Originally Posted By ecdc >>It's not their fault this happened so why punish them.<< Ask BP that. They screwed up and hurt all their employees. And I'm not about to support a company that's guilty of what BP has done just because I feel sorry for the people that will be impacted. There are larger issues at stake.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>“This is a complete difference in the way that the United States was run 18 months ago. But today, it seems like the automatic effort from the government is let's have the federal government take over private industry,” Bachmann said.<< The way the government was run 18 months ago is exactly why the Gulf of Mexico looks like the world's largest bottle of India ink today. Bachmann is clueless as always, but of course, she's one of the drill baby drill simpletons. Maybe Kevin Costner has some sort of machine that can suck Michelle Bachmann out of office? That'd be awesome.
Originally Posted By DAR <<And I'm not about to support a company that's guilty of what BP has done just because I feel sorry for the people that will be impacted. There are larger issues at stake.>> Well I don't believe in kicking someone in the face while they're getting screwed.
Originally Posted By Labuda Same here, DAR. While I abhor BP, I realize that the individual stores are owned by individual operators, so if we had a BP shop here, I'd still stop if I'd already been doing so, just not buying their gas.
Originally Posted By gadzuux A reminder for those in CA and western states, ARCO is just BP in disguise.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Maybe Kevin Costner has some sort of machine that can suck Michelle Bachmann out of office? That'd be awesome." Hilarious.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Barton's backing down and apologizing for his apologizing - like that's going to help. >> [Barton] called it "a tragedy of the first proportion, that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown." << Let's not forget that TX is a gulf coast state, although it doesn't appear to be in any immediate threat of the oil washing onto its shores. But he calls the escrow account requirement "a tragedy of the first proportion" - it makes you wonder what he thinks about the spill itself. >> But the ensuing gusher of criticism that flowed forced Barton to later apologize for the apology during the hearing and in a statement. "I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP," Barton said in the statement. "I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident." << Keep talking, republicans - you only show yourself for the corporate lackeys that you really are.
Originally Posted By gadzuux The GOP politicians lining up behind BP keep coming . . . >> NBC News noted that another member of the GOP leadership, Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House members, said "BP's reported willingness to go along with the White House's new fund suggests that the Obama Administration is hard at work exerting its brand of Chicago-style shakedown politics," Price said in a statement. He said the White House does not have the legal authority to compel a private company to set up and fund an escrow account. "These actions are emblematic of a politicization of our economy that has been borne out of this administration's drive for greater power and control," Price said. << Own it, republicans - these are YOUR representatives.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Well I don't believe in kicking someone in the face while they're getting screwed.<< Yeah, but obviously the rest of us do. Cause that's what I said.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt As usual I agree with ecdc on this one. I certainly don't want those business owners to suffer, but at the same time I don't want one penny of my income going into BP's hands. Absolutely not.
Originally Posted By ecdc I'm certainly not insensitive to the needs of people and their jobs. I have a family and if I lost my job because of something stupid my company did, I'd be in a world of hurt. But we need to stop acting like jobs are this sacred thing that we must protect at all costs. Jobs come and go, as they should. Progress eliminates some jobs and creates others. A reliance on jobs from these giant corporations is a big part of our problem in the first place. When there's only a few companies to work for, it makes it much more difficult. And when they go under, thousands of people are unemployed. And they cut wages. And they cut benefits. On and on it goes. I truly do feel bad for families that are impacted. But it's not going to stop me from hoping that jobs based in oil disappear entirely. Oil just sucks. It's sickening how addicted we are to it, like a bunch of pathetic junkies who would step on their own mother to get a drop. Our soldiers die for it and now our animals and oceans do to. Given that reality, I don't think someone's job is worth it.
Originally Posted By gadzuux The current bash from republicans to Obama is about the six month moratorium on drilling new offshore wells in the gulf, and how many jobs it will cost. Are we to continue despoiling our own environment just to create busywork for well drillers? Republicans say yes, to no one's surprise.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "And yes - Michelle Bachmann is being even crazier than usual these days. Saying that BP are "chumps" for paying into the escrow accoount that "Obama will use as his personal ATM", Bachmann comes down squarely on the side of BP, and against the US." This afternoon on the drive home I was hoping to tune in some baseball, looking for a Dodger broadcast and instead got the monumentally insane and batsh!t Mark Levin, who mirrors what Bachman said. He also yelled through his nose that any GOP member who didn't take our out of control president to task for using this disaster to feed his ego should be ashamed of themselves. Levin is even more of a lunatic than Hannity and Limbaugh put together.
Originally Posted By DAR I will say this whenever someone has to appear before congress, whether it's steroids in baseball or an executive from company A, it really is nothing but a big dog and pony show.
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Originally Posted By gadzuux >> it really is nothing but a big dog and pony show. << It's helpful for us to see where people stand in congress, like this yutz in TX.
Originally Posted By DAR Fine but what's accomplished other than a politician "showing concern and outrage"
Originally Posted By Labuda Ok, let me try posting this again... Hayward is wondering where his money will come from now. Since 2007, this person (who I will no longer refer to as a synonymn for donkey since ADMIN had a knee-jerk reaction above) has received over $300,000 in donations from oil & gas companies. Over a quarter of a million. Must be nice to be in the pockets of big oil. Too bad he doens't have a conscience.
