REP. Joe Barton of Texas is a slimeball

[justnzane]

on Barton's facebook status he posts:

PERSONAL UPDATE: today is hearing with BP ceo.....BP is definitely responsible for the accidental oil spill in the Gulf,and should be liable for costs of clean up ....BP should also, however, be given due process ....The President's $20 billion fund,negotiated in the White House with the attorney general in the room, is unprecedented and smacks of a shakedown .

 

http://www.facebook.com/RepJoeBarton?v=wal...130316913655840

 

 

The freaking idiot cannot get politics out of his head in such a tragedy that he going to attack Obama for making BP pay. But then again he has received over $1.4 million in campaign financing for the oil industry throughout his career http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/ind...m=N&recs=20 . We really need to get rid of these pigs in congress and elect people with integrity

[Nanker]

So you're calling on President BO to return the money to BP that they contributed to his election?

[Booster4324]

So you're calling on President BO to return the money to BP that they contributed to his election?

 

I imagine BP is at least.

[Dave_In_Norfolk]

Good job Joe,keep up the good work.

[DC Tom]

on Barton's facebook status he posts:

 

http://www.facebook.com/RepJoeBarton?v=wal...130316913655840

 

 

The freaking idiot cannot get politics out of his head in such a tragedy that he going to attack Obama for making BP pay. But then again he has received over $1.4 million in campaign financing for the oil industry throughout his career http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/ind...m=N&recs=20 . We really need to get rid of these pigs in congress and elect people with integrity

 

He's also right. It was a shakedown.

 

But hey...Constitution, schmonstitution. Who needs Article 3. Or the Preamble to the Bill of Rights. Or Amendments 4 through 10.

[PromoTheRobot]

He's also right. It was a shakedown.

 

But hey...Constitution, schmonstitution. Who needs Article 3. Or the Preamble to the Bill of Rights. Or Amendments 4 through 10.

Is it a shakedown when BP effed up like they did? You think BP would pony up if no one made them do it?

 

PTR

[jjamie12]

Is it a shakedown when BP effed up like they did? You think BP would pony up if no one made them do it?

 

PTR

I don't understand your... I just don't *get* what it is that you've been watching. BP has spent over $1 Billion already. They've ALREADY said that they will pay for any legitimate claims... What about their actions makes YOU think they WON'T pay?

 

I don't understand what some of you people want.

[PromoTheRobot]

I don't understand your... I just don't *get* what it is that you've been watching. BP has spent over $1 Billion already. They've ALREADY said that they will pay for any legitimate claims... What about their actions makes YOU think they WON'T pay?

 

I don't understand what some of you people want.

You ever hear the expression "you break it, you bought it?" Well BP broke most of the US gulf coast. I don't think $1B comes close to covering it. But thank you for your genuine concern for the oil industry. It's touching.

 

PTR

[jjamie12]

You ever hear the expression "you break it, you bought it?" Well BP broke most of the US gulf coast. I don't think $1B comes close to covering it. But thank you for your genuine concern for the oil industry. It's touching.

 

PTR

What about BP's actions to date makes YOU believe that they WON'T pay?

[WisconsinBillzFan]

He's also right. It was a shakedown.

 

But hey...Constitution, schmonstitution. Who needs Article 3. Or the Preamble to the Bill of Rights. Or Amendments 4 through 10.

 

You've finally been right about something. This is a huge government overreach and is unconstitutional.

[PromoTheRobot]

What about BP's actions to date makes YOU believe that they WON'T pay?

Since you are so sure BP will pay then why are you upset that we made them put up $20B? Sounds like the'd gladly fork over the money anyway.

 

PTR

[WisconsinBillzFan]

Since you are so sure BP will pay then why are you upset that we made them put up $20B?

 

1)Because the Federal Government shouldn't be in the extortion business.

 

2)This reeks of redistribution of wealth and sets a scary precedent

 

3)And frankly are fisherman really constitutionally entitled to be guaranteed a job/career as a fisherman for the rest of their lives? This sets another scary precedent. Life happens, some deal with it and others blame others and look for handouts.

[Bishop Hedd]

If there's one thing good that could maybe come out of this disaster it's the exposure of people like Ayn Rand Paul, arsehole Barton and the rest of the corporatists, libber-tear-uhns and teabaggers as the fringe loons they are.

 

 

[IDBillzFan]

I don't understand what some of you people want.

Based on what I've been reading in many of the liberal sites like HuffPo and DailyKos, they want BP dead...bankrupt...out of business...never to exist again.

