Great commentary to share with all nationwide - a South Louisiana perspective from Jeff Crouere, the Host of “Ringside Politics,” on the oil spill and its effect on our economy:
Since the Deepwater Horizon well explosion on April 20, the long suffering people of Louisiana have had to deal with the worst environmental disaster in our nation’s history. The massive oil gusher has continued unabated for 46 days, while various attempts to stop the flow have failed. Common sense solutions to this crisis have been rejected and bureaucrats from the federal government and British Petroleum have made matters much worse.
Simple ideas such as building island barriers next to our coast have become embroiled in red tape and decisions have been delayed for weeks. Today, no barriers have been constructed and no effective mechanism is being deployed to stop the onslaught of oil. Instead of using oil tankers or even barges to siphon the oil from the Gulf, the two headed monster of British Petroleum and the federal government is relying on booms, toxic dispersants and skimmer ships.
As usual, there is confusion and mixed signals as this disaster unfolds. According to Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser there is no chain of command in dealing with this disaster. The real losers are the people of South Louisiana. The CEO of British Petroleum, Tony Hayward, complained in an interview that he wants “his life back,” but what about the families of the eleven rig workers who died and the thousands of fisherman in South Louisiana who are now unemployed? They are being impacted much more than any spoiled corporate executive.
Our seafood industry is now destroyed and many other jobs are threatened. This week the popular Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo was cancelled. There is no guarantee the event will return next year, especially with the long term impact of the of the oil spill a big question mark. Many small businesses in Grand Isle and throughout South Louisiana have been forced out of business because of this disaster.
At this point, the emphasis should be on how to help the state of Louisiana, not inflict further damage. Unfortunately, President Obama is declaring war on our economy by his short sighted decision to ban all offshore drilling for the next six months. This misguided effort will please radical environmentalists who hate our oil industry, but it will cost the hard working people of Louisiana dearly. At least 20,000 jobs will be lost because of this ban and many of them will never return to the state. The State of Louisiana will lose millions of dollars in revenue, thus making our budget crisis even worse.
The President wants to stop drilling until his blue ribbon commission presents their findings about the accident. However, as we wait for the investigation to conclude, Louisiana will suffer even more.
Governor Bobby Jindal was not pleased by the decision noting that it is coming at “one of the most challenging economic periods in decades.” The moratorium is in place for at least six months, but it may extend for a longer period. This will not only harm Louisiana’s economy, but it will lead to higher energy costs across the nation and further diminish our nation’s efforts to become energy self sufficient. According to Jindal, “The last thing we need is to enact public policies that will certainly destroy thousands of existing jobs while preventing the creation of thousands more.” Even Louisiana U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, a staunch Obama supporter, is opposed to an offshore drilling ban and is asking the President to “adjust this moratorium.”
Once again, a state that has provided so much to our nation is being unfairly targeted by the federal government. Our state does not deserve this type of treatment and we should not stand for it any longer. This disaster was at first greeted with indifference, then inaction and now inept decisions threaten our economy, our way of life and our future.
Originally published OBAMA DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH TO LA ECONOMY | WGSO
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RefBan
Monday, June 7, 2010
Apple iPhone 4 Features: 15 Things You NEED To Know About The New iPhone
15 neat things - but if AT&T does away with unlimited data and Apple stays tied to them, this will not be as revolutionary as the 3G model.
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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Barack Obama: I'm Talking To Gulf Experts 'So I Know Whose Ass To Kick'
Consulting with experts to learn "whose ass to kick"? Hmmmmmm - As a management consultant here in Louisiana, let me volunteer my services. Let me direct you to London, and start with the CEO, Tony Hayward - H-A-Y-W-A-R-D - sure your CIA agents can find him - all over TV right now. As big a mess as he's made for the Brits, sure Scotland Yard would help, too.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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BP Oil Spill Rated Worse Than Katrina; Most Favor Pursuit of Criminal Charges: Poll
While it is easy to bash the government, what we're seeing is a real, demonstrable loss of faith in the ability of government to competently handle the important matters.
