BP CEO Tony Hayward

Those pictures made me feel guilty, and I can't even drive yet. But on a lighter note:
http://http://www.hulu.com/watch/149644/saturday-night-live-bp-oil-spill-cold-open#s-p3-sr-i1

 

so i figured this all out after i finished a test today. so we go out to the gulf scoop up all this oil then we find out where the CEO lives and me get a giant bucket and fill it with oil then have a crane lift the bucket up and drop it on the CEO's house. sort of like the castrol oil commercial to stop sludge.

 

Agree..OC sponger: do you even listen to the "government" Thay cant solve it! Obama has said over and over that the oil companies have better technology to deal with this than the government does. BP ****ed up, doesnt have any real solution, and the government doesnt even have any capacity for this kind of situation.

 

...pumping the master....

national parks, postal service, military, interstate freeway system, forestry service, coast guard, as well as your local police, fire department, the lifeguards at your beach, even public schools and colleges....despite what your average right wing tool wants you to think, plenty works quite well...while many bemoan the lack of success in schools, for example, the fact that we educate such a wide range of culturally diverse people is pretty amazing..no other country has been able to do that.
if laissez faire profit-mongers would quit getting elected in order to prove how lousy THEY run government, we might not have to keep fixing sh!t all the time. the reality is that much of what is going on right now in the gulf is a direct result of trusting and allowing businesses to do as they want and (specifically) allowing oil companies to write policy. the 70 million dollar cap , the too-short 30 day review for environmental vetting, the inability for government to intervene, all courtesy of the previous administration...

"The President offered the excuse the other day that the reason why
there was inadequate environmental vetting for what has become the
Deep Horizon oil disaster was that a provision of law had passed
which only permitted 30 days for such a review, making it a practical
impossibility. Of course, that is precisely why corporate lobbyists
for the oil industry inserted into law this crippling of any
attempted regulatory oversight in the first place."
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...obama-blames-30-day-limit-law-role-oil-spill/


So too with the liability limitation of millions on corporate
responsibility for wreaking havoc on our environment. Again, this was
just another corporate irresponsibility safety valve, so they would
not have to even concern themselves about putting all the rest of us
in grave danger. And so they did. It is even being reported that
Transocean made a whopping $270 million profit on the destruction of
their over-insured drilling rig. "
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/transocean-made-270m-profit-from-insurance-payout-2010-05-09


i know the palins of the world (sarahs, not michaels) thumb their collective noses at educated folks and all, but knowing just a little history and current government affairs might help people understand why we are where we are...

 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- BP sought to reassure both the general public and investors Friday, saying it has the money to spend whatever it takes to clean up the Gulf oil spill.

"Our first call on dollars is to ensure we do everything we can to get the Gulf Coast back to normal," BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward said on a conference call with investors. "But that still leaves us with plenty of dollars to spend on other things."An executive on the call noted BP (BP) generated $30 billion in cash flow over the last four quarters.

The spill has so far cost BP just over $1 billion. Estimates as to how much it will ultimately cost range from $3 billion to $40 billion, although that amount would likely be paid out over a number of years.

 

Spongedude, did you seriously quote the post office, public schools and freeways as something the government does well? What is your definition of doing something well? The PO is broke. Half of our graduates can't even read at a decent level. We had a freeway bridge collapse in MN. I was in the Army and I can tell you, we are the best military there is, but a model of efficiency it is not. Also, the name calling doesn't really make you more credible, it makes you less.
As far as the cap on damages, what would you propose, none? So the company goes bankrupt and no one gets any damages? I think a lot of you are forgetting that BP is made up of a lot of people who live and work in the Gulf region, not just some stupid CEO from England. What parties to this disaster have anything to gain by it or it's continuation?
More regulations were needed, correct? Such as the regulations that have them drilling in a mile of water instead of a few hundred feet where they could actually send down divers to work on the problem. Regulations that have kept us from using bio-organisms that were created to "eat" oil to clean this up (http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAna...021823/Obama-Slips-Up-On-Oil-Spill-Panel.aspx).
I suppose I'm one of the right wing tools you refer to, but I just like to look at reality and examine the ramifications of ideas before promoting them.

 

BP does not own ANY of the Gas Stations in the US. The BP gas stations are owned by US citizens in this country. So boycotting the buying of BP gas will only hurt our own people. I just heard the containment cap is not working as well as expected but they are still tweaking it. They really can't stop the leak and don't have any credible back up plans. I just can't believe we have no technology to stop this.

