If I were Tony Hayward...

[mikegideon]

If you bankrupt the company by beating them up too bad, there will be nobody left to pay but the taxpayers. Somehow, our "leaders" don't understand this concept.

They know that. BP could wind up going bankrupt if this thing goes on for months or years. Even more reason to set the money aside up front

[Links2k]

20B is less than BP made in profit last quarter. They are far from going broke.

[gregintenn]

What does the amount of profit BP made have to do with repairing and cleaning up the oil spill?

[Punisher84]

The relief well will work if they can hit their mark. All this other crap has been a tap dance.

I bet this guy could hit that mark. I bet he swears on it.

[Links2k]

My point is who cares if they go broke as long as they fix/clean up their mess. I don't want the taxpayer paying a penny to fix this crap.

I am saying that the 20B down payment to clean the gulf and cap that well will not harm them. I am saying that I do not believe in TOO big to fail. I am saying that other oil companies will pick up the slack. I am not worried about oil prices, because the recent pass has shown that speculators will determine the price of oil/gas.

I have more concern about the American public that is losing its ass in the gulf right now. I do not care what happens to a multi-national oil company that has changed American lives for perhaps decades.

Edited June 18, 2010 by LINKS2K

[Guest SUNTZU]

I care about how the government goes about it. Not only is it mainly grandstanding and demonising a company to forward an agenda, but it sets precedent on how both sides will go after other corporations and people in the future.

The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy” (Georgetown University Professor Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope, 1966.)

Our Republic - Carroll Quigley

[mikegideon]

What does the amount of profit BP made have to do with repairing and cleaning up the oil spill?

Can they afford it? Yes. Do we let them do the lawyer dance and weasel out? No.

[mikegideon]

I care about how the government goes about it. Not only is it mainly grandstanding and demonising a company to forward an agenda, but it sets precedent on how both sides will go after other corporations and people in the future.

Our Republic - Carroll Quigley

All the grandstanding yesterday pissed me off. It was coming from both parties. BUT, large corporations have weaseled out of damages a lot over the years. I'm not even sure the government involved ANY legal action in the deal this week. We weren't in the room. I'm thinking it was just a negotiation, with or without threats. This is far from over. I absolutely agree that the folks down there need an equalizer. I've watched them get screwed as individuals time and again.

Has anybody read the law on oil spills yet?

[gregintenn]

Can they afford it? Yes. Do we let them do the lawyer dance and weasel out? No.

Whether or not they can afford it has no bearing on whether or not they owe it. It is that type of ignorance and envy that has led to the apathy responsible for us being in the pitiful shape we are in today. I'd beg you to rethink your position. My words may seem sharp to you Mike, but I feel strongly about this issue. It is not in America's constitution to judge whether or not someone, or some company has too much money. That my friend is one of the roots of Communism. I trust you aren't of that bent and perhaps used a poor choice of words.

The issue of who owes what to who should be decided in a court of law after the leak is stopped and cleaned up; not by congress and the president, and not judged by their ability to pay.

[gregintenn]

Once again, I do not give one whit about Tony Hayward or the future of the BP oil company. I do care about justice. Our government is a government of laws; not of heavy handed threats and the whims of Chicago thugs. Most importantly, I care about the return of normalcy to the Gulf Of Mexico. I spend a lot of time there, and don't care to see it ruined.

[mikegideon]

Whether or not they can afford it has no bearing on whether or not they owe it. It is that type of ignorance and envy that has led to the apathy responsible for us being in the pitiful shape we are in today. I'd beg you to rethink your position. My words may seem sharp to you Mike, but I feel strongly about this issue. It is not in America's constitution to judge whether or not someone, or some company has too much money. That my friend is one of the roots of Communism. I trust you aren't of that bent and perhaps used a poor choice of words.

The issue of who owes what to who should be decided in a court of law after the leak is stopped and cleaned up; not by congress and the president, and not judged by their ability to pay.

Not in this case. The law says they owe it. Nothing communist about it. This ain't plain old civil damages.

Here it is... http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/opa.html

Edited June 18, 2010 by mikegideon

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Some good posts, here. I agree about the precedent being set. That is what the courts are supposed to handle. The fact that BP said they were responsible and would be dealing with claims immediately after this event happened should have been enoughto shut the politicians up. Instead they chose to dump and force this escrow when BP was already doing what they said. It was all politics and the idea that Obama can change the laws to suit his goals is troubling. Just another power grab.

There are a lot of folks that have bought into the idea of "Make them pay!" akin to a lynch mob. It becomes a problem when they finally figure out they became the ones

paying, and losing liberty all in one. when you throw the courts out the window, you also throw justice.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I care about how the government goes about it. Not only is it mainly grandstanding and demonising a company to forward an agenda, but it sets precedent on how both sides will go after other corporations and people in the future.

Our Republic - Carroll Quigley

I wish you would quit putting links that require reason to be applied:D

It makes people think about it.

[mikegideon]

Some good posts, here. I agree about the precedent being set. That is what the courts are supposed to handle. The fact that BP said they were responsible and would be dealing with claims immediately after this event happened should have been enoughto shut the politicians up. Instead they chose to dump and force this escrow when BP was already doing what they said. It was all politics and the idea that Obama can change the laws to suit his goals is troubling. Just another power grab.

There are a lot of folks that have bought into the idea of "Make them pay!" akin to a lynch mob. It becomes a problem when they finally figure out they became the ones

paying, and losing liberty all in one. when you throw the courts out the window, you also throw justice.

Actually, it was until there was a PUBLIC outcry, not politicians, by people that weren't getting paid. I can't believe you make this out to be a witch hunt.

Does anybody have a CREDIBLE link that BP was even forced to agree to the 20 bil? I know they didn't just offer, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a plain old negotiation.

