Some Republicans consider BP deal a U.S. "shakedown"

[jackschmittusa]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G42D20100617?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

"He called it "a tragedy of the first proportion, that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown.""

"Georgia Republican Representative Tom Price, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House members, issued a statement on Wednesday arguing the same point."

"In addition, conservative Republican Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was quoted as telling the Heritage Foundation think tank on Tuesday that the escrow account was a "redistribution-of-wealth fund.""

I find it amusing that so many on the Right have called for smaller government, less government involvement in business, and railing against any safety nets for the unfortunate; then the spill has people from several red states screaming for government intervention, government financial help, and government oversight of a large corporation doing cleanup.

So Obama (probably remembering that the Exxon Valdez suit dragged through the courts for 20 years), does something and creates a financial remedy of immediate consequence for the individuals affected, and gets hammered by politicians on the Right.

I wish they could make up their minds.

 

[Atreus21]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G42D20100617?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

"He called it "a tragedy of the first proportion, that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown.""

"Georgia Republican Representative Tom Price, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House members, issued a statement on Wednesday arguing the same point."

"In addition, conservative Republican Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota was quoted as telling the Heritage Foundation think tank on Tuesday that the escrow account was a "redistribution-of-wealth fund.""

I find it amusing that so many on the Right have called for smaller government, less government involvement in business, and railing against any safety nets for the unfortunate; then the spill has people from several red states screaming for government intervention, government financial help, and government oversight of a large corporation doing cleanup.

So Obama (probably remembering that the Exxon Valdez suit dragged through the courts for 20 years), does something and creates a financial remedy of immediate consequence for the individuals affected, and gets hammered by politicians on the Right.

I wish they could make up their minds.

Frankly, I'm starting to agree. This has reinforced a lesson that I somehow keep forgetting:

Politics is partisanship. Period. If the situation were exactly reversed, it would be no less true.

 

[Lemon law]

If we can have a thread title of, " Some Republicans consider BP deal a U.S. "shakedown"

I suggest its equally valid to say that idiot republican is a wrong headed idiot.

Now any of you in the GOP, you too can join that republican in being an idiot. Its your free speech constitutional right to be thought of as a total fool.

 

[theeedude]

Maybe Republican "Representatives" Joe Barton, Michelle Bachman, Tom Prince, and Dick Armey should move to the UK. They sure as hell are not representing America.

 

[Linflas]

Maybe Republican "Representatives" Joe Barton, Michelle Bachman, Tom Prince, and Dick Armey should move to the UK. They sure as hell are not representing America.

Rule of law and justice is blind is the essence of America.

 

[Throckmorton]

And I thought Obama was out of touch...

 

[Slick5150]

So businesses should be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want, and if that costs thousands if not millions their livelihood and way of life? So be it.

Disgusting.

 

[theeedude]

So businesses should be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want, and if that costs thousands if not millions their livelihood and way of life? So be it.

Disgusting.

Not to Republicans it's not.

 

[woolfe9999]

Frankly, I'm starting to agree. This has reinforced a lesson that I somehow keep forgetting:

Politics is partisanship. Period. If the situation were exactly reversed, it would be no less true.

The politics of trying to defend BP in this situation go beyond the politics of partinsanship. It is the politics of stupidity.

- wolf

 

[dainthomas]

In America, corporations get all the rights of people, but none of the responsibilities. If I killed a bunch of people and dumped millions of gallons of oil in the ocean, and only had to pay 10% of my net worth (rather than prison or the needle), then that would not be classified as a "shakedown".

I love how Obama tries to streamline the claims process (rather than bogging down the courts and costing taxpayers more money), hold the responsible party accountable (which republicans allegedly support), and he STILL gets villified by the right-wing hacks.

Why don't they just admit they would criticize him no matter what he did? Everyone knows it anyway.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

So businesses should be able to do whatever they want, wherever they want, and if that costs thousands if not millions their livelihood and way of life? So be it.

Disgusting.

That's why we have courts. If people are wronged they go to court to seek redress. Not the Administration telling a company to pay up or face tougher consiquences.

Should the people affected by this receive some sort of compensation? It depends. Can they make a legitimate claim that can be backed up in a court? Then yes. This system of setting up a fund and people just apply for money can and will be abused. Those needing it the most will most likely get the least.

 

[MotF Bane]

In America, corporations get all the rights of people, but none of the responsibilities. If I killed a bunch of people and dumped millions of gallons of oil in the ocean, and only had to pay 10% of my net worth (rather than prison or the needle), then that would not be classified as a "shakedown".

