Posted on 06/10/2010 6:22:32 AM PDT by txlurker
As each day goes by, the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico becomes more gruesome. Oil-drenched birds and turtles wash up along the shoreline, pristine beaches are polluted by balls of tar and an oily slick laps at Louisiana's ecologically fragile marshland. Understandably, Americans are livid. But has the bloodlust directed at BP gone too far?
Egged on by catch-all protest coalitions, a "seize BP" campaign is organising demonstrations in major cities calling on the US government to snatch the British company's US assets. A "boycott BP" action group advocates shunning BP service stations. Placards abound with slogans such as "God bless America – go to hell BP" and "BP – billionaire polluters". The wife and children of BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, are under police protection following threats.
Urged by political strategists to act more angrily, Barack Obama shed his uncharacteristic cool this week and declared that if it was up to him, BP's boss would be fired. The White House now wants BP to pay not only for cleaning up the Gulf, but also for the cost of jobs lost on 33 other oil rigs because of a government-imposed six-month moratorium on offshore drilling. And the US department of justice is threatening legal action to halt BP's dividend payouts to investors.
Anthony Weiner, a usually sensible Democratic congressman, declared: "Whenever you hear someone with a British accent talking about this on behalf of British Petroleum, they are not telling you the truth."
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
I can't even imagine what this meeting today with the family members of the workers who were killed will be like. If I were them, I would have told him to take a flying leap. It is day 53? and he is just now meeting with them?
Removal costs incurred by the Coast Guard and EPA State access for removal activities;
Payments to federal, state, and Indian tribe trustees to conduct natural resource damage assessments and restorations;
Payment of claims for uncompensated removal costs and damages;
Research and development;
and Other specific appropriations.
How far away do you live from the Gulf? Most people on the Gulf have zero problem with BP getting reamed out to pay your fellow Americans who are being harmed and made jobless by this non-stop (47 days and counting) oil spill
Gee, do you live like say 1000 miles away? I thought so! Just sit back and relax with your mint julep or what have you. Life is good!!! Just so long as you don’t live in certain coastal states
You are correct except that I would add that more than likely you and I paid those extra taxes everytime we filled up.
Why are your reciting this boring stuff. In a 20 billion dollar cleanup any US Federal oil spill fund will be dwarfed and is only 1 billion or so. So BP has to be dug into directly and the billions extracted from them directly to pay Americans put out of jobs by the black oil they are painting the Gulf with
Poor, poor, BP. I really feel for them. sarc/
Bet you support companies that support liberal candidate too don’t you, after all, it’s not the employees fault either. Following your logic, you can’t choose NOT to give your business to any company.
I’ll decide where I spend my money. If you think BP IS GREAT, keep right on supporting them... As long as no one pays a price, nothing ever changes....
Wow, when the Left loses The Guardian, you know something’s up!
They will! Plus who knows how many others and lets don't even talk about the blood sucking attorneys.
a) your ability to pay is being slashed - now and for the future
b) the number of “victims” is unknown and open to interpretation of judges yet to take the case
c) Some (many) Gulf Coast “fishermen” and other entrepreneurs and self-employed people are not willing to file honest claims and provide BP with tax records to show what their income was before the spill so BP can replace it- because they were taking cash under the table and not paying taxes.
d) the crisis and damage is expected to last for decades,
e) the assignment of co-responsibilty for damages by lax and incompetent govt oversight agencies and other companies has not begun to be addressed. Remember- obama said PUBLICLY the USG was “telling BP what to do” from Day 1. What if it is shown the USG told them to do the wrong thing? And delayed them from doing the right thing? Who pays for that?
f) the exact cause of the “accident” has not yet even been determined
LEGALLY there are predetermined caps in the law on BP’s liability. BP has not before addressed that. But now that it is being hit with demands to compensate people in every Gulf and drill related company unemployed because of OBAMA’s policies they are.
BTW, “capitalism” is such a tool term to use to blame someone or something.
Let's give you an assignment. Let's figure you caused an auto accident. Shit happens.
The judge decides your insurance limits are too low. He assesses unlimited damages against you.
He takes away your car and driver's license but demands you transport everyone affected by the accident to work and to all daily activities.
He demands you be responsible for damages claimed by the other family members, neighbors, friends and employers of the people you injured or killed, and everyone in their daily activities and supply chain. They will tell you what to pay them. No tax records or employment records or verification of past income is required. You are responsible indefinitely, as long as they claim they are unable to return to normal.
He shuts down and demands you rebuild the highway that was damaged by the accident (even if you suspect a pothole in the poorly maintained highway caused your accident). He also demands that ALL highways be shut down for 6 months to inspect for damages.
He demands you compensate every driver who uses those highways or who cannot use those highways until you pay to have them all fixed or rebuilt better than before. And compensate the families friends and employers and their supply chains for damages they claim for not being able to use highways.
Done paying off all the people you injured yet?
BTW, your employer (just like BP’s investors, who are the real employers here) dropped you because you don't have time to do your job anymore and they can't afford to share your unlimited indefinite liability to unlimited indefinite claimants.
*SIGH* No one is saying those along the Gulf don’t have a right to be pissed. But you keep blaming big oil instead of looking at the aftermath and the mega fail of the Obama admin. DU would love to have you.
Is the SEIU writing your speeches for ya boy?
Oh you can bet BP will be raped and end up paying money that has nothing to do with this accident.
Who feels sorry for them? It is more a question of being rational vs being hysterical.
“The comments at the end of the article are interesting.”
Yup. The lefties over there usually rant and rave against oil companies, but since this disaster is hitting the US, they will bend over backwards to defend BP. As long as the US is hurt, they could`nt care less about the damage to the environment and wildlife.
DAMAGE CLAIM (800) 440-0858
That's socialism, in case you did not know. I don't like socialism myself and have made it my business to fight against it. In other words, you push this, I'll fight you.
You have no idea how big this disaster is.
I'm sure it is a huge disaster. But there are other avenues to deal with this. We don't need government seizing the assets of private business.
I don't care about the details you mention. I want everyone harmed by BP to get restitution from BP.
Like I said, there are other avenues for that. We don't need more socialism.
Define 'harmed'. Because you know that will be defined by Obama. And by the time he's done, it will be a redistribution of wealth among those who have nothing to do with the accident. But, as long as you get what you want, damn be the principles!
So you want to harm other people because you got harmed? How selfish.
And this whole notion of boycotting BP only hurts local business owners, not BP itself. BP will find other buyers for their product.
But hey! Others MUST suffer too! /s
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