[manasecret]

Originally Posted by Professor S

BP should pay for the spill and the impact the the economy of the gulf region, and regardless of government intervention, they would anyway. That is what our legal system is for. Honestly, the federal government has no place coaxing money from BP, regardless of populist outrage. Sue them or don't sue them, but to constantly threaten to bludgeon is shady political dealing at its best.

First off, when exactly did they coax money out of BP? Please answer that. The only thing I know about is giving the federal gov't giving BP a bill for what the government has done so far, and asking BP to set aside $20 billion to pay for future claims. To be clear, that is money set aside for future claims, not going directly to any government coffers. Is that big evil government, trying to get some assurance that the good angel of a private industry company will pay for the disaster it wrought upon all of us?

And secondly, would BP pay anyway? Really? Do you think they're just itching to pay for all the problems they caused? You don't think BP's not interested in paying as little as possible, and wouldn't much rather keep this whole thing mum and out of the media so everyone can forget about it? I think it's perfectly ok for the government to use its influence to put pressure on a company that just wreaked an interstate disaster to the environment and economy across four Gulf states and beyond. It's not like they're pressuring some McDonald's in Bumfuck, Ohio to make sure they pay up for spilling some oil behind their restaurant. The more pressure the better, so BP can't just dust all of this under the rug nearly as easily.

Honestly, BP creates an interstate disaster, and people get pissed at the government for actually doing something against that company. The thought process is astounding to me.

The management of the spill has been utterly disastrous. The fact BP is still running this show and handling 90% of the clean-up is amazing to me. Why haven't we accepted other country's offers to help with this? Why aren't other oil companies involved with their resources in the region (to be compensated by BP, of course)? The management of this crisis has been shockingly un-crisis like. Say what you will about how Bush responded to Katrina, but it was days before every tool at our country's disposal was activated to aid in the aftermath, not months.

And here, in the very next paragraph, you want the federal government to do more! (And, I presume the feds should do all that and just sue for it later?)

Some of this is factually wrong. All I've heard from day one is that other oil companies have been involved. I haven't heard about other countries trying to help, so don't know about that. And the Bush comparison sounds like more political blustering to me. How exactly do you quantify "every tool at our country's disposal"?

Oil drilling should NOT be stopped, but instead the industry should learn from this accident. If we stopped everything of value because there was a catastrophe, humans would still be painting on rock walls.

It shouldn't be stopped, but to me it's another wake-up-call to what an oil hungry populace such as ourselves does to pollute the earth.

And Typhoid, I wonder if you'd be so blase about the spill if it was off the coast of Vancouver.