Who is in charge of stopping the oil leak and the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico — BP or the Obama administration?

Who is in charge of stopping the oil leak and the cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico — BP or the Obama administration? If you have a hard time answering the question, it probably is because the President has told us the "buck stops" with him and officials of his administration say they are "in charge." Yet the administration also tells us that BP has the responsibility for stopping the leak and for the cleanup — but the company's every action has to be approved by the government. Government officials want to be able to position themselves to take credit for whatever success occurs (no matter who is responsible for the success) yet be able to blame others for failure (if even their own).

Government agencies tend not to perform as well as private ones because there is little or no accountability. Everything BP did was overseen and approved by the U.S. government. The reason BP and the other big oil companies are drilling in mile-deep water is because this same government will not allow them to drill in closer-in, shallower water or on much of the land where large quantities of oil are known to exist and where accidents could be handled quickly and with little damage.

Many heads may roll at BP... yet how many heads will roll in the U.S. government which had the responsibility to make sureBP operated safely and that the beaches and marshes were protected? Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal had been asking the federal government for permission to build barrier sandbars to protect the marshes, but the Obama administration dithered for weeks in making a decision, and now the oil is in the marshes.

Complete Cato Institute article here.

In a rare show of bi-partisan disgust, Gov. Bobby Jindal has said what we all knew three weeks ago.  We don't need (and will not wait on) Corp of Engineer permissiion to protect our coastal interests.  We will begin creating a coastal barricade with or without Federal approval!

In a rare show of bi-partisan disgust, Gov. Bobby Jindal has said what we all knew three weeks ago.  We don't need (and will not wait on) Corp of Engineer permissiion to protect our coastal interests.  We will begin creating a coastal barricade with or without Federal approval!

Louisiana Attorney General, Buddy Caldwell, echoed that same sentiment with the equivalent of "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!"  It was mostly 'get out of the way'! Read his press release!

Finally, I totally concur with the language of anger and desperation expressed by Plaquemines Parish President, Billy Nungesser, who's judicious remarks exposed the political farce unfolding in coastal Louisiana.  His video is definitely worth watching!  The good people of Louisiana and its coastal residents, boaters, shrimpers, fisherman, oilmen, and others are extremely capable of protecting our inland ecosystems. 

Federal obstructionists MUST GET OUT OF THE WAY!

Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media, has prepared eight questions about the First Amendment that could (and probably should) be asked during her confirmation hearing.  View them here!

Morality in Media
May 11, 2010

Robert Peters, President of Morality in Media, has prepared eight questions about the First Amendment that could (and probably should) be asked during her confirmation hearing.  View them here!

Morality in Media
May 11, 2010

Obama has nominated current Solicitor General, Elena Kagan, former Harvard Law School dean, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Stevens.  Court watchers suggest Obama's primary reason for choosing Kagan is the belief that she's has the intellectual gravitas to serve as a counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia. Kagan is unique since she has never served as a judge, and since she's only 50 Kagan expected to serve for many years.

Obama has nominated current Solicitor General, Elena Kagan, former Harvard Law School dean, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Stevens.  Court watchers suggest Obama's primary reason for choosing Kagan is the belief that she's has the intellectual gravitas to serve as a counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia. Kagan is unique since she has never served as a judge, and since she's only 50 Kagan expected to serve for many years.

Also, the ObamaCare "age 26" rule goes into effect today, allowing young adults up to age 26 to stay on their parent's health insurance policy.  HHS is expected to publish updates rules governing the process, though it should be noted that these "children" in most cases won't be able to get on their parent's plan until 2014 if they had an opportunity for coverage from their employer.  More important, conservatives have pointed out that many young adults simply do not want health insurance, which may prove troublesome when the individual mandate is fully implemented.

Bottom Line: Though Kagan will likely draw some heat from her work on an advisory board for Goldman Sachs, she'll draw the most criticism for her opposition to military recruiters on the campus of Harvard's Law School because she believed the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy violates Harvard's "anti-discrimination" policy.  Given Obama's remaining agenda leading up to November, Republicans would be wise to draw on every conceivable problem Kagan poses, and drag this confirmation process out as long as reasonably possible.

Capitol Guardian
May 10, 2010

Click here for more Kagan resources.
Click here for Kagan clips.

Our Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution to create a federal government that would carry out functions our state governments could not. Paramount among them: 1) defending the country against foreign enemies, 2) regulating commerce with foreign nations, 3) regulating commerce among the states and 4) regulating immigration.

Click here to read the full article.

Our Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution to create a federal government that would carry out functions our state governments could not. Paramount among them: 1) defending the country against foreign enemies, 2) regulating commerce with foreign nations, 3) regulating commerce among the states and 4) regulating immigration.

Click here to read the full article.