Don’t Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste
The ongoing oil leak in the Gulf Of Mexico is a tragedy by any and all definitions of the word; to the ecology of the area, to the economy of the entire region, to the oil industry in general, and, not least, to the people.
Yet, like all tragedies, this one too may have some beneficial side effects (make no mistake, by no means do I mean to suggest they necessarily justify the price being paid). The ones that come immediately to mind are these:
EXPOSING BIG GOVERNMENT FOR THE FAILURE IT WILL ALWAYS BE
To say that our federal government has fallen short in every aspect of its lawful responsibility in this disaster would be a gross understatement. Not only is it obviously unprepared and totally incompetent, it has (and still does) stand in the way of many groups and individuals that are ready and able to actually help. In a word, our government has demonstrated the literal inability to get out of its own way!
But, you can rest assured that our government will investigate its own shortcomings, once others have resolved the crisis, and the inevitable conclusion will be that they (the government) simply need more power to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. And, if we continue to be the fools we have been, we will give it to them!
In a word, the American people are being given as clear an insight into the folly of big government as has occurred in most of our lifetimes. We can only hope that sufficient of our fellow citizens are watching and learning and will react accordingly.
EXPOSING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FOR WHAT IT IS
Clearly, our president has shown a remarkable lack of leadership capabilities in this crisis. Whether he has also shown gross incompetence is a matter of conjecture.
If one supposes that his primary task is to stop the leak ASAP and to minimize the collateral damage, then he, and most of his administration, are most surely incompetent beyond belief.
If, on the other hand, one supposes that he is willing to let this disaster play out in the most damaging way possible, then maybe he is more of a schemer than an incompetent.
Why, you ask, would he and his administration do such a thing? (I can’t believe any of you really need to ask.) Simple. Their clear aim, from before day 1 of this administration, is the conversion of our economy to a socialist base. They have made significant inroads into nationalization of the financial and automotive industries. But what is the biggest prize of all? Of course, it is the energy companies — those demons commonly known as “big oil”. What better opening than the chance to bankrupt one of the biggest of them while crippling the others with various mandates, calculated to hamper the conduct of their business? Lest you think this line of thinking a bit too extreme, simply consider the offer, by the Dutch, to send equipment and expertise in spill recovery, 3 days after the event, long before the oil had even started toward the coast. How else could refusal of this offer be explained? Indeed, were I not so much against conspiracy theories, I might even question the perfect timing of this blowout and the various non-actions that have followed.
HELPING REMIND US OF THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER
We all remember how, in the shadow of 9/11, the reputedly indifferent typical New Yorker was instantly converted into a creature full of compassion for its fellows. This is as it should be because, the fact of the matter is that civilized existence is, in many very real ways, nothing more than the assumption of shared risk. That is to say, we jointly understand that we are fallible humans and that even while doing our best we make dreadful mistakes, and that forward progress always requires venturing into the unknown, into that poorly understood region where many lessons are learned “the hard way”.
I urge my fellow citizens to keep this thought in mind today as we (hopefully) come together to solve this crisis then to try to learn enough to make it less likely in the future. And, yes, oil production must have a future. For all the feel-good rhetoric about renewable, clean, risk free energy, the actual fact is that no such thing exists in the harsh light of reality. There is not a one of the pie-in-the-sky green energy schemes that is not totally dependent on fossil fuels at some level and many of them use more fossil fuel on the way to becoming “green†than the amount of fossil fuel that is offset when the green stuff is actually used. This is not even to mention the unintended side effects such as the increase of food costs, the decrease in food production, and the slash-and-burn damage caused by the phoney ethanol programs. Programs that simply could not exist if they had to stand on their own economic viability.
My point here is that BP bashing and blame placing serves no good purpose. If any of the companies involved in this knowingly and willingly violated the law, they should be punished. If government officials failed to do their jobs, they should be fired. The time for both is after the crisis is over.
But, if this was, as I suspect, nothing more than a tragic accident caused primarily by our very human limitations, then no good can come from such things as: boycotting the BP station down the road (that is owned by one of your neighbors), by trying to cause the downfall of the company (which is owned partly by your own retirement plan), or by simply wasting time and energy placing blame when both could be better used attacking the ongoing problem.
REMINDING US OF OUR OWN INGENUITY
I am absolutely amazed by the myriad ideas, literally pouring forth from companies, large and small, and from individuals. Many of them are quite simple, inexpensive, and could be started yesterday if the government would get its worthless carcass our of our way. Indeed, I encourage the states, local governments, companies, civic groups and individuals to simply ignore the federal government and start to do whatever you can to help — as I know many of already are, especially in trying to save our wildlife. Please remember that the environment and the economy being damaged are both YOURS. True, the current federal government might have you believe they are theirs, but this is because they have forgotten that they are merely the help and that they work for us. It is far past time to remind them. The Tea Parties are a start but much more is required.
THEREFORE
Let us grieve for all the living things along our Gulf Coast that are being harmed. But let us do it as a people united, with renewed respect for what free individuals can accomplish, and with renewed rejection of and over-reaching government.
There is still a small chance that We, The People can take back control of our bloated governments, at all levels, and force them back into the confines described in our Constitution. But, this chance comes as the result of an accident that will be soon forgotten as the next big story hits the Lie-Stream-Media. Let is take a cue from Rham Emmanuel and not “let a good crisis go to wasteâ€.
Troy L Robinson