The Man Who Would Be Dictator?
 

Obama said he's informing BP that they must surrender money to be put under government administration. On what Constitutional Authority? Where are the due process rights of the BP shareholders.

Obama doesn't crave totalitarian power? I guess we're starting to put that naive notion to rest.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/67814

Sounds like what you get in a plea-bargain. In this case (based on what little I've heard) the deal is "you start with a $20B fund and we won't seize your company and throw you in jail".

It'll be great to be bailed out by forcing the senior citizens in the UK to pay for this and who depend on their pension checks, that will be drastically reduced because of this deal. What's the immense hardship on the elderly compared to making people think Obama, or the "Ass Kicker In-Chief", is actually doing something.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ensioners.html

Riddle me this: Let's just forget for a moment that Obama and his administration strong-armed BP executives into setting up an open ended $20 billion slush fund without a judge, jury or any proof of what went wrong or how to fix it. Why is it okay for BP to withhold dividend payments to shareholders, risk the investment portfolios of investors worldwide which, by the way, includes teachers' unions in Texas while it was unacceptable for the auto industry and/or the banking industry to tighten their belts or file bankruptcy?

To the seniors in the UK I'd ask - who forced you to invest in a company that (let's use some demagoguery for effect here) is destroying the planet? Was it your pursuit of the almighty Pound Sterling and you didn't care about the effects since you're going to be dead soon anyway?

I heard this argument used against the tobacco company settlements and why 'pensioners' should pay for the settlement with reduced dividends.

So at best, the pensioners might be innocent if the PENSION FUND MANAGERS are the ones who made the decisions.

Sorry, trotting out little old ladies and pleading for sympathy is blackmail.

And in case you hadn't noticed, the auto industry DID file for bankruptcy (though not quite the way it normally happens). The banking industry (this is what boggles me) had "too big to fail" firms MERGE to become even BIGGER! But in neither of those cases were there crimes committed (though it appears some mortgage brokers might be going to jail eventually).

Comparing an accident from gross and willful negligence that results in an environmental catastrophe and wipes out the living of an entire region... Well, go ahead and compare the effect of this on a shrimp boater compared to a pensioner in the UK where ONE of their companies won't be making payments. Remember, it's not like they ALL get their retirement from ONLY BP dividends.

Okay, djplong, here is what confuses me. You said, and I've heard many others say similar things about BP, "gross and willful negligence." When was their trial or the investigation that found these legal findings?

BK,are you defending BP?

I'm just asking a question. Can you answer it?

The Kool-Aid has been drunk. I know when it's hopeless to continue a discussion. May this usurping of power be everything you hope it will me.

Has anyone watched any of the testimony by BP CEO before Congress on the oil spill?

Here's a blog that updates what is happening. I'm ashamed to be associated with these idiots questioning Tony Hayward. Is there one single person in this committee that understands that Tony Hayward was not on the rig? That Tony Hayward is an executive with a large corporation. I've heard them ask him no less than five times in an hour if he was on the rig or aware of certain things happening on the rig the second they happened. And when he says he wasn't on the rig, they act like that is a disgrace.

This is what happens when you have people in Congress with absolutely no, none, not one bit of experience in the real working world.

One woman now is rebuking Hayward for not being sad enough about the deaths of BP employees. Hayward very slowly explained that he was very upset about the deaths and had expressed that to the families, BUT Hayward corrected her, the 11 killed were not employees of BP.

Here's another example from the blog:

"7.51pm: Hayward says he'd be "very surprised" if his chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, or head of exploration and production, Andy Inglis, were involved in decisions about the design of the leaking Macondo oil well.

"The BP boss is playing a dangerous game by declaiming all responsibility for what went on at the rig. He's not exactly inspiring confidence in his senior leadership team.

"Mike Doyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat, reminds Hayward that he's not running a department store, he's running an oil company with "life or death" decisions. Doyle remarks that he's wondering if he could run an oil company, it pays better than being a Congressman and doesn't seem to involve much work: "Those of you at the top don't seem to have a clue what was going on at this rig."



http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/a...ress-live-blog

We should remember something
 

BP officials are much smarter than Obama and his regime members.

Thinking that BP will put 20 billion dallars upfront in slush fund is naive
and indicates a lack of understanding of a powerful global company.

It will be a long time possibly years before all that money is extracted from this company.

Dick Armey....LOL

My understanding, cashman, is that BP will put $5 billion a year for the next five years into a fund. They will reduce spending and sell some "$10 billion in assets over the next month" to raise money according to an article in the
New York Times. Wonder what they'll sell? Do you think Transocean will pay for anything in the near future. They apparently already settled with the insurance company who insured the rig that exploded to the tune of $401 million.

