Obama’s Oil Spill

VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL

July, 2010

 

For more than 80 days, millions of gallons of oil have been billowing into the Gulf of Mexico. And for 80 days President Obama has done absolutely nothing to take control of the situation.

We agree with Obama’s blind defenders that he cannot put on a cape, fly to the gulf and personally plug up the leaking pipe(s).

But, since he is President of the United States and his political party controls both houses of congress, we reject the excuses that he is incapable of doing anything to clean up the oil, protect the coastlines or stop the spill from continuing.

President Obama could have declared a national state of emergency on the first day of the spill and put the full weight and force of the federal government behind stopping the spill, cleaning up the oil and building jetties along the coast of Louisiana.

He could have taken the responsibility of investigating the spill away from BP so that they could not cover up their misdeeds. He could have sent the Army Corps of Engineers to try and plug up the whole instead of letting the culprits continue to bungle along while they try to “recover” more oil instead of plugging the hole.

Yes, there is a lot Obama could have done (and could still do) to minimize the damage to our environment, protect our coastline and take action! Yet, President Obama is doing what he has done with every major issue facing America in the last two years… NOTHING. He has held meetings, he has held press conferences, he has walked on the beach with his pleated pants but … for more than 80 days he has not lifted one finger to make the situation better for the people of the Gulf Coast.

Just imagine if President Bush had been in charge and he was allowing a Halliburton oil rig to spew millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf every single day!

Environmental groups would be calling or his impeachment as would most in the new media and every so-called environmental activist would be demanding action, accusing Bush of being completely and totally responsible.

Yet, so-called environmentalists are strangely silent with President Obama in charge. These are the same people who have claimed for decades to care about our fragile ecosystem and demanded government action (force if necessary) on everything from protecting rare slugs living in streams, to solving the global warming… er, global cooling… er, global climate change problem.

It is time for President Obama to stop having meetings, stop playing golf, stop having super-soaker fights on the lawn of the White House and start acting like the environmental president he promised us he would be.

President Obama needs to immediately waive all permit restrictions for businesses and states trying to clean up the spill and prevent it from destroying the very delicate waterways in the Gulf Coast.

He needs to start walking the walk… for we have had enough of him talking the talk and not bakcking it up.