I love how Obama tries to streamline the claims process (rather than bogging down the courts and costing taxpayers more money), hold the responsible party accountable (which republicans allegedly support), and he STILL gets villified by the right-wing hacks.

Why don't they just admit they would criticize him no matter what he did? Everyone knows it anyway.

You would receive a trial for those actions. Where was BP's trial?

 

[zoiks]

Fucking Repubs.

 

[nonlnear]

You would receive a trial for those actions. Where was BP's trial?

I don't get a trial to determine if failure to pay my taxes is a crime or not. They get withheld preemptively. Sure business owners and some others get the luxury of consent, but most people are in jobs where the choice to pay or not to pay, and have a trial prior to the initial extortion of funds is simply non-existent.
I'm not saying this is legal as I have no idea what the technical issues are. Just pointing out that it's not ideologically new territory.

 

[theeedude]

You would receive a trial for those actions. Where was BP's trial?

Did BP ask for one? It admitted responsibility and agreed to pay.

 

[nonlnear]

Did BP ask for one? It admitted responsibility and agreed to pay.

In fact I suspect that $20B is an amount that BP would be happy to pay. I'm guessing they put it up so quickly so that they would have some political capital when it comes time to argue that they shouldn't be on the hook for a whole lot more.

 

[dainthomas]

You would receive a trial for those actions. Where was BP's trial?

BP had every right to tell Obama to take a hike, and they won't pay a dime until forced by a court. They chose to pony up now as opposed to dragging it out for years and taking a giant well-deserved PR hit.

Shakedown not found.

 

[Craig234]

Frankly, I'm starting to agree. This has reinforced a lesson that I somehow keep forgetting:

Politics is partisanship. Period. If the situation were exactly reversed, it would be no less true.

LOL, you learn the wrong lesson, because of your of partisanship and bias for the 'middle'.

In your world it seems, there are never any sides better than any other.

If Scientology does something wrong, it proves the Catholics are bad too. If men rape women, it proves women are rapists too.

If Republicans abuse the filibuster far worse than it's ever been abused, it's proof that Democrats are equally abusive of it.

And in this case, if Republicans attack Obama no matter what he does, very hypocritically and dishonestly, you say it's proof the Democrats are just as bad.

As long as you say the two parties are not ever better than each other, you are infalliby 'non-partisan' and correct, no matter how wrong.

 

[bfdd]

Really? This is a shakedown? EU vs Microsoft and EU vs Intel were shakedowns. This is deserved.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Obama didn't "force" BP to put the $20 billion in escrow. BP did it of their own accord.

 

[Atreus21]

The politics of trying to defend BP in this situation go beyond the politics of partinsanship. It is the politics of stupidity.

- wolf

No, I can understand to some extent defending BP. I don't get the impression that they've been hell-bent on screwing us over and holding onto as much money as they can. Yes I hold them responsible, but I don't think they've behaved anywhere near as bad as they could've, and I don't think villifying and slandering them cleans up any oil.

What I disagree with is the instinctive partisanship.

 

[irishScott]

All you guys bashing repubs should read this line:

"I'm speaking totally for myself, I'm not speaking for the Republican party ... but I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton said.

And he was shunned by many Republicans as well. Sorry if that doesn't fit into your world view.

 

[sandorski]

They're right! Obama should have given BP $20billion to Bailout the Gulf!!!

 

[Atreus21]

LOL, you learn the wrong lesson, because of your of partisanship and bias for the 'middle'.

In your world it seems, there are never any sides better than any other.

If Scientology does something wrong, it proves the Catholics are bad too. If men rape women, it proves women are rapists too.

If Republicans abuse the filibuster far worse than it's ever been abused, it's proof that Democrats are equally abusive of it.

And in this case, if Republicans attack Obama no matter what he does, very hypocritically and dishonestly, you say it's proof the Democrats are just as bad.

As long as you say the two parties are not ever better than each other, you are infalliby 'non-partisan' and correct, no matter how wrong.

No, I'm definitely partisan. For whatever reasons, I definitely believe that the republicans are better than the democrats. My problem is when republicans stoop to the level of partisanship in which the democrats regularly festered from 2000 - 2008.

 

[CLite]

BP realizes they need PR with their combination of stone-walling on information release, low-balling estimates, having a track record of terrible safety standards in industry for the past 5 years, and finally potentially making egregious management decisions leading to this spill.

So they decided to turn the tide of PR battle by creating this $20B escrow. They made a voluntary decision. I'm damn sure the U.S. has frozen assets of suspected terrorists, who haven't killed 11 people and made a multi-billion dollar disaster, without a proper trial.

So yeah the outrage on this confuses me.