From the article: "The fund will be created over four years, at $5 billion a year. It is backed by the collateral of $20 billion in company assets in the United States. Though it is a significant hit for any company, the phase-in is intended give BP enough breathing space to manage its cash flow. BP said it would raise money by reducing spending programs and selling $10 billion in assets over the next month. Last year, BP generated profits of $17 billion.

"Mr. Feinberg will segue into his new role as the fund administrator, perhaps setting up shop in Louisiana, just as he is nearing the end of his stint as the government’s 'pay czar' overseeing executive compensation at the nation’s biggest banks, a post created in response to public outrage at bankers’ bonuses after the financial bailouts of recent years. Besides serving as special master for the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, he helped in cases involving compensation for victims of illnesses related to asbestos and to Agent Orange chemical poisoning, among many others.

"The claims process will be independent of BP and the government. Claimants who are rejected will be able to appeal to a three-person panel. BP can appeal only claims exceeding $500,000, unless Mr. Feinberg decides otherwise, said Carol M. Browner, a White House energy official."


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/us...l?pagewanted=2

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...s/6992073.html

???????

Right Wing Spin Machine in full force:


http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politic...spill-response

It seems Dick Armey has it right. That was the point of my post. I'm glad you linked it so I know there are representative who feels as I do.

This is typical Chicago strong-arming. I'd like to know what he threatened BP with. If it's worse than this deal it must be a doozy.

An article in Forbes magazine the day before BP agreed to the slush fund titled, "Why BP Will Pay Obama's Escrow Fund," is an interesting read:


http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource...atedstoriesbox

Surely you don't mean me......I am very happy with the "slush fund" and over the top about the oil workers unemployment fund.

While you libs are hollerin' and whoopin' and having a good time; we are slowly losing and steadily losing our freedom and rights and rule of law. I'm glad you're so happy.

When they come for you no one will be left to care.

RichieLion....they have already come for me.

an apology????
 

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0617/gop...ion-shakedown/
maybe you agree with this idiot

I really find this odd....so let get straight you are more concerned about the elderly in UK than the oil workers, fisherman, tourist industry and the environment in the US.. Did I get that right?

Or perhaps you have so BP or big oil stocks in your portfolio?

Naaaaa ............... I'm with you Cologal, screw the elderly and screw it if Obama flouts the rule of law and shakes down a private company to release their money with threats to destroy their business. I'm hoping he nationalizes all industry and we all have to sing praises to Obama every morning under penalty of law.

I'm just saying, if you can't understand what's really happening; I pity you and Waynet for the grief you'll feel when it all finally smacks you in the face.

Emloyees who survived the disaster were testifying to things like not keeping the batteries on the BOP units (Blow-Out Preventers) charged. It would appear that is the reason the BOPs didn't work when the workers tried to activate them.

When you have BP being cited over 700 times for 'gross and willful' negligence in the operation of their platforms while companies with far more 'evil' reputations (like Exxon-Mobil) don't have more than 7. It means Exxon-Mobil could be 10 times worse than they are and still only have a tenth of the violations that BP does.

It would appear, from the information that is coming out (and that the press is pouncing on like starving lions) that BP had a house of cards and it's coming down. There appears to be a LOT of dirty laundry that is going to come out.

Have you ever heard of people being sworn in to testify in a court of law, under oath? The people who were killed and the survivors of the explosion were not BP employees. Do you realize that? There are many parties to any potential lawsuit or blame in this accident. There are many ongoing investigations. The blow out preventer is still at the bottom of the ocean and part of the investigation is to recover it and determine what went wrong. Do you see how the whole process is undermining the judicial system?

God forbid you or the federal contractor you work for is ever involved some sort of incident based on human error and you are prosecuted before you are given the opportunity to present facts or allowed to investigate what happened. How does that assist in any kind of learning process to make things safer? Notice I say safer, I don't say, so there will never be another accident. In the real world, nothing is perfect. Accidents happen. The best course is to understand how to do and make things as safe as possible. You know the saying, Learn from our mistakes. Let's make sure things are investigated first without knee jerk reactions to blame the person with the deepest pockets.

If the company is cited so many times by a federal agency that oversees these rigs, what role does that agency play in this? What were the outcomes of the citations? Have you researched that or are you just repeating what you read or heard on the "news?" I'm not saying they weren't cited. The process doesn't stop after the citation.

