WaterMan Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 yeah, thats terrific news for the 80,000+ blue collar employees of BP who's retirement is likely tied to various forms of stock options/company retirement plans. We should throw a parade. The blue collar Joe's should thank their bosses for thinking about their retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 (edited) yeah, thats terrific news for the 80,000+ blue collar employees of BP who's retirement is likely tied to various forms of stock options/company retirement plans. We should throw a parade. What's this word "retirement" you speak of? Oh yeah, that's something only old people used to get and Gubment workers now get. Enjoy. Edited June 18, 2010 by TimC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 The blue collar Joe's should thank their bosses for thinking about their retirement. do you feel the same way about the unions we bailed out cause their bosses have no clue either? oh wait, we bailed those blue collar guys out cause they voted for change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borge007 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 What's this word "retirement" you speak of? Oh yeah, that's something only old people used to get and Gubment workers now get. Enjoy. Jealous? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 (edited) Jealous? Yeah, I'm jealous my company can't steal from people to fund my wants. Edited June 18, 2010 by TimC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 The blue collar Joe's should thank their bosses for thinking about their retirement. So rather than, as fellow Americans, work to help preserve the financial future of 80,000+ people who likely had nothing to do with this catashrophe, we should be celebrating their hugh future losses. Gotcha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 What's this word "retirement" you speak of? Oh yeah, that's something only old people used to get and Gubment workers now get. Enjoy. just wait til austerity comes to the usa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbpfan1231 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 yeah, thats terrific news for the 80,000+ blue collar employees of BP who's retirement is likely tied to various forms of stock options/company retirement plans. We should throw a parade. No worries - if they come upon hardships they will get bailed out. That is the new way of life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borge007 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Yeah, I'm jealous my company can't steal from people to fund my wants. Oh well, maybe next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Oh well, maybe next time After La Revolucion when the Gubment workers are made my slaves, I will see to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 So rather than, as fellow Americans, work to help preserve the financial future of 80,000+ people who likely had nothing to do with this catashrophe, we should be celebrating their hugh future losses. Gotcha. That's exactly what everyone who has a problem with the leadership of BP is thinking. Spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 I wonder if Rep. Joe Barton of Texas will be a Senior house Republican for very much longer? The Party isn't too happy with him at the moment. The Republicans want nothing more than the ability to say that Obama is dragging his feet or not doing enough to fix the problem. Obama's problem. Now we have a dude that is apologizing to BP for America being too heavy handed? GOP lawmaker apologizes for apologizing to BP exec WASHINGTON - Who's sorry now? Rep. Joe Barton, that's who. The Texas Republican, the House's top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions since 1990, apologized Thursday for apologizing to the chief of the British company that befouled the Gulf of Mexico with a massive oil spill. His double mea culpa plus a retraction, executed under pressure from fuming GOP leaders, succeeded in shifting attention from the tragedy, BP's many missteps and the stoic British oil chief at the witness table, to his own party's close connection to the oil industry. Barton started the ruckus at midmorning when he took aim at the $20 billion relief fund for victims of the spill sought by the White House and agreed to by BP. "I apologize," Barton said to BP CEO Tony Hayward, who was sitting at a witness table for another of Congress' ritual floggings of wayward corporate heads. "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is — again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown," Barton said. "So I apologize." Incensed at the gift Barton had given Democrats, Republicans came close to stripping Barton of his post as chairman-in-waiting of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. GOP leaders summoned Barton to the Capitol and demanded he apologize in specific terms. The leaders threatened to launch a process to strip Barton of his seniority on the powerful panel, a particularly painful threat to any long-term lawmaker, according to two knowledgeable Republican officials who demanded anonymity so they could speak freely about private meetings. But it was the notion of an American lawmaker apologizing to a foreign head of a corporation that had caused great hardships for millions of Gulf Coast residents that incited rare Republican-on-Republican rage. