Free BP money … come and get it!
Listening to Obamacrats Robert Gibbs and Carol Browner try to explain how the BP reimbursement fund is working -- or not working -- it convinced me that 20 years from now we're going look back upon the Gulf oil spill and say that one of the more bizarre legacies of that disaster was the Obama wealth exchange fund.
First thing to remember is that at this point the spill is gushing oil at 2.52 million gallons a day. That's up from the first estimate some 50 days ago of 4,000 gallons a day.
Second, there's no end in sight. Everything tried to stop the spill so far has not worked. The next attempt may not take place until August. Truth is, this spill could go on into next year.
So, the idea that a few fishermen in the Gulf missed out on a couple of weeks of income is simply not where where we're at when it comes to this crisis.
Fishermen are hurt, oilmen are hurt, the tourism industry is hurt, government workers are hurt, retailers are hurt ... heck, depending upon how creative you want to get ... everybody's hurt!
So, how exactly is this reimbursement deal going to work? How many seasons will it last? And, can people who are effected by the ripple effect also get financial relief?
Las Vegas, for example, gets a number of visitors from Gulf Coast states. If BP's neglegence causes them to cancel their Las Vegas trips and Las Vegas thereby takes a dip in occupancy, can a Las Vegas hotel get in line for that BP gravy train? And how about those businesses in Las Vegas that depend upon the hotels doing well?
Many of those Gulf Coast visitors to Vegas buy a newspaper every morning.
Do I get reimbursement for that damage?
Of course, I'm stretching the matter for effect. (I am not looking for BP money and neither is LV.)
The point is that our lawyer president seems to have set up a $20 billion damage pool as a "good first step" (according to lawyer Harry Reid) that will become an endless damage pool that will certainly extend far beyond the "small " people fishermen in the Gulf.
Bet me.
