Combine tragedy, political opportunists and amnesia of past history; what do you get?... an oil spill that can be spun to tar the Obama Administration. Since we are a country that wants to blame the current presidential administration for all that is right and wrong with the country; it is easy to understand how this process works. This task is easier since we are also a country that is increasingly politically polarized.
Enter President Obama. Is the spill somehow the result of the failure of his administration after seventeen months on the job? It would make things vastly simpler if this was the case, as the country could then direct their anger on him and his administration. This may be psychologically purging, but it is not accurate.
As with many economic trends, legislative changes and priorities typically occur over time. If we want to identify the root cause of what allowed the oil spill to occur in the Gulf of Mexico, we must look to how the spill occurred and the regulatory environment governing conditions for operating oil wells.
It has been documented in the past weeks, BP ignored a number of cautionary signs in their quest to continue drilling, making up lost time and getting profits back on track. The primary cause of the tragedy was a string of poor management decisions at BP.
These decisions were made in a regulatory environment led by former oil industry executive turned U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. After Cheney and Bush were elected they sought input from oil company executives and made many changes to ensure big government would not get in the way of the opportunity for enhancing profits for the oil industry. Wholesale changes were made to defang the Minerals Management Service, the entity designed to regulate the drilling industry.
One of the changes made was eliminating the need for oil rigs to purchase an emergency shut-off cap. At $500,000 this was deemed to be an expensive and unnecessary luxury. The proposed rational was oil platform staff could perform this task, obviating the need for an emergency cap. Turns out, of course, the cap was not a luxury but a necessity for emergency situations. Saved: $500,000, Lost: $14 billion and counting. Lost: employee lives, major damage to the environment, including the precious wetlands ecosystems. Potentially lost: livelihoods of fishermen, other related job losses in the region, ability of fragile wetlands ecosystems to bounce back and god only knows what else.
Can Republicans take this trail of mucky oil floating in the Gulf and legitimately try to blame this crisis on the Obama administration? Can those favoring small government now legitimately claim we need bigger government in order to fix this problem? You can't have it both ways unless you expect the American public to have amnesia. We're not fooled this easily.
Now that the disaster has occurred, it does raise the more difficult problem of who should be in charge of fixing the problem? Since BP caused the problem is it their responsibility to fix it? Are they qualified to fix the problems and stop the flow of oil into the Gulf? If not, who is better qualified? And, whose job is it to decide who is best qualified to fix the problem?
This disaster is shaping up much differently than the financial disaster in which the Treasury Secretary and U.S. Federal Reserve was able to step in with swift, dramatic, decisive actions. Their actions blunted what would have been a far greater financial meltdown.
It appears the Obama administration is appropriately prioritizing the oil spill. In addition, the administration is taking steps to ensure financial remuneration occurs. Next up, action needed to ensure the Minerals Management Service is re-calibrated to properly do its job.
Let's get both political parties to focus on constructive steps to solve the problem and better protect the country from the next disaster.
Follow Bill Donius on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wdonius
American voters need to become engaged to truly affect change. We must tune in, get educated and become part of the solution. If we spent as much time tuning into important issues as watching American Idol, it would be a start!
Which is, how does your muttering over who wants ''big government'' or ''less government'' or any government going to address this mess? You are dissembling. Oil does not give a damn what party you are, hence Obamas cratering support among all Americans for his mishandling of this crisis even by his own party.
This statement is the desire for the impossible. The Republicans made it clear, in plain English, that they were going to do everything in their power to make sure that Pres. Obama fails. To think that they have any intention of assisting with ideas or solutions is a pipe dream of the highest order. The Republicans are eating this up, and spitting it out as though they are the victims of this disaster and that Obama is the culprit. This might not be so bad, BUT THEIR FOLLOWERS BELIEVE EVERY LIE THEY CAN SPEW FROM THEIR SPLIT, HISSING TONGUES! The Republican party is despicable to the core. If our fellow Americans are stupid enough to vote Republican in November, then we as a country deserve our pitiful and predictable fate, which will be an utter certainty should they take back Congress.
Stupidly, in their desire to see Pres. Obama fail, they don't understand that they fail also. This is not an "us against them" equation. This is truly only an "us" situation. When the POTUS fails, we ALL fail, whether that President is Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, W, or Pres. Obama.
Republicans are disgusting in their false displays of patriotism and righteousness, and I pray that the day comes when their paper thin facade comes crumbling to the ground in the form of massive electoral defeats for years to come.
The republicans don't care about data. They just throw a plethora of moral arguments at situations, and it is completely situational ethics that they love. And then they blame situational ethics on everyone else. Pardon the grammar. But you know what Imean.
People don't have amnesia (and in case they develop it, we have the medium of the internet to remind them), but they will answer questions and form opinions that don't "roll up" to a single coherent policy. Want new taxes? nope. Want more service? yep.
On the cleanup/fix let's put Exxon in charge and have BP pay them to do it. carte blanche. but with zero profit margin - cost plus zero.
The true fault lies with all of us, for our continued reliance on oil-- our unwillingness to change our personal habits, and demand our government to develop clean energy alternatives.
This tragic event can be a a watershed for positive action, if we choose it to be.