BCT Editorial – 6/24/10

Before I begin the critique, I’ll describe my position regarding the oil spill.  Companies harvesting our natural resources must do so in a responsible manner and must have the financial and technological wherewithal to handle worst-case scenarios.  It is government’s responsibility to enforce these rules and to make sure everyone involved [businesses and government (local, state, federal)] is prepared (via drills, for example) to execute disaster plans.  Regardless of what caused the leak, BP and its partners should be financially responsible for stopping the leak, cleanup, and payment for damages.

Based on my records, over two months have passed since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon and the Times has yet to publish an editorial critical of the Obama administration’s handling of this mess.  Contrast the current Sergeant Schultz approach with how the Times treated the Bush administration regarding Hurricane Katrina.  To see what I mean, please read my critique of “America’s disgrace.”

Where Rep. Barton went astray was in apologizing to BP.  Up to that point, Mr. Barton may have been “toeing the party line” because he was expressing concern about the Obama administration’s tactic of bullying and demonizing the private sector to get its way.  In this case, in the explosion aftermath BP appeared to be doing and saying just about everything you’d expect of someone really trying to do the right thing.  Nevertheless, all we got from the Obama administration was nonstop BP bashing and demonizing.  For example, when Mr. Obama began to take heat about not meeting with BP’s CEO, Mr. Obama tried to justify his inaction by implying the BP CEO was a liar.  Let’s remember Democrats announced plans to retroactively change the financial liability limit, an ex post facto law and clearly unconstitutional (Article I, Section 9).  AG Eric Holder attended the “negotiations” for the $20 billion fund.  As a reminder, Mr. Holder had already visited the Gulf Coast trying to drum up charges against BP.  Are we to believe Mr. Holder’s attendance at the negotiations was not used as an unspoken threat of legal action if Mr. Obama didn’t get his way?  We have plenty of laws to make sure violators of our laws pay restitution; we don’t need thuggery.