Independence Day

[Sousuke]

May we please have our British overlords back? Can you bring the NHS with you please. Thank You!

[Jason T. Radice]

Andrew is correct, this rig was inspected, permitted, and even won a safety award from the government! The oil industry is one of the most tightly regulated businesses in the nation, and BP was playing ball with the gov’t with massive political donations (mostly to Obama, believe it or not) for ease on regulation and inclusion in the alternative energy stuff. BP also has the worst safety record of any driller in the gulf, and yet THEY get the permit? Hmmmm. This rig was also drilling in over a mile deep of ocean because of regulations. Our causes can’t see their effects…environmentalists (I’m a conservationist) pushed the drilling further and further off shore to the point when something happened, there is nothing you can do about it. With close shore drilling divers can go down and fix any problem, but they can’t in a mile deep of water. On shore drilling is even better, but is prohibited. Ever hear of a spill in Long Beach where wells are all over the land and near shore? Tankers have an even worse safety rate. About freedom…No oil company would drill deep voluntarily, its expensive and dangerous, when they can drill closer in in shallow water where it is cheaper and safer. Cleanup ships from around the world offered to come and help clean-up, often for a fee, but the gov’t said no to protect Union jobs. BP is BUYING cleanup ships in order to get around the Jones Act (another regulation) and training American workers to run the ships to get around it, because the administration won’t waive the act the way every other president has in the past. Free enterprise would have has this cleaned up already. ‘The Whale’ is a private tanker that was converted to cleanup the spill by a private company. This is how the oil question ties into the “freedom” question, the government has the oil on its hands with this one.

[Ben Yahr]

Along the lines of the principals set forth by the founding fathers, it is extremely important to have a solid understanding of the issues and the facts. We can’t all be petroleum geologists, but we also can’t believe everything we hear on our favorite media outlet. Start by understanding the quantity of oil that we currently use for gasoline- roughly 9 million barrels a day or over 3 billion barrels per year. http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html

The premise that “environmentalist’s” are the reason for offshore drilling is comical. Sure there is some oil available close to shore, but not in the quantities that would do us a bit of good.

In general, deepwater drilling is being pursued because its the best (only?) option that is available.

Briefly examine the energy return on investment from various oil sources and it becomes obvious that the days of “gushers” are gone. Which, coincidentally is one major advantage to offshore drilling. Not only are the reserves much larger than those close to or onshore, once the well is in place, the oil is much easier to extract. Additional reading: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article20587.html

The Shipbuilders Council of America appears to disagree with your claims about the Jones Act: http://www.shipbuilders.org/Portals/Shipbuilders/documents/pdf/Jone…

[Trace One]

This is meant to be a reply to JASON RADICE’S comments, but for some reason it keeps slipping back to Ben Yahr’s place. So to be clear, this comment is in reply to Jason Radice’s comments;

Ah-ha! so the argument about regulation and the oil spill DOES have some relevance to a discussion of what america is all about..

I think you are wrong on many facts, Jason, in your oil spill narrative – I must read different newspapers than you.
But to try to stick to the general, as Andrew wants?, I am assuming you are in the ‘government should be small enough to drown in a bucket’ as the future of America.

If you want me to go into your oil spill narrative, I will. But unless you ask me to, I will confine my comments to my own opinon that now is exactly the time when we need more and better government. Not less. That is the future of America for me – we need to wrest it away from corporations, despite the efforts of the Supreme Court, and learn how to act for the public good, as a society.
Yes, me and Bernie Saunders Senator from Vermont. Democratic Socialists.

[Baxter (Gene) Miller]

To your later point. Unlike the 1700’s your survival is guaranteed by the state, you can be as lazy as you want and you will be fed and housed. Back in the time of the revolution the loss of rights and the tyranny of a government would mean that you not survive. In these days of Government tyranny the government can not guarantee your survival due to the debt and that future rationing of services. Social security is soon to be over, medical coverage will be limited to the chosen and food stamps will be devalued because of the inflation that will surely come from too much debt. Now you know why revolution is possible. I am hoping it will be a revolution of thought not violence. The progressive movement has run it’s course, just as it did in the 1920’s and 30’s. It is time for self reliance at home, community and state government. People who are surviving day to day could careless about global warming, ask the third world.

[Author]

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