Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is emerging as a fierce critic of the Obama administration's proposed escrow fund to handle damage claims against BP.On the one hand, it's kind of hard to argue against the "redistribution-of-wealth" line. After all, this is technically true. By that same token, whenever I buy a ham sandwich, that is also a redistribution of wealth. Ditto putting quarters in parking meters, paying my electrical bill, and collecting my salary. Since the only alternative to redistributing one's wealth is to hoard it, Bachmann has a point, even if it's hilariously daft.The Minnesota Independent reports that Bachmann spoke Tuesday to the Heritage Foundation, and badmouthed the idea. "The president just called for creating a fund that would be administered by outsiders, which would be more of a redistribution-of-wealth fund," said Bachmann. "And now it appears like we'll be looking at one more gateway for more government control, more money to government."
Now, while I'm not expert, it seems to be that BP is probably criminally negligent and certainly civilly liable for the Gulf oil spill. That they are a monstrously rich international mega-corporation does not somehow change their obligations when they screw up. And, just like the rest of us when we screw up and cause damages to others, they should have to pay for it. "Paying for it" will mean redistributing some of their wealth, just like when anyone else has to pay damages or fines. The inflammatory rhetoric doesn't change the justice.
Along those lines, I'm not entirely sure what Bachmann is getting at with "administered by outsiders." When I get a speeding ticket [confidential to readers who may or may not be my parents -- this is fleetingly rare], I do not get to determine how my fine is spent. If Bachmann is arguing that BP executives are the best people to evaluate the claims against BP, I would counter that there may be some conflicts of interest and questionable objectivity at play in that scenario.
At the end of the day, however, the underlying lunacy of the arguments is dwarfed by the fact that, God help her, Michele Bachmann appears to be going to bat for BP.
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Hey, I'm with you on BP's responsibility and need to make restitution. No question that BP ought to bear serious financial pain to fix and clean up this mess. And no question that the Federal government ought to bear serious political pain for the inept response and failure to properly regulate oil companies as required by law.
ReplyDeleteMy sense is that Ms. Bachmann wants to make sure that BP's fund isn't converted into a Chicago Machine Politics style slush fund, rewarding the politically connected and ignoring those bearing the brunt of the spill's consequences. But that's just my interpreting her awkward words. However, if we start to see union carve-outs and special deals, like with ObamaCare, well...
I agree with the distinguished gentleman at Bittooth; having the Gulf Coast citizens go to the equivalent of the DMV to claim benefits is likely to prove problematic to the current Administration. If the Feds can't even approve booms, help from the Dutch, or get back to governors, they are likely to make a hash of this fund.
From Huff Post, "a host of GOP officials are raising questions about both the process by which the deal was made and the deal itself -- going so far as to apologize to BP on America's behalf. Representative Joe Barton (R) Texas said, ""I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) during a hearing on Thursday morning with BP's CEO Tony Hayward." I think it is a tragedy in the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown -- in this case a $20 billion shakedown." WHAT?? They are outraged. Christ what is happening to our country?
ReplyDeleteI thought Barton was stupid with a capital S. Fortunately, the House GOP agreed with me, and made Barton walk the plank. Now, if they'd just do that more often...
ReplyDelete"And no question that the Federal government ought to bear serious political pain for the inept response and failure to properly regulate oil companies as required by law." Hilarious. And let me guess, its the demmycats fault. It doesn't seem to be a regulatory issue, outside of Cheney's push to not mandate remote blowout preventers (at the not unreasonable cost of 500,000 per) since the blowout was not caused by BP following regulations, but by BP disregarding regulations, to such an extent that one BP executive said "what is the worst that can happen, we will have to pay a fine." No amount of regulation will prevent criminality.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the"inept" response, good lord, how utterly clueless. 60,000 barrels a day has poured into the gulf, and gj is angry that the Administration couldn't magically make it stop and be clean. It would be like mopping up Niagara falls while the falls are still raging.
And BP is responsible for the cleanup, gj simply can't conceive of protocol and order, that my volunteering to clean up the beaches (for a pay I choose) just doesn't fly. Having tens of thousands of people milling around next to each other will simply make more of a mess. The simple fact is most of what is done is for show, the sheer volume that has been dumped means the first hurricane that comes will dredge it all up and send it flinging into the shorelines. 21 years later and the area around the Exxon valdez still has not recovered. But expoit gj, he knowd betor. He de expoit having gradiated from Dunderhead University. Somethings are simply beyond the control of man to fix or even effectively mitigate. You can do your best, and the only best there is are skimming the oil or burn offs, and there aren't enough skimmers on earth to deal with this. Essentially, it is hopeless, which is why BP was so willing to fork over 20 Billion dollars. You don't do that when you think things could be easily fixed.
"My sense is that Ms. Bachmann wants to make sure that BP's fund isn't converted into a Chicago Machine Politics style slush fund, rewarding the politically connected and ignoring those bearing the brunt of the spill's consequences" more daft gibberish. The man who will oversee the fund is the same person who oversaw the fund for the families of the victims of 9/11, a person of unquestioned integrity. But hey, why bother with facts when all we have to do is say the word Chicago and scare everybody...ooohh...chicago...run away.
charo
"Fortunately, the House GOP agreed with me, and made Barton walk the plank." You know, from a sane person I might find this meant to be amusing, but from the dunce of darkness gj, he might actually believe this. eh gj, post hoc ergo procter hoc. I hate to burst your oversized ego bubble but the House GOP neither knows nor cares for your existence.
ReplyDeletecharo
Congresswoman Bachmann has spent the past two days tirelessly defending BP. She's gone on TV and radio saying BP would be "chumps" to get "fleeced" by paying for the mess they made in the Gulf. She's called efforts to hold BP accountable "extortion" and tried to scare us. She is even crazier than a shit-house rat.
ReplyDeleteOne more swipe....... Barton is from Houston; what else would you expect from a Republican oil man. I have my betting window open and odds are given favoring his employment with the oil industry when he leaves congress. By the way, he has been awarded (donated) 315K from big oil over the past three years. What else can we expect!
ReplyDeleteUJ, what has Pres. Obama been awarded by Big Oil over the past three years? He has accepted more than $213,000 from individuals who work for companies in the oil and gas industry and their spouses. Oh, wait, sorry, that was just his haul up to 2008. Since his election to the Senate, he has become the #1 BP funded pol, to the tune of $77,051 from BP alone. I'm sure that pile of loot is entirely unrelated to his failure to fix MMS, and his credulous belief that drilling for oil in deep water is, as he claimed in his speech, "absolutely safe."
ReplyDeleteIf Barton is a Republican Oil Man for his hundreds of thousands in countributions, what does that make Obama, with his hundreds of thousands in Big Oil money?