White House: Whole country benefits when Prez golfs

[DC Tom]

Right, BP destroyed the gulf so US taxpayers should pay for it. makes sense, because I'm sure you'd calmly deal with Obama saying tax dollars will be used to scrub pelicans.

 

How dare a corporation be held responsible for its actions? It's socialism I tell you! Rush is right!

 

What's wrong with the government using public funds to address the immediate issues, but keeping BP on the hook for reimbursement down the road?

 

Really...refusing to do anything meaningful because "it's somebody else's responsibility, and we need to teach them a lesson" is ridiculously counter-productive.

[keepthefaith]

I heard Obama has AIDS.

 

I don't know about that, but if he were kidnapped by aliens we'd all benefit.

[keepthefaith]

Bingo. Although the word I'd use is "hypocrisy."

 

 

...and the irony that a oil company disaster could bring down Obama.

[John Adams]

Oh Christ...

 

Criticizing Obama for golfing during the oil spill is as stupid as criticizing the CEO of BP for sailing: neither guy can actually do anything directly to address the issue, their role is to talk and throw money at it. That either of them spends four hours on a recreational pursuit has exactly NO real, practical impact on the situation.

 

I liked the congresscritters pounding him during his testimony when he said he didn't know (before the spill) what was going on on the rig. The guy said something like "We have hundreds of rigs" and he got lambasted more.

 

He's no PR genius--as "We care about the little people" shows--but he's also getting nicely railroaded in more than a "buck stops here" kind of way.

[John Adams]

Yeah, give the guy a break. Shaking down an international oil company and touting a .3% drop in unemployment is exhausting work. Even God needed the seventh day off.

 

I am all against this admin's business populism crap but the BP 20B in escrow thing is pretty solid work. It sets aside a huge fund to insure people get paid somewhat quickly. It sets aside that money in case BP folds (possible). And all it's doing is setting it aside...not taking it away.

 

The way I look at it, this spill is something like a wrongful death civil suit. Nothing criminal happened like a murder since BP didn't have intent...but there's some sort of negligence here and we still have a dead body. BP gets to answer for that by paying out the nose.

[DC Tom]

I am all against this admin's business populism crap but the BP 20B in escrow thing is pretty solid work. It sets aside a huge fund to insure people get paid somewhat quickly. It sets aside that money in case BP folds (possible). And all it's doing is setting it aside...not taking it away.

 

Except that BP's running low on cash to fund the operations to actually stop the leak.

 

But yeah, other than that...and the constitutional issues surrounding the White House strong-arming public corporations...and the foreign policy issues surrounding !@#$ing over the British pension fund...yeah, bang-up job.

[IDBillzFan]

Except that BP's running low on cash to fund the operations to actually stop the leak.

 

But yeah, other than that...and the constitutional issues surrounding the White House strong-arming public corporations...and the foreign policy issues surrounding !@#$ing over the British pension fund...yeah, bang-up job.

It was reported today that BP is now taking out loans and selling rigs to come up with another $50B in cash to pay out everything the US approves.

 

They should be bankrupt in no time. THAT'LL show those greedy oil bastards.

[/dev/null]

I heard Obama has AIDS.

 

Somebody told me he goes down to the Home Depot and pays the migrant works to come to his home and choke him while he touches himself in the shower.

[Keukasmallies]

If/when BP goes breasts up, I'm sure that the $20,000,000,000 in escrow will be totally available to settle any and all claims, aren't you?

[John Adams]

Except that BP's running low on cash to fund the operations to actually stop the leak.

 

The idea of the escrow account, I actually like.

[Magox]

Oh Christ...

 

Criticizing Obama for golfing during the oil spill is as stupid as criticizing the CEO of BP for sailing: neither guy can actually do anything directly to address the issue, their role is to talk and throw money at it. That either of them spends four hours on a recreational pursuit has exactly NO real, practical impact on the situation.

I hear you and I agree with the substance of what you are saying, but optics do matter.

[Alaska Darin]

It was reported today that BP is now taking out loans and selling rigs to come up with another $50B in cash to pay out everything the US approves.

 

They should be bankrupt in no time. THAT'LL show those greedy oil bastards.

Hopefully, that's exactly what happens. BP and the rest of the companies who rape the environment for profit deserve what they get. Wait until what's going on in America's natural gas industry starts getting more exposure. It's going to make this look trivial.

 

Of course, we'll continue to chase garbage like "Climate Change" instead of holding our elected representatives accountable for why NG producers aren't subject to the Clean Water Act.

[DC Tom]

Yes, the idea of an escrow account I actually like, and going forward wouldn't mind seeing one set up industry-wide to handle disaster response and claims.

 

But having it arbitrarily forced on BP in the middle of a response, with a dollar amount that is clearly detracting from the response, is counter-productive bull ****. First fix the problem, THEN address the downstream results.

[Alaska Darin]

Yes, the idea of an escrow account I actually like, and going forward wouldn't mind seeing one set up industry-wide to handle disaster response and claims.

 

But having it arbitrarily forced on BP in the middle of a response, with a dollar amount that is clearly detracting from the response, is counter-productive bull ****. First fix the problem, THEN address the downstream results.

