BP's Oil Booming Failure

[Tambit]

I know I am somewhat new to Elliquiy and have only just caught this thread.  The information in that video is rather shocking, and it just further supports my suspicions.

But first, I feel something has to be said.  People seem intent on blaming either BP or the society at large.  I will defend society.  You cannot place blame for something like this on everyone who has ever used an oil product.  The reason is simple - oil is a monopoly.  Every man, woman, and child in the US and likely 99% around the world have, at some point in their life, needed or used an oil byproduct. We do not really have an option of NOT using oil byproducts.  Were you born in a hospital?  Plastic was used during your birth.  So, by your argument, the baby is now guilty of this disaster?  The system we have is broken and the powers-that-be do not seem to want to fix it (not that it would be easy to fix, mind you).  It is not a matter of complaining about the price of gasoline, either.  Just because I complain about the price does not mean the government allows the industry to skip corners to keep costs down.  The only time costs have dropped a significant amount was during the recession; my complaints have no real affect on the oil so long as I keep BUYING it.  In addition, the amount of money oil barons make is almost impossible to fathom.  So far, BP has claimed that it spent $1.2 billion on this clean-up effort.  That's equivalent to 2 days profit for them (according to NBC news).  If anything, it is their greed that is powering this calamity, NOT ours.  It has been said that one of these rigs costs upwards of a billion dollars to put up.  Given this level of profit, do you honestly think this is even a slight sting to their bank accounts?  And although hey have this much money, they show no signs of giving up more of it.

BP, who is responsible for this simply because they took charge and have failed time and time again, is trying to save face.  They have offered a sum of money to some of the inhabitants along the coast... how nice ($5,000 for the destruction of their way of life).  They are employing local boats to help (improperly) boom the oil... how generous (14% of which are residents and fishermen - the rest are rich boys in pleasure craft).  They are pumping out commercials announcing their effort to clean this up and how concerned they are... what a good gesture (except the gulf states are not getting these commercials; there's no point in wasting money on people who know better).  They recently spend several hundred million dollars on a solar plant for alternate energy (and in the same year spent tens of billions on acquiring a new oil rig).

If anyone is to blame for this, it is in fact BP and the US government (and it pains me to say it, because I am an Obama supporter).  The government has apparently taken a side seat to the clean-up efforts.  Why, exactly, is the Coast Guard getting all its info and deferring entirely to a private company - a company that is not based in America and which has an atrocious track record?  I know the government has been trying, but not enough.  Not even close to enough.

I for one am looking forward to buying an EV (electric vehicle).  I live in an area powered by a nuclear plant.  I have eliminated a large portion of plastics from my life (recycling plastic is, unfortunately, more detrimental to the environment than not recycling it).  I think everyone should try simple steps like these.  It would be a huge hit to the oil industry in America.


*gets off the soap box*