The President and BP
It has now been 3 days since the president went on National television, and told us that he was in charge of the oil spill, and that BP would be held accountable. Judging by the chairmen of their board referring to the Gulf residents as the “small” people, and the deliberate attempt to not answer questions when the CEO of BP went before congress yesterday, I would say that nothing has changed at all.
It sounds good to say that BP will put 20 billion into a clean up fund, or set a side 100 million for people, who are laid off because of the oil spill, but it is over 4 years, and people need relief now. What people need is for the spill to be stopped, and now, not later.
Now, there is a new wrinkle in the mix. Scientists say that the natural gas leaking with the oil may permanently make parts of the Gulf of Mexico dead zones for marine life. Apparently, the gas has the affect of cutting off oxygen in the water, and that is what keeps fish and organisms alive. Even if we get up the oil, the harm the gas will do will inevitably be just as bad.
I am especially concerned, because the gas is colorless and odorless, and will not be taken as seriously because it can’t be seen by the naked eye. If there is enough of a gas build up, their could even be a wild fire on the surface of the water. How scary is that?
The government and BP both need to move faster and do more sooner. They need to work together, not blame one an other for the problem getting worse. They both need to listen to the people on the ground that have generations of experience understanding the gulf region and way of life. It’s not just about the amount of money or resources you claim to throw at the problem, it’s about solutions, and answers, today, not five years from now.
About The Oil Mr. President
VTonight, the President of the United States is planning to address the nation from the Oval Office. When the president makes a national broadcast from their, it usually means he has something important to say;
I hope, the president will be telling us that he has figured out “whose ass to kick” and that he is doing it. I hope, that he will say that BP has agreed to spend tens of billions of dollars on the clean up and compensation. I hope that he will tell the American people and the world, that his administration is taking steps to insure that this kind of accident never happens again. I hope, he will use this opportunity to get congress to approve measures that will make it easier for researchers to develop alternative forms of energy.
As bad as the spill has been, and will continue to be for a long long time to come, we as a nation have a chance to use this unfortunate opportunity to take a hard look at the way we conduct business with the oil companies and make drastic changes. We have the chance to show the rest of the world that the United States is not kidding around when it comes to finding alternative energy sources and actually using them.
I hope, the President will not just try to convince us that he is in charge, but that he will show us he is by his actions. Talking tough, means nothing if you can’t back up your words. Acting tough only lasts for a short time until the enemy realizes that you don’t have the strength it takes to win the battle. A show of strength and unity is only good if all of the people and agencies are truly working together, not for a few weeks, but for the long term.
Tonight, the president has a chance to show us and the world who is in charge, who is calling the shots, and who is winning the war. I hope he is up to the task.
Who Has The Oil Money
Have you heard? As of yesterday, the US geologic survey has estimated that their might be as much as 40,000 barrels of oil a day flowing up from the Gulf of Mexico. That is more then twice the amount ever reported by BP. If I wasn’t convinced that BP wasn’t telling us the truth before yesterday, I am now.
It’s all about the money, and BP doesn’t want to give it up, or pay it out in the hundreds of law suits it will inevitably be facing. In the few cases that have been filed so far, BP is all ready trying to have the cases moved from Alabama, and other Gulf coast states to more” friendly” states where they think that they would stand a better chance in the court of public opinion as well as the civil and criminal courts.
Instead of admitting the obvious, and honestly trying to help states and Gulf coast communities capture the oil as fast as possible, BP is electing to drag its feet on the clean up, and to run to what they consider to be safer havens. The morel and ethical neglect that BP is showing for the people, the environment, and even toward our government is not shameful, but down write disgusting.
Congress is now considering legislation witch would lift the cap of 75 million that a company has to pay for an oil spill clean up, and passing legislation that places no limit on the amount of liability an oil company can have. If it is passed, this might be the only way that BP will eventually step up to the plate, take full responsibility for the spill, and spend the billions it will take to get the mess cleaned up, and compensate the hundreds of thousands of people whose way of life and livings are effected by their negligence. Passing this new legislation is the hope of tens of millions of honest hard working Americans who believe more then ever, that big business should be held fully accountable for their errors and no longer be given a free pass, or simply a slap on the wrist.
The question then becomes, does the congress have the stomach to pass this kind of legislation, and if so, will the president sign it. Will the legislation be so watered down with loop wholes that it sounds good when put before the media, but have no teeth in the court of enforcement? Let’s not forget, that many states rely heavily on the investments of the energy industry to keep their economies growing. Let’s not forget that many members of congress receive and except healthy donations from the energy industry to their political campaigns. Lets not forget, that if congress doesn’t have what it takes to do the responsible thing, and pass legislation that is clear and fully enforceable, that they to can be easily replaced.
