“Kicking ass” solves no problems when the Gulf of Mexico is turning into an open air cesspool. This phase uttered by President Obama during an NBC Today Show interview demonstrates lack of leadership, a failure to understand the gravity of the disaster, and the zealousness of a lawyer to establish culpable and penal action against British Petroleum (BP). Akin to the analogy of a public building being found on fire – a leader would organize the suppression of the flames, using all available resources and technology to rescue the victims, put out the flames, and ensure the fire does not spread to neighbouring buildings. Our President is doing nothing but point fingers, use his dominions (Ken Salazar and Eric Holder) to make thug-like threats, and brainstorm about the forth coming delictual and criminal lawsuits.
The American people need real leadership to tackle the oil leak. The leak has caused tremendous environmental, economic, and health problems for the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. As with the analogy of the burning building, no leader emerged from the White House, instead the American people were hit with campaign rhetoric, available resources for containing and mopping up the oil NOT being used, foreign assistance and expertise in oil spills being rejected, and America ingenuity and brainpower being left to smoulder in the ashes.
Former President Bush was blamed for not doing more for the people of the South after hurricane Katrina hit, however President Obama’s ignorance, incompetence, and failure to grasp the gravity of the situation has turned Bush’s bad dream into an Obama nightmare. As if the South’s fishing, tourism, and recreational industries have not already been devastated, the President signed a Gulf drilling moratorium, which has had the effect of spreading the economic devastation to more and more sectors of the South’s economy.
What would a real leader have done? A real leader would have met with the CEO of the firm responsible for the oil leak, ASAP, and have asked how the government could assist in capping the leak, providing support, and making ready beaches and shores for an oil clean-up. BP is responsible; however a government should not sit idle when threatened with oil invading the beaches and wetlands of her territory.
A leader would have sought good old American ingenuity to come up with ideas to mop up the oil. Necessity is the mother of invention and this leak has seen a vast amount of great ideas rejected on the basis of EPA regulations, local rules, and an incompetent bureaucracy. Even the Jones Act of 1920 has remained unsuspended, which is a protectionist piece of legislation designed to keep foreign made, manned, and registered vessels out of American waters. The most high-tech clean-up vessels come from European nations, thus without suspending this Act, many useful vessels for capturing floating oil clouds at sea have remained birthed in local harbours. A leader would have also taken control of the clean-up portion of the disaster from BP and not the legal claims element. It is a sad day for America when the President shows more interest in legal claims, then assisting in the clean-up of the worst oil leak in history.
The American people need real leadership to tackle the oil leak. The leak has caused tremendous environmental, economic, and health problems for the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. As with the analogy of the burning building, no leader emerged from the White House, instead the American people were hit with campaign rhetoric, available resources for containing and mopping up the oil NOT being used, foreign assistance and expertise in oil spills being rejected, and America ingenuity and brainpower being left to smoulder in the ashes.
Former President Bush was blamed for not doing more for the people of the South after hurricane Katrina hit, however President Obama’s ignorance, incompetence, and failure to grasp the gravity of the situation has turned Bush’s bad dream into an Obama nightmare. As if the South’s fishing, tourism, and recreational industries have not already been devastated, the President signed a Gulf drilling moratorium, which has had the effect of spreading the economic devastation to more and more sectors of the South’s economy.
What would a real leader have done? A real leader would have met with the CEO of the firm responsible for the oil leak, ASAP, and have asked how the government could assist in capping the leak, providing support, and making ready beaches and shores for an oil clean-up. BP is responsible; however a government should not sit idle when threatened with oil invading the beaches and wetlands of her territory.
A leader would have sought good old American ingenuity to come up with ideas to mop up the oil. Necessity is the mother of invention and this leak has seen a vast amount of great ideas rejected on the basis of EPA regulations, local rules, and an incompetent bureaucracy. Even the Jones Act of 1920 has remained unsuspended, which is a protectionist piece of legislation designed to keep foreign made, manned, and registered vessels out of American waters. The most high-tech clean-up vessels come from European nations, thus without suspending this Act, many useful vessels for capturing floating oil clouds at sea have remained birthed in local harbours. A leader would have also taken control of the clean-up portion of the disaster from BP and not the legal claims element. It is a sad day for America when the President shows more interest in legal claims, then assisting in the clean-up of the worst oil leak in history.
