From the VOMITORIUM
By now hopefully you have heard about the world’s largest oil spill and all the drama that has gone with it trying to put a ‘cork in the hole’….all the political back and forth….all the political theater….all the accusations….and all the lunacies…..but with all that said there is another part of the story that few seem willing to cover, other than a 30 second sound bite and the rumblings from the radio loudmouths that have NO idea what is happening other than their convoluted sense of reality……and what would that be, Professor?…….the politics of an oil spill…..
There has been a wealth of hearing on the Hill about the spill and the response and who is to blame…..Newser.com has reported on yesterday’s House hearing with the CEO of BP….
While other congressmen were heaping abuse on BP CEO Tony Hayward in this morning’s hearings, one Republican abruptly shifted gears in his opening remarks and apologized to the man in the hot seat. Rep. Joe Barton told Hayward he was “ashamed” of the pressure the White House put on BP to create the $20 billion escrow fund to cover losses to victims of the spill. “I think it’s a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would call a shakedown,” the Texan said. “In this case a $20 billion shakedown.” Barton said the administration has no authority to ask for this “$20 billion slush fund” and that litigation provides adequate due process for awarding damages. “I apologize,” he said to Hayward. “I do not want to live in a country where every time a corporation does something wrong, it’s subject to a political process that amounts to a shakedown.” Later, Dem Rep. Ed Markey begged to differ, noting that litigation by victims of the Exxon Valdez spill took years to be settled, and criminal charges in the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India more than a quarter century.
Smoking’ Joe Barton of Texas? Would like very much to see which of the oil companies pays his salary in Washington….of course, the GOP jumped his butt and forced him to apologize to the American people….which he did but he was NOT sincere….
Oh, there is always more when dealing with something as hot and volatile as the oil spill….there is a fight going on in the Senate about the liability of an oil company when they cause an environmental and economic disaster……
From Meredith Shiner of Politico:
Democrats attempted Thursday to create unlimited liability for oil companies, and for the fourth time since the Gulf crisis began, Republicans objected.
But Republicans worry that by setting unlimited liability for companies wishing to drill for oil, smaller domestic companies effectively would be shut out of the market. Inhofe, echoing the sentiments of colleague Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who has rejected Menendez’s requests in the past, said that by passing this bill, Congress would be favoring the Big Oil entities Democrats have been maligning.
Mississippi’s Governor Haley Barbour said Wednesday he has concerns over the $20 billion BP is required to put into an escrow to compensate victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Mr. Barbour says he has concerns because BP may need the assets in order to fund drilling and oil operations.
“If they take a huge amount of money and put it in an escrow account so they can’t use it to drill oil wells and produce revenue, are they going to be able to pay us?” the governor told The Associated Press.
“We need them to generate revenue to be able to pay us,” said Mr. Barbour, a Republican. “I worry that this escrow account reduces the chance of that rather than increasing the chances of that.”
Yeah, right! Funnily enough I sort of agree with Joe Barton – on one level at least. I don’t think it’s the job of government to do this at all – I think it’s the job of governments (ALL of them over the last thirty years or so) to do what they have patently utterly FAILED to do! That is to produce simple, understandable and unequivocal legislation and a totally incorruptible legal system which is both fast and efficient so that litigation IS an adequate route and that legal mumbo-jumbo and loophole wriggling DOES NOT WORK!
If we had that, then the oil companies (like many other corporations) would want to do everything they can as quickly as possible (BEFORE litigation even starts) to fix mistakes and accidents since that would be the best, in fact the ONLY, way for them to minimise the cost of liability!
As to the others: The attitude of Inhofe and Vitter is totally stupid for the reasons you have said – and Haley Barbour has clearly lost any small amount of reason he might have possesed as a child – he’s worried they won’t be able to pay because they’ve already paid?? Err… um… run that by me again…?
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Politically speaking Barton just shot the GOP in the foot (post to follow).
Well that is what governance is all about….management (yet another post to follow)
These guys in the South are typical of politicians, especially the conservs, they do NOT have any feel for what the masses are going through..
I’m not at all sure that “the masses” agree with each other at all about what is required or even that they want. However, I know what you mean and (naturally) you’re right.
I really think that Barton is saying what a majority of republicans agree with. They are keeping quiet because the escrow fund has popular support. I think it was a good idea based on what ended up happening with Exxon… years of litigation and a slow but gradual whittling away at what was owed. The fact that BP is trying to get a certain judge who received thousands in “contributions” from oil companies creates a sense of deja vu. It just makes sense to try to get as much money up front to minimize the impact on the taxpayer.
How many of those “mom and pop” drilling companies are actually as much of “independent contractors” as I was when I delivered newspapers as a teenager.
Yes, Terrant, I think you’re right. It’s just (as I said to Lobotero) such a shame that the litigation which normal people see as simple (if guilty – pay – if not then whoever is pays) has been twisted and bastardised by crooked lawyers and stupid bureaucrats and politicians with their snouts in the trough over a long period of time.
I would love to see things just work that simply. Unfortunately, we have judges that rule that if there is no law addressing the specific issue, they will not find guilt. The few that do exercise common sense get overruled in higher courts. Part of the reason for so much stupid legislation. 🙁
Ah, yes, Terrant. So true. We’re sadly back to the unfortunate demise of that most worthy and steadfast of old friends – Common Sense. Such a shame he finally died alone and unattended – some say of despair and the loneliness of a broken heart – and only a few short decades ago too.
Terrant….this is why I am against a judge being elected…..donors will control their actions…
I understand the point and agree in principle, but elected, appointed, or whatever, the judge will only ever be as good and honest as the person or persons doing the appointing.
Unless you can start with a group of fair-minded and incorruptible people to set everything up in the first place it will always go downhill from there. Were your Founding Fathers completely honest and fair-minded? COULD they possibly have been considering they all represented the interests of wealth and the elite?
Then again, what are the alternatives? It’s ALWAYS some elite or other that controls these things and it really makes no difference which bunch of thugs is in charge.
Ah Geez! Now that gives me an idea on a post about representation……see this is why I watch the World Cup…trying to keep the brain worms asleep….LOL
How well does that work for SCOTUS? 😀