A Limited, Weak Govt Cannot Defend the Public Against Big Business
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13 June 2010
It is absolutely appalling to hear Republicans complain about the government's response to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico when not 2 minutes before the crisis they were warning about the perils of big government and whining that the nation will turn into a communist state. Even a government of our size is having a tough time responding to the repeated screw-ups of big business from the banking industry, to the insurance industry, to the oil industry. The conclusion drawn from such troubled times is that a limited, weaker government cannot defend its citizens against the perils of big business.
Unlike what the acidic tongue of Ronald Reagan proclaimed in the 80s, government is not the problem. A nation being choked by big businesses in every sector is what's causing our nation to flail around like brown pelicans caught in an enormous oil slick.
It's a perfect metaphor if not a giant tragedy that the Gulf of Mexico is awash in the greed of big business just as this nation and our government is awash in mediocrity. The problem of mediocrity, we all thought, was solved by the election of Barack Obama. But it appears the president has been dunked in a giant glob of muck where mediocre advice has caused him to do things in half-measures and to make ass-backwards decisions which are a little too cute by half; decisions like wanting to increase offshore drilling just weeks before the BP oil disaster.
This is a period of major change which requires a new way of thinking. Increasing the use of fossil fuels while at the same time proclaiming the need for renewable energy is unacceptable in this period of time. And, yes, it may require a government large enough to handle such a major shift.
Computer models show oil leaking from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico could wind up on the East Coast and even get carried on currents across the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe.