The Oil Disaster Fallout

As of this writing, we're into the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, for two months now. I continue to be amazed at the absolute ignorance of the American people in dealing with this. I'd like to discuss just a few points regarding the disaster.

First, from a technical standpoint, I admit that I had earlier wondered why all attempts to cap the well involved capturing the oil and none seemed to involve just dropping a concrete block (though a very large and heavy one) on top of the well. I've since learned that because of the pressure at which the oil is being pushed out of the ground, to drop an immense block on it would cause an underground explosion which could then cause multiple oil leaks from the sea bed.

Since just about everyone has turned this thing political, I would like to address some of the most ridiculous arguments.

1. Believe it or not, we Americans are blaming our "addiction to oil" for this disaster. There have been incentives (offered by the government) for the development of alternative fuel sources. None have proven cost-efficient. You can't power your car on a windmill. And has everyone forgotten that many plastics and other lightweight materials depend on petroleum?

2. Even our president has touted a statistic that we have 2% of the world's oil reserves, but consume 20% of the world's oil. I don't know where this statistic comes from, but I doubt the validity of it for a number of reasons. None-the-least is the fact that much of the world depends on the United States of America for humanitarian, military or financial aid. That's right, when tragedy strikes anywhere in the world, who always provides aid? The good ol' US of A. Those ships we send with food and medical supplies, weapons for protection and troops all need feeding. Our ships, weapons and medical supplies are usually made in America. That takes petroleum and a lot of it.

3. While everyone recognizes BP's responsibility for the spill and paying for the damage, few seem critical of the regulatory agencies' failure to ensure safety measures and virtually nobody is holding the current executive branch responsible for failing to move quickly in the early days since the explosion of the oil rig. I mean, why do we have a Department of Environmental Protection and an Environmental Protection Agency?

If you've read this far and think I'm all for drilling wherever and whenever, please know that's not the case. I am all for using different sources of energy. I believe that diversity in fuel sources could reduce the price because the demand on each type would be reduced. I believe that if this disastrous accident could have been prevented, then it happened because of a combination of compromised procedures on the part of the operators and a failure to enforce the regulations by the government's regulatory agencies. If that's the case, I think both should be held accountable for their dereliction of duty.

As for boycotts of BP; even if that succeeded in running BP out of business, it would hardly help anyone. Millions of Americans have stock in BP through 401(k)'s (even some government employees) and running BP out of the Gulf of Mexico wouldn't stop the other countries from drilling in the international waters (the same area as the Deepwater Horizon). Does anyone really believe those other countries have better safety requirements than us, or do they just enforce them? Or neither? Hmmm.

Your thoughts?