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., became the first in his party to demand that Barton be stripped of his seniority. During a House vote later in the day, other Republicans pressed their leaders for Barton's punishment — and at least two in the leadership were still considering that option, the officials said. As Barton returned to the committee, the leaders issued their own statement: "Congressman Barton's statements this morning were wrong." Vice President Joe Biden weighed in — lightheartedly at first, red-faced by the end. "I find it incredibly insensitive, incredibly out of touch," Biden told reporters. "There's no shakedown. It's insisting on responsible conduct and a responsible response to something they caused." Democrats, eager to tie Republicans to the oil industry during this midterm election year, piled on. "While people in the Gulf are suffering from the actions of BP, the Republicans in the Congress are apologizing to BP," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. By midafternoon, Barton was back on the dais with a statement that was something short of what the leaders had demanded. "I want the record to be absolutely clear that I think BP is responsible for this accident," he said. "If anything I said this morning has been misconstrued, in opposite effect, I want to apologize for that misconstruction." Barton then issued, and House Republican leader John Boehner's office forwarded out a somewhat different written statement. "I apologize for using the term 'shakedown' with regard to yesterday's actions at the White House this morning, and I retract my apology to BP," it began, and finished: "I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident." Barton has received $100,470 in campaign donations from oil and gas interests since the beginning of 2009, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The same group reported that since 1990, political action committees of the oil and gas industry and people who worked for it have given more than $1.4 million to Barton's campaigns, the most of any House member during that period. The Republicans seem pretty pissed at Barton. But c'mon! he has to "represent" for the people that financially support him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaterMan Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 The Republicans seem pretty pissed at Barton. But c'mon! he has to "represent" for the people that financially support him! Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Texan Republicans know how to play the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 The Republicans seem pretty pissed at Barton. But c'mon! he has to "represent" for the people that financially support him! you know who received more BP campaign ca$h than ANYONE, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattsass Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 you know who received more BP campaign ca$h than ANYONE, right? ...and has for the entirely of his politcal career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 you know who received more BP campaign ca$h than ANYONE, right? Absolutely! But Obama doesnt seem to be apologizing to BP does he? It obviously led to Obama's speech about opening up the continental shelf to more drilling right before the spill occured (remember that?), but does it seem that Obama is beholden to BP? Is Obama apologizing? Maybe is misread well . . every single post on this thread, but it seems to me that people are angry that Obama is placing blame on BP for this mess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 GOP lawmaker apologizes for apologizing to BP exec The Republicans seem pretty pissed at Barton. But c'mon! he has to "represent" for the people that financially support him! This happens all the time in Texas. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 does it seem that Obama is beholden to BP? hmm, let's see....he's "punishing" them in large measure by pushing to pass a bill they spent millions lobbying for. not to say he's "beholden", but listen to this other guy's whole statement in context, he doesn't really sound "beholden" either. he makes it clear that BP should be on the hook for all of this, he just doesn't like what he sees as an end around on the rule of law in order to scourge them. in any case, you see this again and again with obama...big business (goldman, PHRMA, BP) throws tons of money his way to push his/their legislation, then he turns around and paints opponents of this croneyism as industry shills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Yesterday, Republican leaders John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Mike Pence issued a statement castigating their fellow Republican Congressman Joe Barton. Barton had apologized to BP's CEO, Tony Hayward, for the shoddy treatment he received from Congressmen of both parties. He also accused Barack Obama of a "$20 billion shakedown" of BP. Boenher, Cantor, and Pence wrote, "Congressman Barton's statements this morning were wrong." But they didn't say why he was wrong. He wasn't wrong for apologizing for his colleagues' horrible behavior. He was wrong for claiming that Obama had carried out a "$20 billion shakedown." As later news reports made clear, the shakedown could be more than $20 billion. So the correct statement is that Barack Obama carried out a "$20 billion or more shakedown." Note that I'm not talking about whether BP should be held accountable for the horrible consequences of its actions. Rather, I'm defending the rule of law, something Barack Obama, at one time a professor of constitutional law, might have some dim memory of. His tactics--asserting executive power with no legal basis--were Bush-league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted June 18, 2010 Share Posted June 18, 2010 Well done Az. The same people that argue against using Miranda rights and limiting medical lawsuits are now suddenly concerned about rule of law when it affects poor foreign oil companies. Classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Obama wins BP deal on 20-billion-dollar oil fundBP agreed Wednesday to pay 20 billion dollars into a fund to meet mounting oil spill claims, as US President Barack Obama won key concessions from company bosses in high-stakes talks. Obama wins BP deal on 20-billion-dollar oil fund Flanked by somber looking BP executives on the White House