 

ramifications indeed

reality indeed. despite the naysayers, the fact that you can get a piece of mail across country for less than a dollar (try having a private business do that) millions of times over each day is still quite efficient. the military has an enormous infrastructure and yet it still manages to deal with political hacks cutting benefits for soldiers and sending them into idiotic messes with no clear plan. as for schools, education is a two way street. if the students don't care, you can't make them learn...but it is available and obviously works for those who want it. in context, these elements, as monstrous as they are do work, despite the unlikelihood of doing so. the question perhaps shouldn't be where to drill in this type of ecosystem that supports thousands if not millions of OTHER lower paying subsistence businesses and jobs, but whether to..and yes...if a company can risk making BILLIONS of dollars of profit, then they should be held not only financially but criminally liable, like you taking a risk in vegas....you don't get your money back because you made a bad calculation..or tried to rig the game and got caught.

 

Any private business could do what the USPS does and lose money at it, they just couldn't stay in business because they can't print money or magically take more (taxes), so your argument there is worthless. What military benefit cuts are you referring to? And how does your argument counter mine that the military isn't that efficient? Have you seen it first hand? And what does where they are sent or who they are sent by have to do with it? You seem to have a lot of bones to pick. Is is safe to assume from your statement that the reason education isn't doing well is the students (with which I partially agree) that you have no problems with cuts in the education budget? As far as these elements working, I never said they don't do anything, I just pointed out that they don't work well (the military being the exception when it comes to breaking things and killing people). I agree that the company should be held financially (and criminally if there was a crime committed) responsible, but I don't think one should rail about a cap on damages without a practical solution to offer. If you think they should have to pay every last dime until they're out of business, then say so. Stand by your convictions, but also look at the reality of the situation they create.

 

ps to jw

besides friends, i have had family in the military, (including my dad in korea and my niece's husband right now in afghanistan) and i get an earful about what works and what doesn't. it does matter where we get sent because ultimately it comes down to money and the cuts applied to post-service is crap. in general, being underfunded for a public good does not mean the system is failing (and being in education i am aware of the budget cuts...i don't feel anyone needed to be reminded of that ). it means someone is running it poorly. the post office doesn't print money any more than any private business does....somebody at the top decides the budget and that's where mindless spending elsewhere impacts on public services. if you cut police and fire ( as is now happening in some cities) the failure rate goes up, and we all suffer. the reality is that the motive for a profit making business is supposed to be offset by risk, and yet these big businesses expect to run roughshod over the rest of us with little to no consequence ....even a billion dollars in fines is a drop in the bucket to these guys and it makes no impact on their operations. just as ford figured with the pinto (and toyota with the runaway car) that the loss from lawsuits was less cost than fixing the problem with the problem, there needs to be an incentive to get business to do things right because we all suffer...not from a few thousand lost oil jobs or some cuts in profits ( btw bp is shelling out about 10 billion in dividends to its shareholders this quarter, so i don't think they will go broke soon). and i DID say, they need to pay whatever it costs ( bp estimates 80 million) to fix what can be. i just don't think they will be hurt enough to avoid this situation again. the notion that we can trust business to do what is society's best interest is denied by history...check out the industrial revolution. if it is their private property, that's one thing....if they are using shared resources, they need to be held accountable for hurting others.

ps...i never said you claimed they did nothing....my claim is they do some things well in response to the original comment by pumpmaster.....

 

since you asked....

history of cuts in bennies to military families
http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/1359925/What_George_Bush_has_done_for_soldiers_and_veterans

check it out...the rebuilding of aftercare for especially the wounded will take years....

then there is the sad state of the family left behind while mom or dad is fighting

http://www.military.com/news/article/more-troops-are-relying-on-food-stamps.html

no wife or husband of someone who is in active duty should have to rely on govt assistance. the battle pay should support a family.

merely because a system is poorly run is not necessarily proof it is a bad system. big companies can run well and serve the community....costco, ben and jerry's and even starbucks have a corporate mode of operation that keeps an eye on more than just profit.

 

Spongedude, either you are well versed in or you have completely bought lock stock and barrel all of the Progressive Movement's talking points. You and your comrades believe anyone who makes a profit is evil, government knows best and is the solution to everything, and have no idea what built the greatest country ever on earth. I for one will take capitalism, freedom, and a constitutionally limited government over your ideas any day. BTW, I'd much prefer ignorant Sarah over the "educated" Progressive as well!!!!

 

sponedude, the blog you use to support your benefits cut argument begins every paragraph with "The Bush administration" or "Bush". Obviously, it's someone who doesn't like Bush, but you need to remember that Congress controls the purse strings, not the president, so even if his budget did that, Congress passed it. Secondly, soldiers and their families on food stamps, etc. is nothing new. I had several on them. But that's what happens when you make very little money but "decide" to have 4 or 5 children. The military does underpay lower ranking enlisted as far as I'm concerned. I don't see how either of these points supports that government does a better job than the private sector. In fact, I think you just supported my argument further.
I'm really not sure what your last point is. I guess you're saying that BP is a poorly run company because all they care about is profit. You may have a point about them being poorly run, but if a company doesn't take care of it's customers and it's public image, that profit will dry up quickly, so profit motive isn't exclusive of being a good company. I think you're also making the point that even though a lot of government is poorly run, it's still good because it doesn't have a profit motive, it just "wants to help"?

 

guys. now is a GREAT time to buy BP stock! Until the dust (ie:lawsuits) are settled their value will be depressed, but once everything is done, the value will rise again. Big money to be made!

 

baby and bathwater

hahah...hardly. there is...or should be... a difference between making a healthy profit and screwing everyone else in the process. well versed indeed...it doesn't take that much research of history of this great country to realize the battle over the balance between progress and exploitation has been a major factor in our history... if you are comfortable for the transgressions of those who either don't know history or choose to side with blind avarice with no regard for consequence, then you will be fine when your favorite surf spot is polluted, condo'd or paved over by some corporate interest who doesn't give a sh!t about the rest of us who have to live here.

your false dichotomy implies having regulation that protects the common good is not in your interest. as a person who uses a public source ( the beach) you are protected by that public entity, and if you weren't you would find yourself on the short end of the stick..unless you have the money to buy your own stretch of beach...if that is the case, surf on, my friend....keep in mind..this thread (remember the thread) is about a company owner who has impacted millions of people negatively....profoundly,...and his concern is to get back to his life.

 

keepin them in the air.....

the original claim was that the govt (fed specifically ) is incapable of doing ANYTHING well...my point was...it can, it has, and it can again. FEMA was a fantastic program (ask anyone in california who dealt with fires, floods and earthquakes) before it was run by an incompetent. also, the second blog i quote is military .com..it's a post by and about military lives, just telling it like they experience it. (btw, not that it was my point, since under obama, military is still underpaid, but since you brought it up, bush had the benefit of a republican congress for 6 of his 8 years). the mindless BUSINESS IS EVIL mantra on the left carries no water for me any more than the equally mindless ALL GOVERNMENT IS EVIL mantra on the right. facing realities regardless of politics might help address serious issues....and the reality is that deregulation of certain industries has hurt us as much as over-regulation of others has held us back. objectifying things a bit adds perspective

 

shhhh....now yer talking all hippie-like...and what's with all this researchin' yer doin'? next thing you'll be throwin' out statistics and facts and stuff....<{8^)


10 people can read the same research, the same facts, and take it 12 different ways...ahhh america.


is it summer yet?

 

dude, never said all government is evil, just that they should have a very limited role as laid out in our laws (see the Constitution). Here's the thing, when a company (BP for example) screws up, there is an entity (government) who can force them to make it right and citizens have several things to use against them (the court system, power of the purse, bad pr) if they don't or it was a crime. There is no such recourse against government - what they say goes, like or not. Government is not made up of infallible people any more than companies are, they just have the power of deadly force behind their decisions. BP has no power over me to force me to do or not do anything. The government does have that power, so the least amount of it they have an exercise, the better.

 

How many?

How many gallons of gas does it take YOU to get to the break? Which is to say nothing about flying to Hawaii or Costa Rica. If you can ride a surfboard, you can ride a bicycle. So do it. Let's be constructive, not destructive, and humble enough to realize our own part in it. Oh, and there's that democracy thingy, too, and you don't even have to reinvent the wheel, it's called "Surfrider Foundation." Check it!

-Heartbroken Gulf Coast Longboarder