Oil War on our Home Land
The beaches of oil are a pun us, instead of shark sightings closing the beaches, its oil, and globs of it. All along our southern coast, pristine beaches and wild life sanctuaries are being affected by the oil now washing up on the white sand beaches, and seeping into our wild life preserves. When will it ever stop?
The fishing industry was the first to feel the affects of the oil catastrophe, and now its tourism. Beaches are closing every day, people can’t even swim in the waters, and hotels and restaurants are loosing big bucks. Many of these businesses are already laying off people as they try to survive, but the reality is, many of them will be forced out of business. Potentuley, hundreds of thousands of people could find them selves un-employed, and thousands of businesses will be forced to close their doors.
The timing for this man made disaster couldn’t have been any worse. Just as our economic recovery is beginning, along comes the oil. The clean up costs will be in the tens of billions, and the job and tourism losses will even be higher. This isn’t just your average oil spill, it’s an economic disaster.
Yes, all of the blame might fall on the lap of BP, but the losses to our economy and ecological system means we all pay in the end. Even if the oil flow is stopped by the end of August, the long term damages will last for deck aids, possibly even for generations.
Every day, it becomes more apparent that BP is still not giving government officials accurate information, and that government officials/agencies are not reacting fast enough to protect our invaluable resources. I don’t have any answers, I don’t even have any solutions, but what I do know is that (transparency) is not getting the job done. It will take an army, a rapid mobilization of people and resources. As hard as people are working to save our beeches, fishing grounds, and coastal communities dependant on the Gulf of Mexico to survive, this is a war, a war that we can only win if we throw every resource we have at it now, and not six months or one year from now.
Oil Oil Oil
Oil Oil Oil
Have any of you seen the pictures on television of the oil that is spilling out from under the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico? It’s disgusting isn’t it?
I ask you, how, in the year 2010 with all of our technology, with all of our laws, and with all of our theoretical over site could we allow this to have happened. I know, we put the cart before the horse. We put our trust in the oil companies, in big business, and look where it got us. Here’s a question for the government. If there is no one in the government, from any federal agency who has the knowledge to fix this thing, then how on earth could we have ever thought we had over site when it came to ensuring that an accident like this would never happen?
How could government inspectors ever be expected to ensure that every thing was safe, when it is quite obvious that they wouldn’t have known what to do, or what to look for to prevent this catastrophe from ever happening. What was our government thinking?
Share your comments, and tell us what you think.
Save money at the pump
Many consumers use credit cards when buying gas, but if you want to save money, try paying in cash. In some cases, you can save up to 5 percent on your gas.
Dear Friends and Family,
I recently signed up to run in the Vision 5K on Father’s Day-June 20, at Boston College and I am asking you to join my team. My daughter Emily will be my sighted guide, and I have committed to pushing her pace beyond her expectations. This is an exciting race that is for blind and visually impaired elite runners from around the world. They will be running along side weekend runners and walkers just like Emily and I.
This unique event raises money for four charities here in Massachusetts, that touch the lives of thousands of men, women, and children. The funds aid in supplying greatly needed services in literacy, daily living skills, mobility, and independent strategies to help blind people become contributing members of their communities. Emily and I, along with my co-team captain Alicia Caswell, will be running on behalf of the Carroll Center for the Blind located in Newton, Massachusetts.
As many of you know, I have been totally blind since 1988, and I left my position with the state in August of 2007. After leaving state employment, and un-sure of my future, I went to the Carroll Center for the Blind for eight weeks of unique intensive computer training by highly specialized staff. The training I received from the Carroll Center has widened my scope of possibility, enabled me to form my own company, and to design and manage a website, Directcomplaint.com.
As a member of my team, you can help me by making a tax deductable donation to my team (The Jonny G Runners), asking others to make donations, and/or signing up to join my team and run or walk along side me. If you have a family or children, please consider participating in this event, and asking your family to contribute to our team in the spirit of Father’s Day.
On behalf of my team, and the Carroll Center for the Blind, I would like to thank you in advance for your support and your tax deductible contribution.
If you would like to make a contribution or learn more about my team and this wonderful event, just go to http://www.vision5k.org/goto/jonathangale and learn more.
Medical Insurance Sucks
I have noticed an up tick recently in the number of my friends who are having medically necessary treatments or procedures declined for payment by insurance companies. It seams like the insurance companies are trying to save as much money now as they can before the new laws take affect.