I just find it unbelievable that all the anti-oil people on this blog are so happy with our government as if it was doing anything remotely useful.

BP is struggling to shut this leak; the government seems to know crap on how to accomplish this, and it's action is to flog the people who have to accomplish this in a self-serving circus of chest-puffery.

In Louisiana where the people affected by this spill are working to protect hearth and home, the government reaction is to stop them. The Coast Guard has been mobilized against citizens until they are satisfied that the people protecting their property are up to code on life jackets and fire extinguishers and what-not; supposedly; while they, of course, do NOTHING!!

With all the oil shut off for who knows how long, and the push for Cap & Trade and the inevitable dramatic increase in the need for foreign oil, which will cause prices to astronomically skyrocket, will you then still be happy with all this posturing.

The dupes who fall for this freak show of a thugocracy are pitifully naive.

How did we become anti oil people? There are a number of things I am anti but oil ain't one of them.

Corporations have to be made accountable....BP leased this rig and were the ones who made the decisions. So your idea is let this all play out in a court of law and when all the fun and games are over in 10 -15 years. Everyone will know who to sue and a new round of court actions will start. But what will become of the "small people". The fisherman will be long out of business and the lives ruined. Is that what you really want?

I sure as heck didn't like 43 but your abolute hatred of 44 goes far beyond anything I thought of.

As far as 44 goes; I abhor all progressives.
If you like something I guess the rule of law can go out the window. I get it.

So Tony Hayward and BP are good citizens and are not culpable for the disaster and were so prompt and forthcoming in offsetting the very real, long-term financial losses that there was no need to step in and grab the bull by the horns and create a better, more efficient way to compensate the real victims of this mess?

A better way than the Constitution? Do you realize they have already paid out more than $80 million in claims to ordinary residents in the Gulf? Claims at claims centers set up by BP where ordinary residents come in and fill out the paperwork and document their lost wages. $80 million. Think about that.

He's the guy in charge..."the buck stops here"...and he is oblivious or does not care. Did you notice that the board of directors has removed him from the whole deal? They get it...why don't you?

Off with his head!! A public stoning first! But wait, let's first do to BP what we did to the drunken captain of the Exxon Valdez Joseph Hazelwood.

bp
 

You can hate progressives,liberals,Obama,apple pie and chevrolet but to defend BP in any way is totally immoral. They and they alone are responsible for this spill. The gov't reaction to it the attempts at closing the hole are a different issue. Please don't confuse the two. BP is liable for all damages and 20 billion is nothing for the damage THEIR rig has caused.

There are attorneys who will defend baby killers. I'm just saying let's have an investigation, gather the facts and let them be tried first. What part of the US Constitution don't you people understand. It is the law that stands between us as Americans and a monochary.

BK,what part of this don't you understand?An entire way of life is at jeopardy. It's not just about jobs or animals,it's about a way of life.All Obama is insisting on is responsible conduct and a responsible response to something THEY caused.Putting aside 20 billion to take care of the IMMEDIATE needs of these people who are not rich,who have bills,who must feed their families is not against any law. It's to take care of the people NOW. They can't survive 15 years of court battles. I don't understand your total disregard for the plight of fellow Americans and your defense of an oil company that has caused the greatest disaster in American history.

You know this is not the first time you tried this tatic...so the rule of law is important for all of us. If this action is unlawful then BP can take the US government to court. Just like when Truman tried to seize the Steel Companies. I know I am not a lawyer are you? Some lawyer will try to make some money on this you can bet on it.

And if you don't like something then its socialist, Chicago tactics, right from the Sal Alinsky playbook.......etc.

Again
 

You do not get it and your sarcastic comebacks prove it.

BP and BH are equally responsible for the oil spill because they sit in the seats where the buck stops.

We thinkers are aware that BH and his crowd are using Chicago style tactics.
If you disagree with that you are just not processing the facts

What he did was threaten BP with something more ominous than the loss of this incredible amount of money from it's investors. How do I know? BP would never have caved otherwise. This is how he got away from the letter of the law and as the President of our supposedly free nation I find his actions despicable and sordid. Ends don't justify the means.

While you're celebrating your darling President, look up the word "incrementalism" and you'll understand what might be happening to the way, I'd wager, you once understood America, and how far your view has slid from when you were a girl.

Please google Obama's mentors, teachers and backers and you'll see every indication he is an Alinsky protege and socialist activist. I posted a graph of the influential people behind this man on this blog. Look at it and tell me where I'm mistaken.

feel bad for BP?