Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Layers Upon Layers of Stupidity and Hypocrisy



The hubris of human beings, particularly Americans, never seems to wane despite lesson after lesson after lesson.

BP was allegedly drilling nearly 25,000 feet deep despite only being permitted to drill down to 18,000 feet. Because they just don't give a fuck. And why should they? There is no consequence for their abuse.

There is a safety shut-off valve that costs $500,000 each to install that is required by other countries, including Norway and Brazil, that would have prevented the diluge of oil into the Gulf after the collapse of the platform, but the US does not require it and BP (of course) chose not to use it. Free markets do NOT correct everything. In fact, they correct very little that's wrong with society or commerce. A little common sense would help.

The oil being collected from off-shore drilling, and even land drilling, is NOT US OIL! It goes onto the open market because it is privately owned. So when we drill for oil and risk our natural environment, we are not reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. We are ensuring that it continues. OIL = BAD, where ever it is taken from the ground.

This is another example of privatizing gains while socializing losses. BP has been making obscene amounts of profit by extracting oil while endangering and even exploiting American (and other countries') other natural resources. But take my word for it: America will end up spending billions of dollars on this fuck-up, losing billions more in ruined industry (fishing, shrimping, cruising, tourism) and destroyed water, animals, plants, and beaches. BP will pay some pittance and go back to raping and pillaging.

Corporations are amoral. They do not give a shit about you or me or the environment. It's not their job to care about that stuff. It's our job. But we apparently don't know how, or are unwilling to. So we get what we deserve.

Will we learn our lesson this time?