The American Spectator

THE DOWN PAYMENT
Re: Ben Stein’s Our Caudillo President:

Ben Stein continues to represent the large number of supposedly intelligent people who refuse to acknowledge factual evidence before exposing the uneducated masses to their decidedly irresponsible innocuous thought processes. In his article, he wonders aloud how the President has any authority to ask BP to set aside any money for this clean up/damage effort. I guess he’s never heard of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, created during the Bush 41 Administration, which among other things, sets out that, “…Any party violating this law (i.e. an oil spill) is liable for removal costs and damages.” Of course, Obama could have used the courts to compel BP to set aside this money immediately. However, the courts might have taken months and possibly years in appeals and court dates, time which the Red State residents of LA and AL and MS don’t have despite their typical banter against “government handouts.” They’re screaming for any handouts they can get at this point just to keep the lights on at home. So, rather than go through the plurality of court dates and attorneys, etc, the President simply asked, not forced, BP to do the right thing and BP agreed, of course in their own best interests, it was the best idea. How this is troublesome, I’m not sure, but maybe in the mind of a rich Republican like Stein, who likely owns BP stock and won’t get his next dividend payment on time there is cause for concern.

As for GM, when you own in excess of 60 percent of a company, like the government does, you get to make some decisions about who runs that company. Now whether or not we should own 60 percent of GM is a different conversation altogether. But I would think that if Mr. Stein were a major shareholder in a company, he would expect to have some say about who’s running the company in which he invests….particularly when that person has practically run the company into the ground for lack of foresight and management acumen.
— Cleave Frink
Florida

Yeah, right, Ben, big power grab by the president. Where were you during the last administration?
— Michael
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I work in the insurance industry and when an actor is clearly liable and has liability exposure and the damages are continuing and not clearly ascertainable at the moment, then in that event it is not uncommon for the liable party to make an advance payment, subject to a credit against any judgment or settlement.

While I am not a fan of this president and do not know if the proposed 30 billion dollar escrow proposal is excessive and unreasonable, the request for an advance payment is not unreasonable. Especially in light of the fact that BP is self-insured for this disaster and there is credible rumors it may file for bankruptcy.
— Steven Stern

The Obama Crime Syndicate strikes again. And the taxpayers will pay and pay and pay with no benefit whatsoever. The Marxist Mafia will perpetrate fraud after fraud on behalf of their union partners. These guys make the Italian Mafia look like pikers.
— Joyce Romano
Disgusted American

Spot on as always! I am trembling at what will be next from Barakeshevik and his czars.
— Deborah

Enough of the knocking atheists. I’ve been one for 64 of my 79 years and am farther right and more conservative than most who have posted here. We are like everyone else, faith or no faith. Many Christian politicians are bubbling assholes, but that has nothing to do with their faith. They’re just idiots. Christians are in every political division we have, as are atheists. We aren’t a cabal, just individuals with varied political beliefs.
— Ray

What can we do?? Just sit around waiting for some idiot in Congress to act? Or do we just sit back and watch this man take over our country and our lives!
— Geri

Barack Obama is ruining our country and everyone simply appears to be watching and doing nothing. I do believe God is angry with us. Drugs are rampant; there seems to be no order; our Constitution is being ignored; abortion is a common, everyday occurrence; our lawmakers are trying to take prayer away from the military and others; our president is playing golf while America literally falls apart. Heaven help America if things don’t change in November. I sincerely hope we find some honest men and women to be our leaders.
— Harriet Giles
Huntsville, Alabama

I agree with you whole heartedly. More press should publish comments as you did.
— Len Staib

OBAMA’S EXTORTIONISTS
Re: Russ Ferguson’s Obama’s Plenipotentiary:

Since the federal government can now extort money from a private company (BP) to supposedly offset the losses that will be absorbed by privately owned businesses in the Gulf Oil crisis; can I now ask the same administration to extract money from Bank of America, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, etc. to pay business losses for legitimate claims from privately owned businesses due to the ongoing banking crisis?

I have been a consultant to business owners and the commercial banking industry for 18 years. I represent hundreds of businesses that have either lost a large percentage of their revenue due to the banking/housing crisis, or had their borrowing capabilities reduced, or have been dropped completely by their respective banks.

My company has lost half of its average yearly revenue due to the banking crisis, yet I have not been provided any reimbursement assistance by the federal government; nor have I sought payments from those culpable for our losses, including the federal government, its regulators and the financial institutions themselves.

The banking crisis is not confined to the Gulf region and has affected a greater number of businesses across the country. So when the administration decided it was proper to use federal power to extort funds for businesses hurt by the oil spill on the Gulf Coast, why did it not do the same for all the businesses hurt nationally by the banking crisis; especially when the financial institutions collectively have deeper pockets than one oil company, namely BP?