We in Louisiana thought nothing could top Katrina in terms of the impact on our region. Wow - were we ever wrong. And the fact that the federal response has been slow, inept, and in many ways, simple seemed to follow BP's direction, is mystifying and saddening. What we see is the absence of national leadership is the emergence of local leaders - like Gov. Jindal, Mitch Landrieu, and the Parish Presidents.
Unfortunately though, when you break the entire ocean and the ecosystem in it, this is a problem way beyond any one person or one region's ability to manage and to rebound - we will need the help of the whole country and the world for years to come to recover from this. And in many ways, we'll likely never get back to the way things were - that has been made impossible by BP's poor management decisions along the way leading-up to the disaster!
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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Aziz Ansari Sings "F--k You, BP" At MTV Awards (VIDEO)
Classic - we in Louisiana say "right on!" Kudos to Aziz Ansari and the MTV writing crew for creatively tying "Avatar" and the Gulf Oil Spill into a nice tidy package!
Watch (and forward this post to your friends!):
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
David http://wyl
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Great Discussion on the Politics of the Gulf Oil Spill
Watch - lots of background on what preceded the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP's mess in the Gulf of Mexico. Very incriminating stuff - especially on the Ken Salazar of Interior and the management/oversight of the MMS:
David
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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
David
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Great Analysis of the BP Disaster: The Other One - The PR Nightmare
OK, attacking BP has become just too easy - and where is it getting us? However, great analysis from two leading PR and crisis management consultants who dissect just how bad BP is doing in the case of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. Watch and agree:
David
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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
David
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Oil Spill Media Access: Government Wants Press Freedom, Pushes BP To Not Restrict Access
Unbelievable that we have fallen so far that we have to actually make a point to ensure freedom of the press. Remember, without that right, we have no other rights. Thus, while the mainstream media has performed laudably in this instance, the more press - of all sorts - the better to shine a light on how this happened, why the response - or really, the lack thereof - has been so painfully slow, and what can be done to make sure this never, ever happens in the future.
Remember that: "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." --Thomas Jefferson
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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Gulf Oil Spill: This Crisis Is an Opportunity to Set an Example -- Let BP Die
Wow - I completely agree with Alec Bladwin, and I'm not dreaming! He hit the nail on the head here, and he showed great empathy with all of us on the Gulf Coast! Great take!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
David http://wyl
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Child Fan Drinks Beer At Phillies Game? (VIDEO)
A Philly sippy-cup?
Just another piece of Philadelphia sports lore - if this had happened in Kansas City, I'm sure it would not have gotten as much attention virally on the Web. But since it is Philly, hey, next thing we know he'll be throwing batteries at players on the field!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
David http://wyl
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Bernie Madoff: "F--k My Victims"
This just in from the federal correctional facility in Butner, North Carolina: Bernie Madoff has groupies in the prison because for now, he's able to invest their individual packs of cigarettes and pay them back in cartons, as well as investing their 35 cents an hour they make in the prison laundry and turning that into the effective minimum wage outside the walls. Right now, his fellow inmates are indeed groupies, but so were his investors when they were making unbelievable returns!
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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Les Grossman: Jennifer Lopez & Tom Cruise Dance At MTV Awards (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Classic- next will be the "Les Grossman" movie - no way to bring the kiddos to that one, but as a Hollywood spoof, it could be a fantastic, satirical look at the movie business! "Tropic Thunder" was the best work Tom Cruise has done in years!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
David http://wyl
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Desperate Student Allegedly Tries To Buy Way Into Class Through Craigslist
Hey, gotta be a business major there! Maybe the "ivory tower" does need to wake-up to market realities - they could capitalize on this themselves, witness what other service businesses - from airlines, hotels and restaurants to sporting events and concerts - do to cater to different demand segments. If you don't incorporate and account for market forces, the consumers will adapt - even if it means going to the grey or black market to do so. With budgets shot and cuts across the board, time for colleges and universities to think outside the box on this one - saying someone from the inside!
David http://wyl
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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Great Video of Billy Nungesser with a Suggestion We Can All Agree On For BP CEO Tony Hayward
Hey - watch this and someone, please, start a Facebook Group on this topic - guarantee you'll get hundreds of thousands to join! Just link back to my posting to get it started.
Great idea - could put it on pay-per-view for people to watch it and raise money for all the folks impacted by BP's mess in the Gulf!
David
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