We have an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has turned into a major disaster, still of unknown consequences, maybe far into the future. It is 48 days since the explosion and spill and the spilled oil in the waters of the Gulf has yet to be removed timely. The plugging of the well by the drilling of two relief wells will not take place until August we are told by BP officials. Mean while the oil industry still has no method to cap the well and stop the spillage.
Yet many of Louisiana's elected officials, oil industry representatives, other Louisiana industries and other leaders are questioning President Obama's moratorium on offshore drilling on the basis of lost jobs in the oil industry and the state because of such shut down. Those people want it both ways. What elected officials and business leaders should be doing is telling the oil and gas industry to direct their drilling activities to the millions of acreage they own, rent or lease onshore Louisiana and else where in the USA that are sitting idle so they can keep their workers busy and on the job until the moratorium is canceled. Any loss of jobs is of the oil companies making and they themselves should take care of their own employees and other industries who have been harmed by the spill.
I can see where all this is leading to. When all is done with this spill it will be business as usual between Louisiana's elected officials and the oil and gas industry. We will have learned nothing because of the corrupting influence that wealth has on our elected officials. President Obama is the only one who can change that and hopefully he will be up to the task.
