The 'drill here, drill now, pay less' folks are still at it

Nearly two months have passed since the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and oil continues to flow into the waters that so many people depend on for their livelihood. Now people in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida are praying to God that somebody somewhere can figure out how to stop the oil from destroying the waters they have fished for years.

Question is, where are the “Drill here, Drill now” folks from the election of 2009? Don’t worry. They are still on the crusade.

During the presidential campaign there were news casts, commercials, and debates where candidates talked about whether or not we should do more drilling off shore wells.  Breaking our dependency on foreign oil was the central talking point for those in favor of more drilling.

The oil began gushing into the Gulf in April and I thought the “drill here, drill now, pay less” folks would keep quiet, but that’s not the case. 

There were many conservative groups that bashed any candidate running for election that was opposed to more drilling, often saying that those people were somehow anti-American.

In a 2008 letter on the conservative website Humanevents.com written by Newt Gingrich, he talks about all the reasons we should “drill here, drill, now, pay less”.  All the talking points he addresses in the letter talked about the liberal Congress that is forcing Americans to pay more at the pump. (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26608)

In that same year, Gingrich began American Solutions for Winning the Future (ASWF).  The organization used “drill here, drill now, pay less” to promote the false idea that new offshore drilling could somehow lower gas prices for Americans. In spite of the massive oil spill that is killing wildlife, sea life, reefs, and destroying beaches, the propaganda for more off shore drilling continues without missing a beat.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is still in favor of more drilling in spite of the 1980’s Exxon-Valdez disaster that happened in her own state.  Palin says, “I repeat the slogan “drill here, drill now” not out of naivete or disregard for the tragic consequences of oil spills. I continue to believe in it because increased domestic oil production will make us a more secure, prosperous, and peaceful nation.”

It sounds like she forgot that her people fought with Exxon for nearly twenty years to pay for cleanup costs and settle “legitimate” claims.  BP’s promise to the people in the Gulf region sounds mighty familiar to the promise Exxon made to the people of Alaska.    

Anyone out there with a clear definition of what a “legitimate” claim is, please let me know what it means. 

I guess fishermen are going to have to guess-timate how many fish they would have been able to catch if the fishing grounds weren’t closed off.  This reminds me of the deceitful insurance companies that have been receiving money from clients for 25-30 years and when a disaster strikes, they catch amnesia when it’s time to pay out.   Or they tell the family that the coverage they had didn’t cover that particular disaster. 

Like the insurance industry, I think the oil industry is more concerned with making money than they are looking out for the well being of their customers.

Just a little bit of insight to the people in the Golf region.  Ask the victims of the Exxon-Valdez fiasco in Prince William Sound, Alaska if they would like drilling to continue off of their coastline. 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like our dependency on foreign oil as much as the next person, but there are consequences that come along with drilling so close to our borders. “Drill here, drill now, pay less” sounds good in theory, but it’s not that simple.

I have not purchased gas from BP since the spill and if I can avoid using their pumps, I will.  Their action, or lack there of in correcting this problem has been unacceptable.  The smartest way for consumers to show their dissatisfaction with BP and their clean-up efforts is by not buying their product.

Originally published by the Charlton County Herald on June 22, 2010 http://www.charltoncountyherald.com/articles/2010/06/24/opinion/editorials/doc4c20c738ced9d971111501.txt