I think one important point that keeps getting lost on impatient Americans is why BP was drilling in the first place. They were drilling because Americans refuse to use less oil. BP had to drill because our energy policy for the last decade has been "drill baby, drill" when especially after 9/11 it should have been "conserve baby, conserve". We didn't want nuclear power or mass transit. We wanted SUVs and strip malls. We went to war for it. Now the gulf is paying for it.
The saddest thing is through all the whining and bitching about this oil spill, nobody is talking about how we reduce our dependence on oil. We need a gas tax, nuclear power, and public transit - and soon. Until we decide to make a sacrifice I seriously am sick of the whining about BP, who did the job we paid them to do, with risks that were clearly not part of the fee but that should have been (this is why we need an oil tax).
1 comment:
Well said! Furthermore, the movement of people boycotting BP is the most ignorant aspect of this whole thing. Nearly all BP stations are independently owned. BP will never feel the effects of the protesting, but local business owners certainly will. Not to mention (disregarding the boycotting), depending on the long term damage that this does to BP, what it will do to the British economy as BP is the largest British company and one of the top 5 corporations in the world.
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