Economy

Drilling For Money At BP Well?

The GUARDIAN returned yesterday from a visit to Florida yesterday and it was interesting to see how many folks are “standing in the welfare line” that leads directly to BP.

While we agree that BP should pay “all legitimate claims” and their leaking well has killed 11 humans (even though they may be small people), we noticed a wide assortment of motels, restaurants, fishermen, and others ready to blame the oil giant for their economic woes. Areas currently “clean” are caught between telling the world to come visit their pristine beaches and setting the stage to make claims against BP or the government for “lost revenues.”

From POET PAUL–
The situation in the gulf is getting hotter
And makes for political fodder
With the Prez and BP’s deal
They really make us feel
It’s like mixing oil with water!

Comments & Discussion

Comments are closed for this post.

  1. leave me alone
    Jun 18, 2010, 9:03 am

    when will the stories about the unseen benefits of the gulf spill begin? if there are truly a wide assortment of motels, restaurants, fishermen, and others ready to blame the oil giant for their economic woes (harm that is seen), then there is also a wide assortment of motels, restaurants, fishermen, and others somewhere in the southeast that are having a benefit from more tourism, commerce etc (unseen benefits). Are all the tourists just staying home or are they finding other outlets for their tourism dollars that would not have the benefit without the spill?

  2. Sorry. I don’t have any sympathy for BP. I hope this financially ruins them. That is probably what it will take for the next company to think twice before they roll the dice on our safety and our environment. And, by the way, how long were you in Florida? How many people did you talk to to figure out that everyone there is out to extort money from BP? And, I didn’t get your ‘small people’ comment about those who died. Seems pretty insensitive to me. I hope we never have this sort of thing happen here (the downwinders are still trying to get help). Maybe you would have more sympathy if it was your back yard and that was destroyed.

    EDITOR NOTE–I don’t know that everyone is out to extort money from BP. My conclusions were from massive, massive media blitz by tourist agencies, government, interviews in media from directors of associations, motel owners, etc. On one hand they say, “Florida is the place to visit,” on the other hand they plead poverty for “lost business.”

    The “small people” comment came from the BP executive who said he was sensitive to “small people”. That was one of the big issues a few days ago and it was indeed insensitive.

  3. Rod in SE Boise
    Jun 18, 2010, 11:20 am

    SOME parts of Florida are suffering from a lack of tourists because of the oil spill. Other parts of Florida are not. Whoever is paying out BP’s money should be smart enough to figure out the difference.

    This oil spill puts the future use of petroleum in question. Is the Gulf of Mexico permanently destroyed? Is it just too dangerous to drill for oil offshore, anywhere? How soon will we all have to go back to riding horses to get from here to there?

  4. Boise Girl, you must have a cute little “pug” nose. Because you can’t think past the end of it!
    Should BP pay for this? You betcha! Should they be responsible for ALL the after effects? You betcha! Should we bankrupt them? Not unless you have figured out a way to replace the 88% of fossil fuel we will lose in this society! At some point you must realize this country runs on oil! Do we wish that not to be the case? You betcha! But reality is that we do and we will continue to do so for the next 20-30 years minimum. For God’s sake! Systak(or however you spell that idiot’s name) wants BP to pay for the health insurance for everyone in the gulf that is out of work, whether it is due to the oil spill or not! What the president did was illegal with the 20 billion that he strong armed BP into putting it into escrow. And don’t you think for a second that ANYONE in the oil producing business, regardless of the company, doesn’t “spit” without the permission of the regulatory FEDERAL agencies that oversee them!
    Yesterday the Coast Guard stopped the oil skimmers because they didn’t have the correct fire extuingishers and life vests! But then, that’s what happens when you involve our blessed government in these things!

  5. Thanks for the sexist remarks, cyclops. You are a class act. If BP fails because of their greed and irresponsibility, there are plently of oil ‘giants’ to take their place and gouge us at the pumps. I agree that the Federal agencies have not policed these companies as they should have. Heads should roll there as well. However, bottom line I would rather trust my own government to do the right thing than a foreign oil company. If you were in the position people in the Gulf are in, I suspect you would be first in line demanding compensation (and, I wouldn’t blame you). From your comments, I can tell you are a Fox regular. You might want to try to think for yourself.

    EDITOR NOTE–You kids better play nice because you don’t want me to have to stop the car!

    Boise Girl, Cyclops was trying to be cute and tell you that your remarks are short sighted. If BP fails, there will be BILLIONS of dollars lost to AMERICAN investors (something like 39% is USA owned) which includes pension funds, insurance companies, etc. We ALL agree they need to pay, but before you simply kill them off, you gotta consider all the “collateral damage” to school teachers retirement funds, and all the USA workers employed by BP. Before you trust your government to make a rash move, it is wise to consider ALL the potential results. It was the your government in the form of the coast guard that stopped cleanup barges from working due piddly little technicalities.

  6. Killing off BP and all the damage it will do to our fragile economy will fit very well into Obama’s plans to become a dictator. First the banks, then autos, then oil. All they need now is total control of information.

    What does the editor think of the proposed laws regulating and taxing the internet.

    PS: “small people” = small business, for all those trying to make something out of nothing. The britts still don’t use their english correctly.

  7. PPS: No Kool-aid on my table… Both parties have been chipping away at our freedoms and retirement funds for a very long time. However, the current team is not even trying to hide their anti individual-rights activities. They have set a new standard which both parties will follow in the future.

  8. What I can’t figure out is why aren’t we going after the goverment workers who allowed this to happen. Those that were hired to make sure standard were inforced. It should be a 2 fold investigation BP and the group that was suppose to set regulations. I’ve read a few things that our precious Mr Bush and crew were part of selling us out. But it all needs to be looked at and heads roll. Including Mr Bush if he had anything to do with it.

  9. Rod in SE Boise
    Jun 19, 2010, 11:00 am

    20 Billion dollars is a trivial amount to BP. You all should at least read the headline in yesterdays daily paper.

  10. Robert, Obama has now been in office for 1 1/2 YEARS! How can you put this on Bush? The bottom line here is that the president’s crisis management sucks!!
    Thanks Guardian, but I can speak for myself.
    Boise Girl, I was just trying to be cute and explain that your position was shortsighted.

  11. Cyclops. Its easy, its well known his connection to the oil companys and the fact he loosen the regulations on off shore drilling.

  12. You are correct Robert. But Bush is yesterday. Obama is in charge and shouldn’t get a “pass” on this, or anything else!

  13. I don’t disagree Obama is in charge now, but who created the problems knowing something like this could happen.

  14. Do you really believe that George Bush sat in his office one morning and thought “if I relax these safeguards on off-shore drilling, there is potentially a disaster in the making, and I am OK with that”. C’mon Man…..

  15. Rod in SE Boise
    Jun 22, 2010, 12:52 pm

    I assign responsibility for this disaster: 90% Bush, 10% Obama.

    Actually, it is far worse than a disaster – it is rapidly becoming armageddon.

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