Home > Opinion > Bonnie Erbe > Congress Handling the Gulf Oil Spill Crisis Better than Most Americans

Congress Handling the Gulf Oil Spill Crisis Better than Most Americans

Reader Comments
Back to blog

Sooooo easy to say "get over it....just an oil spill"...How about.. LIVING IN IT!!.... Intellectually, polically, or emotionally, which ever stand point..the environmental shameful condition of the beautiful gulf waters is sobering.....not forgetting the death and misery of the marine life and possible destruction of the ecosystem...Change, prevention and recovery must occur... The greed, irresponibility and apathy ...Must stop!!

So sad of FL 11:11AM June 05, 2010

Yeah, where are you Americans? Someone is destroing your backyard and you pretend is not your problem... If I had someone pumping whatever from my yard who wouldn't be able (or just saving money) to keep this operation in order I would just take the charge immediately; don't count on strangers when your house is on fire - do something!!!

concernedcanuck 2:47PM May 27, 2010

This is a large spill yes i know that but i know that this spill could be a lot worse than it is and I still support off shore drilling. It is one of the ways to get our own oil and lower the prices. People say this is a catastrophe and yes I agree it is but the American people need to remember that it can be so much worse than it is. So that is why I still say that we need the off shore drilling as a country. Look back over the years and see what as a country we have been through and came back from and then tell me that this is something that we will never fully recover from. This is a learning experience for the oil companies and for the American government and people. That is the only thing I can besides that I know it will take a while but we will recover from this oil spill.

Kayla Good of NY 8:21AM May 24, 2010

Waaaaaa! some oil spilled. The world is going to end.
Get over it. We are the only nation on Earth who even gives a crap about the environment and we are the bad guys?
America has been infested with the same kind of thinking that ruined every other country on Earth. We were most prosperous when we respected capitalism and freedom and now that the liberal elite have sunk their grimy hands into everything we are burdened with the same problems socialism has caused every single time it has been enacted.
If you liberals want huge government why are you here....go to Europe, but stop destroying the one country that actually threw off the reigns of government oppression.
Every single one you left wingers love the idea of your ideas but they never seem to work out in practice. The real world has called, it wants you to know that socialism makes everyone poor and everyone slaves......including the media, Bonnie.
I want freedom, if you dont, there are places that will gladly make you subservient government property.
When liberals all give their money away to fund oil clean up or point fingers at Obama for doing nothing but play golf for a week maybe ill listen a bit more intently, right now you are doing the same thing you always do. Bashing things you know little about *cough* Arizona law *cough* because its in the left wing playbook.
Oil spill--- bash oil companies
Gun death--- bash guns owners/manufacters
hurricane--- global warming must be the problem
snow storm--- global warming must be the problem
that one is just silly
cutting taxes--- helping the wealthy
cutting government--- starving kids and seniors
protect the borders--- you hate people of color
Its all garbage used to play on emotions.
Its time we start to remember what made this country great, freedom, capitalism, small government,equality....and be honest about what is making fail, liberalism, socialism, preferential treatment of some, and giant oppressive government.
Liberalism is failure, is more equality for some than others, is working for someone elses health care, is being punished for achievement, is being weak as to not offend, is bad mouthing and apologizing for your own country.
Time to put the adults back in charge.

aj of PA 10:13PM May 20, 2010

There are so many things we are addicted to in this country under the umbrella of "liberty" that I wonder if we'll ever admit we're hopelessly "hooked" in at least some cases. Addicts have trouble doing that. In this case, we're hooked on oil--wastefully, unashamedly--just the way many of us are hooked on guns ("7,000 places that sell guns on the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border."), drugs, fast foods (and obesity), porn, and other things.
We keep forgetting that it our being addicted to the wasteful use of oil (larger vehicles than absolutely necessary, more driving than absolutely necessary, more plastic packaging than absolutely necessary, and so on) that supplies much of the money backing terrorism. We forget that the potential supplies of oil, in ground, available to us this side of the Atlantic or Pacific are not only finite, they're potentially destructive to some people somewhere in the extraction. Think Alaska. Think the Gulf of Mexico. Think oil tars and sands in Alberta or Wyoming or Colorado--all because of our addiction to the WASTEFUL use of oil.
There are times I think Americans haven't a clue. But then I think our leaders, who should be leading instead of failing us at every opportunity because of lobbyists (from oil among others), are the responsible ones for not helping us understand the limits of "liberty" and the freedom to exploit resources at will and wastefully.
We're an addicted nation. Face it. But, you know, we're not about to admit it.

Ron W. Smith of UT 5:46PM May 20, 2010

When Juan Cabrillo, Captain Cook and George Vancouver explored the west coast of North America they sailed through vast oil slicks covering many square miles. Heaps of oil-tar cover the beaches. I have pictures from the the 1890s and beaches were covered with tar mounds. As a matter of fact, the beautiful area of Santa Barbara and Goleta that is now a shore bird preserve is known as Coal Oi Point - named after the perpetual slick that once covered the beach. All that from natural seepage - which has been reduced by 75% by the few oil platforms working off the California coast.
Another funny thing, there is no mention of "environmental damage" or any pictures of oily birds being rescued by cadres of enviros in any of the records of the day. Guess maybe folks had bigger worries then.
"Environmentalism - The State Religion"

R.L. Schaefer of CA 6:02PM May 19, 2010

The spill is described in this blog as an irreversible environmental disaster. How does the author know this? It will be many months before the extent of the damage and the prospects for recovery are understood.
Was McConnell talking about stopping new drilling or shutting down current production in the gulf? Stopping drilling will have no short term impact on prices. Stopping curent production in the gulf would cause a significant increase in gas prices.

Bob of TX 4:57PM May 19, 2010

and he tells huge stories based on hot air.
Gas prices will not be largely impacted by this. Typical - McConnell is more worried about that than the death of marine life in the Gulf. What a troll.
Our oil production in deep water is about 2% of the total. Oil produced here is sold on the world market - and it is a small portion of the total, so again little impact on domestic gas prices.
Safety measures are required in all other regions of the world - except in our waters? What a joke. BP and others need to set up their rigs here with the same safeguards used in the North Sea. If they can't afford it, then don't do it. Simple.
Companies should not embark on projects they do not know how to control, and are unwilling to pay to do right, and are unwilling to pay for negative consequences. BP made $16 billion in Q1 2010. Yes - BILLION. They can afford to cover their mess. And if others share the blame, then let BP sue them for whqtever they think is appropriate.
Wait and see what a furor there will be if the oil hits the Gulf Stream and travels to Europe!!!!!

DeeToo of SC 2:48PM May 19, 2010