Epic Fail. That is all that needs to be said about this administrations handling of the BP oil spill. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 provided the road map for the administration. Instead it was golf outings and listening to a drunk Beatle at the White House make a fool of himself.
Several countries that specialize in cleaning up oil spills offered help immediately after the accident, but this administration declined. Among these the Dutch, and as many as 22 countries in all with ample experience in skimming and dredging. The reasons why some were refused, or greatly delayed, we can only guess. Ineptitude, a desire to capitalize on a oil disaster to push their green fantasies, protection of their union buddies by not waiving the Jones Act, only Obama knows the reasons. But it might explain the steep decline in his approval rating as oil washes up on the Gulf Coast.
Now that they have allowed a major spill to become an epic disaster, they are using the crisis to further their agenda - higher taxes and the destruction of our energy industry. At a time when hostile nations are drilling off the coast of Cuba, and we are sending money to Brazil for them to drill off their coast, do we really want to destroy our capacity to harvest our own energy? Is it really smart to sink trillions more into windmills and solar panels, both of which have proven to be woefully inefficient decades after Carter started wasting our tax dollars on them both.
And now, over and above the potential litigation that BP will invariably endure, the administration has strong armed them into setting up a $20 Billion dollar slush fund. Representative Joe Barton correctly called it a shakedown. Of course this got all the liberals' panties in a wad. But imagine how they would have acted if Bush had attempted this against one of their favored companies?
But the most ironic part of this sad tale, is that Obama has also forced BP to set aside a $100 Million fund for oil field workers that lose their jobs. Now why would they lose their jobs? Because Obama has put a moratorium on offshore drilling. Do we ground all airplanes after a crash? Is there any other country on the planet suspending their drilling activities onshore or off because of this accident? This isn't even the largest spill in history, not even close. And had the government acted appropriately, the damage could have largely been contained. So why destroy jobs and send rigs overseas? We can only wonder.
It is estimated that Obama's drilling ban would cost Louisiana 20,000 jobs and an untold number nationally. Now why in the heck during the worst economic period since Carter's disastrous reign, would you further destroy jobs? Especially when you consider that this administration has destroyed more jobs than it will ever create. In fact, only 20,000 private sector jobs were created in May. But they did create 400,000 temporary government jobs (Census), so they got that going for them.
On the bright side, look for higher gas prices this Summer. Hope and change!
One more thought - Leaders are made during difficult times. After 9/11, Bush immediately took the necessary steps to make sure our economy was strong and no further attacks would be successful. During Katrina he was wrongly blamed for the gross ineptitude of local Democrat hacks who couldn't figure out how to evacuate their own citizens and refused Federal aid until it was almost too late.
Contrast that with Obama's first two years, which half the country would call a total disaster. Numerous terrorist attacks, a faltering economy continually made worse by more government spending/programs, and now an environmental disaster, made worse by an administration hellbent on destroying our energy, fishing and tourist industries in the Gulf. It boggles the mind how any Americans still approve of this administration.
For Further Reading:
Wanted: Oil Spill Czar
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
Obama's Oil Disaster
Inhofe: Obama 'Hasn't Made Good Decision Yet' on Spill
Keeping Up with the Jones Act
Oil: The Real Green Fuel
Obama’s Snake-Oil Spill
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