Personally, I have begun asking my doctors office if they take my insurance, and how much or what percentage is covered for each service the doctors office provides. I am doing this, because the doctor might see me, or order tests with out thinking about my insurance coverage, and then I might end up in collections because I can’t pay the bill. Apparently, it’s up to me to be pro active if I want to stay out of medical bill debt.
Personally, I would have liked the health care bill to require the medical profession to make the costs the same for any test, procedure or treatment no matter where it takes place. If a CAT scan is ordered on my shoulder, the price should be the same all across the country. If a specific blood test is ordered by my doctor, the cost should be the same in a hospital or in a local private clinic. If I have 12 visits for my physical therapy for my broken leg, the cost should be the same no matter where I go for therapy.
I realize, that some people would call my idea the beginning of socialized medicine, and that others would argue that you should be able to go to the most expensive place you want if it means getting better care, but the system we have now is just not working. Many of the doctors we see also own a piece of the labs or therapy clinics we go to, so not only are they making money from our office visits, they are making money on the tests they order as well. If you’re a doctor, how cool is that.
If you have an opinion, tell us about it, let others know how you think, share your feelings. If you want to let your government officials know how you feel, then send them a letter through www.directcomplaint.com.
Who’s minding the store?
I was at Best Buy the other day, to get the serial number for an Apple computer that was stolen from my daughter’s car. She made the mistake of leaving the computer in her car over night, and in the big city, that’s a no no.
I gave the clerk at Best Buy the information he needed to look up my computer purchase, and in no time at all, he found it. I mean he found my purchase, but not the serial number. Apparently, the serial number of the computer is not kept by the store. According to the clerk, the serial number was only on the box the computer came in, or on the recovery disk that came with the computer.
I explained to the clerk, that the Boston PD wanted it to see if the computer is in any pawn shops, but he still insisted that Best Buy didn’t have the number. I explained to the clerk that I was sent into the store by the corporate customer service department, who told me that the serial number is only kept on file in the local stores, and not in the Best Buy corporate offices. According to the clerk, I was given wrong information by the corporate office. The bottom line is no serial number, no chance of getting back the computer.
I would have thought that in today’s world of tracking and accountability that the store would be more diligent in their record keeping, but apparently I was wrong. I would have thought that Apple Computer Company would have required Best Buy to keep the serial numbers of the computers sold, if for no other reason then for accounting and inventory control, but I was wrong again. I would have thought that the serial number would have been printed on the receipt, or the extended service plan for easy tracking, but I would still be wrong.
It seams to me that stores like Best Buy should be required to keep records of the serial numbers of big ticket items like computers if for no other reason, then to be able to prove that the computers sold did not come off of the back of some truck high jacked three months ago. The store was glad to sell me the computer, and take my money, but apparently, that is where their responsibility to me and to Apple Computer ends. The next time my daughter buys a new computer; I will have to insist that she keep the box.
If this is the new way of doing business, we will all end up with a store room full of empty boxes just to prove that every thing we own is really ours.
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Political Stupidity
Last night, the US House of Representatives passed the new health care legislation that will supposedly change the look of health care in the future. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening watching the debate, and what struck me most of all, was how much of the time both parties spent trashing one an other. Regardless of the party’s platform, the name of yesterday’s game was blame, blame, blame.
The other thing that struck me was how similar each of the parties tried to make their plans for health care sound. Naturally, this raises the question of, if they sound so much alike, why then can’t they come together and agree on a plan? After all, both political parties claim to want to see future costs controlled, both parties claim to want to see pharmacy prices lowered, both parties want to see more measures in place for preventative care, and both parties want to see more Americans on health care plans. So, what is the big problem?
I have a simple solution, why don’t we arrange a giant snow ball fight between all of the members of both the house and the senate. The 535 members will be divided into 16 teams of 33 people with 7 alternates. The teams will be chosen by lottery (name and number on Ping Pong balls). This will be an elimination tournament, and as each player is hit with a snow ball, he or she is out. At the end of the tournament, the team who is declared the winning team will have the pleasure of introducing and legislating all new laws and regulations for the next 6 months. How does that sound?
Naturally, that was a pretty stupid idea, but the point is simple, as long as things stay the same, they will never change. The republicans will blame the Democrats, and the Democrats will blame the Republicans. Why don’t they just call them selves independent, and make the fun even more confusing.
I have to wonder out loud, will one party try to make the other pay for yesterday’s vote, will the blame game continue, will either party blink and let the other one have a chance, or will both parties come together for the good of the country?
