What the heck was he thinking?

I just got this email from David Vitter, US Senator:

Dear Friend,


President Obama insisted that under his health care bill, "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan." But it turns out that many health insurance plans will soon be changed under the Obama health care bill. The New York Times reported in an article on the health care reform bill that "some people, especially those who work at smaller businesses, might face significant changes in the terms of their coverage."


ObamaCare requires many health insurance plans to comply with new federal government regulations . Many Louisianians get their health care from their employer, but if those health care plans do not comply with the new federal rules, they will lose their protected status and fall under new regulation. In fact, the Obama Administration's own projections estimate that most small business workers will lose their protected status and have to obtain new, costlier coverage as a result of this new federal regulation.


I remain committed to reforming health care with measures that truly make health care more affordable through clear and concise solutions without threatening our nation's prosperity and freedom. The American people won't stand for this government takeover of health care, and I will continue to fight to repeal it and reverse the damage.

Sincerely,

David Vitter
U.S. Senator


REALLY? You send this e-mail out in the middle of a huge environmental, economic and social crisis? This is not helpful to anyone at this time. Rather than being devisive, we need to be working together towards solutions for the myriad problems caused by the oil leak.

Get real, I say

I see people on the news complaining about the oil leak relief workers getting paid $20/hr to work 15 min and then have 15 minutes off. To them, I say, get real! We're talking about wearing head to toe plastic suits in in 95 degree weather with 95% humidity. I don't think anyone could work an hour straight under such conditions. And, even if they did, they'd probably wind up in the hospital.

Tonight, President Obama announced a moratorium on deep sea drilling in the gulf for a while. I have really mixed feelings about this: I completely believe that there needs to be some way to better regulate the rigs so that this doesn't happen again. On the other hand, it's going to destroy what's left of the Louisiana oil industry and a huge chunk of our economy. Is there a reasonable solution to both sides of this dilemma? I'm open to suggestions...

It's a disaster - but then we knew that...

How in the world can BP possibly make good on the damage it has caused Louisiana and the rest of the gulf coast? The damage is far reaching on many levels and growing worse.

A friend of mine is a social worker for the state and they have been given special billing codes just for clients that are dealing with depression related to the oil leak.

What?!? Depression related to an oil leak? These are people whose livelihood depends on the Gulf and the wetlands: fishermen, charter boat captains, restaurant and hotel owners, shrimpers, etc. These are folks who rebuilt after being devastated by Katrina, knowing they had a tough road ahead. But they could see the future of things getting back to normal. No longer. Already substance abuse and depression rates are growing alarmingly as the people realize that their livelihood is gone, not just for a year or so but maybe forever.

And, let's face it, these are not educated people with a lot of opportunities for the most part. Their whole way of life just vanished in the blink of an eye. How can BP make restitution for that?

How can BP repair the damage to the wetlands and animal/sea life? They haven't even been able to stop the lead after a FREAKING MONTH.

The Advocate, the newspaper I work for, has extensive coverage available. You may want to check it out here.

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans also has coverage available here.

Deep Impact

No, this isn't about the cheesy late '90s flick with Elijah Wood and Leelee Sobieski. This is a rant about how BP seriously messed up the handling of an accident on a deep sea oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill itself is larger than the island of Jamaica and growing. It's now estimated that this will be worse than the notorious Exxon Valdez spill in the '80s.

Let me count the ways (and these are just off the top of my head):

1. Even with a history of accidents on said oil rig, BP failed to have a plan on how to handle a major spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It seems like that should be an automatic anytime you have a rig somewhere, whether it's at sea or on land. It doesn't take a genius to know this.

2. The families of the 11 men lost will never be the same. They will be effected emotionally and financially and children will grow up without their father.

3. The entire Gulf Coast will feel the effects on an environmental level. The fragile wetlands along the Louisiana coast may not survive, not to mention the sea and animal life that will be effected. The beaches all along the Gulf coast are expected to feel the effects. Which leads to...

4. The economic impact will be in the billions. This will effect whole industries - seafood boats, restaurants, tourism, etc. And the lawsuits that will come piling in... good grief, the impact might even be in the trillions.

Not to beat a dead horse, but all of this may have been avoided if they had just had a disaster plan on the books...