The douchebag that apologized to BP, and called it a shakedown got his butt chewed by the Republican leadership. He was ordered to retract AND apologize.

[Guest TargetShooter84]

If I was Tony Hayward, I'd slowly stand up, look at the politicans in the eye and kindly raise my arm up and gently slowly extend my birdie finger and tell them "I have a oil spill to attend to and would appreciate if you cowards would just STHU and let me do my job and we can deal with this later after we contain the leak."

Then slowly walk away from the cowards while intentionally loosening my pants to let it drop and expose them the meaning of mooning.

[Links2k]

If some of you guys want me to I will come and throw a bunch of crap in your back yards for a few months. Then I will decide if I am responsible for it. If/when I admit guilt I will decide how/when I clean it up, and how much I will spend to do it. Please do not report me to the authorities, because it's nobody elses business. Don't complain about the sh&t hole that I have created in your yard. I will make things right if/when I am forced to. Exercise some patience with me, because I am the victim. I have other things to do. I want my life back. Make BP pay! It has nothing to do with their profits. It is the right thing to do.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Actually, it was until there was a PUBLIC outcry, not politicians, by people that weren't getting paid. I can't believe you make this out to be a witch hunt.

Does anybody have a CREDIBLE link that BP was even forced to agree to the 20 bil? I know they didn't just offer, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a plain old negotiation.

The douchebag that apologized to BP, and called it a shakedown got his butt chewed by the Republican leadership. He was ordered to retract AND apologize.

Mike. I doubt there willl ever be a link proving an arm twisting, since it was behind closed doors. The lynch mob mentality is shown

by the stupid people shooting up BP gas staions, throwing crap on their signs, etc.

I agree with Rep. Barton about it being a shakedown ans wish the Republican leadership would have let it stand. Of course, it really

doesn't matter. It was his opinion, like anyone else's. Like that woman from Illinois(?) asking Hayward about his emotions concerning

the deaths of the workers. It had no place in a congressional hearing. There was really no valid reason for the hearing to take place.

Just grandstanding with no positive impact on cleaning up the gulf or stopping the leak.

The new paymaster for the government already said it would be several weeks until people would start getting paid their claims. BP

was paying claims already. I doubt the government will get that done any quicker, not unlike their inability to round up material to

clean the mess up and allow specialized ships and crews, that were offered by other countries, to come in and clean the mess. This

could have dealt with a lot more timely. Has he even suspended the Jones Act, yet?

This whole ordeal is a farce. If Obama knew how to manage anything, or wanted to deal with it, it would have been dealt with, by now.

His narcissism and ambivalence has shown priority, once again. I wonder how much more is is going to take for people to grasp this?

[Guest 6.8 AR]

If some of you guys want me to I will come and throw a bunch of crap in your back yards for a few months. Then I will decide if I am responsible for it. If/when I admit guilt I will decide how/when I clean it up, and how much I will spend to do it. Please do not report me to the authorities, because it's nobody elses business. Don't complain about the sh&t hole that I have created in your yard. I will make things right if/when I am forced to. Exercise some patience with me, because I am the victim. I have other things to do. I want my life back. Make BP pay! It has nothing to do with their profits. It is the right thing to do.

They accepted responsibility for the accident. Quite a while ago.

[mikegideon]

Not saying there wasn't arm twisting, and so what if there was? This is not about a government assault on corporations. That idea is just more buzz from the talking heads. It's all about enforcing the law. You have all these people out there blowing fart gas about how BP was abused by the escrow deal, but you're not hearing it out of BP.

And as for "shakedown" boy... how far out in right field do you have to be to get an ass chewin' from John Boehner? Boehner got some of my respect over that. The politicians need to quit their posturing and do some real work. BP needs to meet their legal obligations.

[Links2k]

Using some to the logic that I have heard lately Obama and the govt should stay out of this and let the individual states handle their own crisis. You guys must make up your minds. I thinks all politicians suck, but I see too much flip flopping on what you guys want/ don't want from your govt. The govt is going to be involved or not. It's like you are at Burger King trying to pick and choose condiments. When we have a crisis in Tn I hope that we can all come thru it with a supply of stored guns, beans and bullets.

[mikegideon]

They accepted responsibility for the accident. Quite a while ago.

That was real nice of them, since there's no question according to the law.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

It's not that that the government should stay out of this at all, but it is that the government should do the things it is supposed to do. It's not acceptable for politicians to posture and put their "boot on the neck", but it is acceptable if they throw resources to fix the problem. They could have waited on the theatrics and protected the shoreline a bit quicker. Democrats and Republicans even agree on that.

[gregintenn]

For those of you who aren't sure what actions the Federal Government should take to deal with this crisis, I beg you to read our constitution! It is very clear what the Government should and should not do. It doesn't matter what you think, or how much money BP made last year, or what color pantsuit Hillary Clinton is wearing. It matters what the constitution says. If you don't like it, set about getting it changed.

[mikegideon]

It's not that that the government should stay out of this at all, but it is that the government should do the things it is supposed to do. It's not acceptable for politicians to posture and put their "boot on the neck", but it is acceptable if they throw resources to fix the problem. They could have waited on the theatrics and protected the shoreline a bit quicker. Democrats and Republicans even agree on that.

I agree on the theatrics, even tho the investigations probably need to continue. The sooner they're done, the sooner we can restart drilling.

As far as making BP pony up, I don't need to restate my position. Obama didn't beat their ass for days like the idiots in congress. One short meeting, and they came out with a deal.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Look at post 48. Greggintenn sums up the way my

thinking is on this subject very well. Nothing more,

nothing less.

The constitution's role is spelled out very well.

Emotions and political pandering always get in the

way of dealing with situations. I don't know what

else to say.