 

But then again no one ever claimed liberals were bright enough to comprehend the ramifications of that result. When BP is gone, they will cheer and shout and sing in glorious union right up to the moment they start saying that the rich should finish picking up the tab for his disaster.

 

Tom nailed it, which is why I commented earlier that while I appreciate with Barton was saying, he picked a bad place to say it.

[Dave_In_Norfolk]

What about BP's actions to date makes YOU believe that they WON'T pay?

They are going to pay, no doubt about that. We all agree about that. So why are you so angry they are actually paying, is my question.

 

***Everyone agrees they should pay,they are paying,and Conservatives are freeking out that they are paying**

 

 

What part of that picture does not make sense?

[Dan]

Based on what I've been reading in many of the liberal sites like HuffPo and DailyKos, they want BP dead...bankrupt...out of business...never to exist again.

 

But then again no one ever claimed liberals were bright enough to comprehend the ramifications of that result. When BP is gone, they will cheer and shout and sing in glorious union right up to the moment they start saying that the rich should finish picking up the tab for his disaster.

 

Tom nailed it, which is why I commented earlier that while I appreciate with Barton was saying, he picked a bad place to say it.

But there's the dichotomy. We don't want the rich or the government paying for this disaster. BP is the responsibile party. So, why is it so bad that had a meeting and decided to set aside money to fix this? Should we just trust that BP will fairly compensate everyone? Does the government have any responsibility to ensure that BP pays up? If so, how do they get them to do that? Should we have just let it all get fought out in courts for years with no end in sight?

 

Quite honestly, I give BP credit for doing this, just as much as I give Obama credit for making sure they did this. It's a rare occurence when the government and a corporation actually seem to have done the right thing together. I just don't see how the Constitution was circumvented. BP has admitted guilt and apparently after some lengthy discussion decided it was in their best interest to do this. I've seen no evidence they they were threatened with jail time or anything if they didn't.

 

(Let's be realistic, Tom was exagerating to prove his point. Amendements 4-10? Search and Seizure? Cruel and Unusual Punishment? Construction of a Constitution? The Preamble? Come on.)

[DC Tom]

Is it a shakedown when BP effed up like they did? You think BP would pony up if no one made them do it?

 

PTR

 

I thought I was clear: strong-arming someone into paying something based on the presumption they wouldn't pay later is not right. It's a shakedown, period. There's no legal or judicial basis for it.

 

It has nothing to do with whether or not I think they'd pay. It's about what I think the government's roles and responsibilities are - namely, that they absolutely do not include the unfettered right to levy arbitrary judgements solely by executive fiat.

[GG]

But there's the dichotomy. We don't want the rich or the government paying for this disaster. BP is the responsibile party. So, why is it so bad that had a meeting and decided to set aside money to fix this? Should we just trust that BP will fairly compensate everyone? Does the government have any responsibility to ensure that BP pays up? If so, how do they get them to do that? Should we have just let it all get fought out in courts for years with no end in sight?

 

Which are all good points, so why pick $20bn? Why not $100bn? Why not $3bn?

 

The government has a responsibility to enforce the laws that it has on the books. The Executive Branch does not make laws on the fly, no matter how unpalatable the issue (at least it doesn't, oops, shouldn't happen in America) So it's not a stretch to invoke broad citings of the Constitution to see what rights my have been infringed.

[DC Tom]

You've finally been right about something. This is a huge government overreach and is unconstitutional.

 

Your approval means less than nothing to me, you racist bastard. You make me physically ill. Die.

[Dan]

Which are all good points, so why pick $20bn? Why not $100bn? Why not $3bn?

 

The government has a responsibility to enforce the laws that it has on the books. The Executive Branch does not make laws on the fly, no matter how unpalatable the issue (at least it doesn't, oops, shouldn't happen in America) So it's not a stretch to invoke broad citings of the Constitution to see what rights my have been infringed.

Agreed. And good points. But, I don't know that they made up a new law to set this fund up. BP decided to do it out of their desire to take responsibility, at the proding and suggestion of the White House.

 

I don't think the $20 billion is the end all be all. It's probably some number they all pulled out of their collective asses. But, in some article I read on it somewhere, it was suggested that this is most likely just the beginning and the finally tally will ultimately depend upon the number of claims and lawsuits that will come. I just haven't seen anything that indicates any specific law or process was circumvented.

 

It's unprecedented, that's for sure. But, that's my point in all this... for once a politician didn't just talk and blow smoke for the cameras; something was actually done. If there were actual laws broken, then I'll reasses but until then I say this is the only positive development in this whole damn mess.