15 ms·

queue Fox News to say that Obama should have insisted that this be done 4 weeks ago.

• jonknee 16y ago
  Which if he had would have meant instantly calling him a socialist for interfering with a corporation's business.
• Tichy 16y ago
  I must admit, I don't understand this. What do US presidents, or for what it's worth, US governments, know about how to stop oil spills 5000 feet below the surface of the sea? What reason is there to assume that BP is not trying the best it can to stop the spill, and to them being the best experts on the subject? Also, hasn't the government called in a panel of independent experts already?
  • jbooth 16y ago
    It's simple. When things are going well, everybody spends all their time calling government the problem, cutting funding, shredding regulations and defanging any government enforcement agencies. Then when things go bad, everyone's pissed that the government isn't omnipotent.
    • sigzero 16y ago
      "Then when things go bad, everyone's pissed that the government isn't omnipotent." That, my friend, is a true statement.
      • jbooth 16y ago
        For bonus points, it's usually the same people who were loudest about shredding regulations and disempowering government in the first place. Related examples include the NIMBY a-holes who lobby against cell phone towers in their town while having a family plan, and of course people who insist on tax cuts while demanding better services.
    • anamax 16y ago
      > It's simple. You're forgetting that Obama and the Dems campaigned on "we're far more competent than Bush and the Repubs. If you elect us, sea levels will fall, [etc]." It's sort of like the "huge financial firms aren't giving money to Obama, that money comes from their executives" argument. While true, you never hear it about money going to Repubs.
      • jbooth 16y ago
        Yeah, and the Republicans campaigned on "all you need to know about energy is drill baby drill". So do you think the government should have done more to prevent this? Or that this isn't a big deal and that the private sector is handling it fine?
        • sigzero 16y ago
          Big Oil gives to the Democrats. I wonder why? I read somewhere that Obama has been the biggest recipient of Big Oil monies as a politician in the last 25 years. Again, I wonder why?
          • jbooth 16y ago
            All big lobbies give to both parties. Obama has quite loudly proclaimed that he wants to take our economy off of oil dependence and onto renewables. He says this multiple times every week. If Big Oil has bought and paid for him, they've done a horrible job of it. FYI: "I wonder why?" is terrible form. Make a statement and defend it with facts. You're not even arguing anything, just trying to insinuate things that are quite clearly contradicted by the man's repeated public statements.
            • anamax 16y ago
              > Obama has quite loudly proclaimed that he wants to take our economy off of oil dependence and onto renewables. He says this multiple times every week. He says similar things about "big finance" but his actions are different.