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 ...
You really think being in an auto accident is comparable to disregarding all proper drilling procedures and ordering your drill crew to advance a known risky, high volume well?
BP, Transocean, and Haliburton are solely responsible for their actions and should be held accounable to the fullest extent possible. Their responsibility is to plug this well ASAP, assist in damage control, and provide compensation.
The government’s responsibility is to assist in damage control, assess and quanitify damage to coastal communities and environments, prepare to manage the long term consequences, and identify and ensure that all those entitled to compensation recieve it.
Both parties should be judged by their efforts and held accountable. Frankly, I’m not impressed with eithers response.
BOY???
VET, Longrange shooter, CC holder, former kickboxer. You wish you were the BOY I am...
I HATE SEIU, but I’m not stupid enough to back companies that rape our natural resources. Hell, this is a FOREIGN country and YOU STILL DON”T CARE THAT THEY ARE DESTROYING THE GULF COAST. I live on the gulf coast, I live on the water. I support off shore drilling, but I don’t support BP nor will I EVER. Keep sending your money to foreign companies that are ruinging your country. But you’ve got to be BRAINDEAD to do so...
BP stock is held in many retirement funds.
When dividends are paid, stock prices generally decline equal to the value of dividends paid, so the net result is a wash.
Therefore retirees would not be any worse off had the dividends not been paid.
“Poor, poor, BP. I really feel for them. sarc/”
In a way, ironically, you should.
If they are driven to support unlimited liability on this spill, it will kill drilling in the gulf.
If you want to eliminate all risk, there is a price to be paid.
I’d wager that Louisiana benefits much more in taxes every year from the economic activity than the money they’d get from a liquidation of BP.
Louisiana should make it clear they want BP and every other oil driller off of their coast, and that they are willing to accept the risk of another spill, even one of greater magnitude than this - to not do so is to destroy their tax base.
All these people that “don’t trust” BP were happy to accept the taxes that were derived from their activity.
Set a figure that BP can pay and move on. Otherwise, for the next 10 years, everytime someone goes into the gulf and DOESN’T catch a fish, BP will have to pay again.
No driller will put up with unlimited liability set by the government - and the net result will be worse than 10 oil spills.
Investigate, prosecute if there was criminal wrongdoing (like bribing MMS officials, or MMS officials accepting bribes) and move on with the drilling.
Whatever SEIUtard boy.
The Commie vampire’s bloodlust is unquenchable.
If the Federal government is going to assume control over offshore drilling, than it should take some of the responsibility for the consequences when its control goes awry. Demonizing BP doesn’t solve the problem in the Gulf, nor does it mitigate the consequences of the oil spill. I don’t feel like helping Obama in his search for corporate demons.
I think - for deep thinkers like Dennis, who spout off on capitalism as the root of intentional evil and mayhem -
the analogy of a rush to judgement, stigmatizing a single party in a complex accident which has not yet been investigated, assessing that one party immediately for unlimited damages, indefinitely, to an undetermined and expanding class of victims -
in total disregard of preexisting legal obligations on that party, who was after all, operating under the ostensible regulation and oversight of the chief accuser before and since day 1 of the ACCIDENT
may be an instructive analogy
You of course are welcome to agree, or not
Is that like a re-distribution fund?
In my mind, the demand that risk be eliminated is a key liberal tenant.
It's not possible in the real world, yet too many people, even many Freepers, pretend that is possible, especially as long as other people are made to pay for their risk-free world. It's childish, and it will lead directly to totalitarianism.
More like a “campaign donor fund”
Can you even imagine what obama would demand for a “restitution fund” or that his legion would accept that as the final settlement?
blah blah blah...I hate socialism too but I have brains enough to see that billions will have to be taken from BP to make restitution. I bow before no man, no government and no damn oil corporation especially a foreign one
If BP has to pay 30 billion to those harmed, enough to make them whole, I don’t care if it takes the next 10 years of their dividends. If you were a Gulf coast fisherman or owned a Gulf motel you would feel the same
Are you against those harmed being compensated by BP? You think this is a big joke?
So you want to harm other people because you got harmed? How selfish. >>>>>>>>
How far away from the Gulf did you say you lived? I didn’t catch that. It’s easy to spout vague moralisms when you aren’t in the line of fire
That doesn't matter. If you insist on taking the dividends from stockholders, you are hurting people, some of whom are retired folks who rely on that income. Why would you want to hurt others because you've been hurt? That's selfish.
Once again, there are other avenues to get BP to indemnify those harmed by the oil. No need for socialism.
Not if you support government seizing the assets of private corporations.
Can you show me something on that? Seems to be if a stock pays good dividends, the price would go up because more people would want to buy it.
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