns as do other big corporations... they hope a favor will be returned no matter who wins.

AP just released an article saying that many gulf area judges have oil and gas connections along the Gulf Coast. That should come as no surprise to anyone and it is legal. However, there are many federal judges to hear these lawsuits. But expect no big settlements . BP's lawyers will keep this tied up in appeals for years.

BP is the bad guy here.

[james1985]

Money and campaign contributions might be influencing an American politician's decision-making? Whatever ***censored*** next?

[mr h atom]

right-wingers will always shoot off idiocies, rather than look for facts: one simple check as chris did, would've shown that mccain got a similar amount...one simple search would show, as every american already knows, that all big business gives equally to each party, every time.
to use this small bit of info...77,000 dolar to insinuate that obama is looking the other way, is bottom level, crassness that deserves nothing less than a full apology.
chris is undeniably correct: this assumption is about as stupid and low as i've seen anywhere, by anyone.

IF obama had acted in any other fashion...the bullshit artists that comprise almost the totallity of that once great party, my party, would've been all over his black ass for interfering where big, bad gov't shouldn't go: look at the evil socialist, interfering & taking over the capitalist, honorable & free market sysem...after all, who, we've been told, ad infinitum is beter to solve our problems, than the free, open market ?

RIGHT ?

....until the ***censored*** hits the fan...

obama went to the gulf coast right away: bush did not. obama tried to let the free market agent, who created the problem, fix it...just like the now whining and crying right wingers said would've been the real solution to katrina..

so, even though they've (the republicans...my party) have spent all their time cutting or blocking budgets, all their effort rolling back oversights & tying the hands of gov't regulators...all their hot air telling us big gov't is NOT EVER the answer (an idea, which, apparently mike and other extreme right wingers SUDDENLY don't believe in) they want to moan and cry when the democrat actually allows them do their thing, the way they want...the way they've pleaded election after election for it to be done...and it fails utterly, miserably.

you're right...BP SHOULD'VE BEEN IN THERE EARLIER WITH THE TANK SKIMMERS...THIER BIG OIL BUDDIES SHOULD'VE BEEN IN THERE HELPING...AND EVERY OIL BARRON SHOULD'VE SENT HIS BEST DOWN TO HELP...just like our neighborhood fireman, policemen, paramedics DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN ALIKE responded, unlike BUsh, to katrine.

but...that would've cost THEM $$..

so..let's blame the black guy...and let big busines off the hook

DRILL, BABY, DRILL !!@

somehow, i thought was palin/mccain...guess it was obama/biden...

[Mike]

Of course is you need to label a bad guy, BP is it. There is no question there, but the bad guy? I need gas to fuel my car and the many other things such as the food I eat is shipped to where I live, thus we need oil. Until this gets resolved, meaning the need for oil, accidents can and will happen. BP is certainly committed to spend what it takes, and it will be billions.

"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has received $44,899", in the same period Obama received almost double. The Reuters facts I quoted are funds just from BP, not all oil companies.