steps, chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said no more shareholder dividends would be paid this year as the company meets the bill from the Gulf of Mexico disaster. The Swede insisted BP did care about the "small people" most affected by America's worst environmental disaster and in a surprise move announced it would set up a 100-million-dollar foundation to help unemployed rig workers. "We have made clear from the first moment of this tragedy that we will live up to all our legitimate responsibilities," a conciliatory Svanberg said, adding that compensation claims would be handled "swiftly and fairly." "We will look after the people affected, and we will repair the damage to this region, the environmental damage to this region and to the economy." The British energy giant will pay into the escrow account over the next four years, and it will be overseen by prominent lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who managed compensation claims by victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. A panel of three judges will hear appeals of Feinberg's decisions over the fund, which is designed to meet the claims of all individuals and businesses harmed by the spill. "BP has agreed to contribute 20 billion dollars over a four-year period at a rate of five billion dollars per year, including five billion dollars within 2010," a White House statement said. "This account is neither a floor nor a ceiling on liability," the statement said, adding BP would not seek to take advantage of the 75-million-dollar federal liability cap for oil companies. The announcements represented a major victory for Obama, who has been under fire over his handling of the disaster, which has raised questions about his leadership and threatened to damage his presidency. Rivals slam BP, admit to emergency response flaws Reading a statement moments before BP bosses exited the White House, the president stressed that 20 billion dollars was not a cap for the company's liability, but was quick at the same time to try to reassure investors. "I'm absolutely confident BP will be able to meet its obligation to the Gulf Coast and to the American people. BP is a strong and viable company and it is in all of our interests that it remain so." But the scale of the company's financial woes was hinted at by an announcement Wednesday from chief financial officer Byron Grote that it planned to offload 10 billion dollars of assets. Analysts said BP, which has already spent some 1.6 billion dollars battling the spill and made a profit of around 14 billion dollars in 2009, should be strong enough financially to weather the storm even if it has to borrow more. "Regardless how the payments mechanically happen, BP has the financial strength to fund it," said Jason Gammel of Macquarie Research. "They have enough cash flow and quality assets that will allow it to fund that type of liability." US experts estimate between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels of oil a day are still spewing into the waters off the Louisiana coast, after an April explosion sank an exploratory deepwater drilling rig operated by BP. A massive slick is now threatening the coastlines of four southern US states, and has crippled the fishing and tourist industries -- vital economic lifelines for the region. BP is currently containing an average of 15,000 barrels a day of oil, which is now being siphoned up to two processing ships on the surface, but hopes to increase that significantly in the coming weeks. The leak is not expected to be permanently capped until August, when one of two relief wells being drilled is complete. Svanberg attended Wednesday's talks with BP chief executive Tony Hayward, along with a battery of lawyers from both the British energy giant and the US Justice Department and US administration. But White House officials said there was no mention of any Justice Department investigation into the spill. The meeting came the day after Obama used an Oval Office address to the nation to try to persuade Americans to embark on a "national mission" on clean energy and end its century-long addiction to fossil fuels. Oval Office speeches are normally reserved for the nation's most somber moments such as the announcement of war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 The most amusing thing in this thread is watching the ABOs tie themselves in knots hammering Obama for taking action after they've been screaming for exactly that for weeks. "We didn't want the action he has taken" you say? Well, what exactly was it you wanted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattsass Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 The most amusing thing in this thread is watching the ABOs tie themselves in knots hammering Obama for taking action after they've been screaming for exactly that for weeks. "We didn't want the action he has taken" you say? Well, what exactly was it you wanted? I wanted him to take action to save the environment instead of trusting BP to take care of the problem. It only took him two months, but he is finally starting to take control of the situation. Unfortunately, he is only creating the illusion that he is taking control of the situation because BP already signed off (yes literally signed documents) stating they would accept complete financial liability a couple of weeks before Obama "informed" then that they were going to do so. It is amazing that this dog and pony show actually impresses some people. I guess when you set the bar low enough.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 I wanted him to take action to save the environment What, grab a mop and bucket and head off to the south coast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 What, grab a mop and bucket and head off to the south coast? tbimm said they won't accept help like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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