Tough to argue with that, though at some point BP may have gone under anyway...

[IDBillzFan]

Hopefully, that's exactly what happens. BP and the rest of the companies who rape the environment for profit deserve what they get. Wait until what's going on in America's natural gas industry starts getting more exposure. It's going to make this look trivial.

 

Of course, we'll continue to chase garbage like "Climate Change" instead of holding our elected representatives accountable for why NG producers aren't subject to the Clean Water Act.

BP going bankrupt may be what they deserve, but I'm not so sure it's what we deserve. If BP can't pay the claims, then we'll naturally tax the living crap out of things to make up the difference. We both know how those taxes find their way to Joe Wallet. I'm afraid my family is currently tapped out for the next three generations, so the idea of BP going bankrupt sooner rather than later is not something I look forward to.

 

I've waited longer periods for worse things to happen to lesser entities. Let's get the relief well in place (assuming that works), the claims filled, the waters cleaned...and then they can go belly up.

[John Adams]

BP going bankrupt may be what they deserve, but I'm not so sure it's what we deserve. If BP can't pay the claims, then we'll naturally tax the living crap out of things to make up the difference. We both know how those taxes find their way to Joe Wallet. I'm afraid my family is currently tapped out for the next three generations, so the idea of BP going bankrupt sooner rather than later is not something I look forward to.

 

I've waited longer periods for worse things to happen to lesser entities. Let's get the relief well in place (assuming that works), the claims filled, the waters cleaned...and then they can go belly up.

 

To put the cleanup in perspective, 20B is a pittance compared to the 1 trillion we've spent in Iraq/Afghanistan, although we've gotten a ton of bang for the buck in that 1 trillion.

 

(God it's hard not to be cynical. It really is.)

 

We can B word if the taxpayers have to cough up 20B if BP goes under but it's low on my list of government-funded wastes of money. Unlike the Iraq/Afghan escapades, at least cleaning up the Gulf is worth it.

 

(Unless you're murra, then who cares about the Gulf. )

[IDBillzFan]

We can B word if the taxpayers have to cough up 20B if BP goes under but it's low on my list of government-funded wastes of money. Unlike the Iraq/Afghan escapades, at least cleaning up the Gulf is worth it.

Completely agree. Here's my problem; no one is doing anything to reduce current spending, so while it may be low on the Wasteful government funding list, it's quite high on my Things we can avoid having to pay for in the first place List. Not to mention, if the government has to come up with $20B to clean up the gulf, we both know that after the gulf is clean, that $20B will somehow become a recurring expense for some other "Well, we have it coming in so let's spend it" item.

 

We're also getting, as country, into this problem of believing that since billions are so much less than trillions, it's not worth being concerned about until the B is replaced by a T. Then we're talking serious money.

[John Adams]

Completely agree. Here's my problem; no one is doing anything to reduce current spending, so while it may be low on the Wasteful government funding list, it's quite high on my Things we can avoid having to pay for in the first place List. Not to mention, if the government has to come up with $20B to clean up the gulf, we both know that after the gulf is clean, that $20B will somehow become a recurring expense for some other "Well, we have it coming in so let's spend it" item.

 

We're also getting, as country, into this problem of believing that since billions are so much less than trillions, it's not worth being concerned about until the B is replaced by a T. Then we're talking serious money.

 

Again shocking news from Europe. Reducing spending and even raise taxes...all in the name of debt reduction.

 

Britain's budget chief took the wraps off his "unavoidable budget" Tuesday -- an austere spending plan that raises taxes and cuts spending as it attempts to help the government slash its $1.3 trillion debt. Chancellor George Osborne said it "deals decisively with our country's records debts."

 

"It pays for the past and it plans for the future," he said, adding. "Yes, it is tough, but it is also fair."

 

The package of cuts was always expected to be deep as the new coalition government deals with Britain's debt of $1.3 trillion. The country's budget deficit is expected to be more than 11 percent of gross domestic product this year, second only to Ireland in Europe.

 

"This is the unavoidable budget," Osborne said.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/06/22/uk.budget/?hpt=T2

[1billsfan]

Oh Christ...

 

Criticizing Obama for golfing during the oil spill is as stupid as criticizing the CEO of BP for sailing: neither guy can actually do anything directly to address the issue, their role is to talk and throw money at it. That either of them spends four hours on a recreational pursuit has exactly NO real, practical impact on the situation.

 

He's golfed 7 freaking times since the oil rig exploded. Been partying like it's 1999. So his chief of staff then has the balls to go on TV and criticize the head of BP for taking a rest?????? Obama is an absentee president, just like he was an absentee Illinois congressman, and just like he was an absentee US Senator. America was warned that the guy was just not into doing ACTUAL WORK. How about Obama sit his lazy butt down at a desk and create a task force of oil experts instead of just relying on BP to get the job done? How about not resting until the leak has been plugged like he promised America in his speech?...

 

http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2010/05...him-in-the-ass/

 

 

Just like Carter, America will not rest until he's out of office.

[Magox]

http://scottystarnes.wordpress.com/2010/05...him-in-the-ass/

Scotty Starnes, I go waaay way back with that dude.

 

Smart guy, but hes about as partisan as you get.