Get this woman a conscience (and a bendy straw), willya??
Some sad thoughts and a few questions to start off the week:
President Obama visited Louisiana yesterday afternoon to observe the response effort to the BP oil spill, which he called a “potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.” “Your government will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to stop this crisis,” he pledged. But Obama said taxpayers would not be on the hook for the cleanup, saying “BP is responsible for this leak — BP will be paying the bill.”
On the one hand, I suppose we should be happy that BP will be footing the bill for cleaning up their clusterf—k in the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s the thing, though…they WON’T be paying the bill. Not really, because we all know what businesses do with increased costs- they pass it along to their customers. So, while BP can say all the right things about stepping up, taking responsibility, and paying for the cleanup, we all know who will REALLY be paying for the cleanup- you and I, every time we fill our gas tanks. To think anything else is simply naive. Yes, BP has a moral responsibility to fix what they’ve broken (if that’s even possible in this case), but to act as if they’re going to be the ones paying for the cleanup is just so much propaganda…and just plain wrong.
BP talking heads and their army of PR flacks will no doubt say the right things and offer an endless parade of soothing sound bites…but the proof is in the pudding…and so far, there’s been precious little pudding offered.
I lived on the Gulf Coast for 10+ years, long enough to know what a beautiful place it is. I’m angry that corporate malfeasance of the worst source has imperiled much of the region’s ecology and economy. Drill, baby, drill….
Oil giant BP said today that it will pay “all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs” related to the recent oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. “BP takes responsibility for responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We will clean it up,” said a company statement.
Beyond the question of paying for the cleanup, what about the collateral damage BP’s spill has and will continue to do to the Gulf region? What about the fishing industry? And the tourism industry? And all the other ancillary industries that will be hurt (and quite possibly destroyed)- directly and indirectly- by this disaster? Will BP reimburse the fishermen who have lost their livelihood because fishing has been shut down from Florida and Louisiana? Will BP pay the mortgages of those fishermen whose livelihoods are washing up on the beaches like so many dead sea turtles? Sure, BP says it will pay for the oil spill…but cleaning up the mess doesn’t mean that their responsibility should end when the last tar ball is skimmed out of the Gulf of Mexico. Will BP man up and recognize that their responsibility should and does extend far beyond the visible damage? Not to be cynical, but does anyone REALLY think that BP will step up and do think right thing by the people who live along the Gulf Coast?
Yeah, right….
Speaking to a mostly Republican audience near Kansas City on Saturday, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin called the Gulf Coast oil spill “very tragic,” but said the U.S. should continue drilling offshore. “I want our country to be able to trust the oil industry,” she said, adding, “We’ve got to tap domestically because energy security will be the key to our prosperity.”
To quote Keith Olbermann, “This woman’s an idiot.” It’s one thing to call the spill “very tragic” when you know that you won’t be directly suffering the consequences. Caribou Barbie won’t be losing her livelihood, her way of life, possibly her home…and everything else. She won’t be wondering who’s going to make her whole, who will put her back to where she was. She won’t have to wonder how she’s going to feed her family, pay her bills, and keep the life that’s she’s worked hard to build over the years. No, she’ll be flying first class to speak to the next group of drooling maniacs supplying her with bendy straws and $100,000 paydays. Nice work if you can get it, eh?
Energy security is an important consideration; that’s not in dispute. Nonetheless, Caribou Barbie is making millions off her lies and idiocy. She’s lining her pockets by portraying herself as a populist and an advocate for “just plain folks”. Meanwhile, she cares about everyday Americans only insofar as they can inflate her bank account. Her concern for the people living along the Gulf Coast is a mile wide and an inch deep…and her attention span is about the length of her next paycheck.
Prosperity shouldn’t be balanced on the backs of those who stand to be decimated by a multinational’s irresponsibility. The “Drill, Baby, Drill” crowd cares nothing for those who stand to be destroyed by the growing oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. Chanting their favorite (and horribly misguided) mantra will do nothing to lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil. At best, the impact of increased domestic drilling is years away and incremental under even the most optimistic scenarios. But, “Drill, Baby, Drill” sure sounds good, doesn’t it? Then again, propaganda is designed to unite the low-information (“stupid and easily swayed”) masses behind a desired policy goal…and what’s good for oil companies is good for America, no?
