WASHINGTON -- If Chuck Lacasse had gotten his pink slip four days earlier, Uncle Sam would have covered most of his family's health insurance while he looked for a new job.
But Congress allowed emergency health care assistance for unemployed workers to expire May 31, and seems unwilling to renew it despite pleas from President Barack Obama.
Not three months after lawmakers passed his $1 trillion insurance overhaul, Obama is facing a rare defeat on health care at the hands of his own divided Democrats. Moderates have rebelled against adding billions more to the deficit in a treacherous election year.
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Mr. Wife and his colleagues have not been pleased about BP's lackadaisical attitude toward disaster planning. Reflects badly on large international corporations, they feel. Especially when doing something under conditions more extreme than the company has ever been involved in before. The contact person dead four years before the revised plan was issued was the last straw, as far as they were concerned, because their teams always check to make sure one they active phone numbers listed for all contacts it's standard procedure. Last I heard, current telephone technology is not capable of reaching the Afterlife exchange, which would have been a hint something was amiss.
President Obama told Louisiana residents battling against the Gulf oil spill that he couldn't "suck it up with a straw" during his recent visit to the region, it emerged Friday.
The president's previously unseen comments were posted in a video on the White House website.
"Even though I'm president of the United States, my power is not limitless," he told residents from Grand Isle as they sat round a table together.
"So I can't dive down there and plug the hole. I can't suck it up with a straw."
"All I can do," Obama continued. "Is make sure that I put honest, hard-working smart people in place to implement this thing."
I will do everything in my power to do right by you guys. And everybody along the coast."
Posted by: Mike ||
06/12/2010 8:08 Comments ||
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#14
I would say quit, focus on your cocain, something you do know how to suck up with a straw. "Plugs" Biden finally looks like a better leader to me. ANYONE but you Barry.
#15
Two Dutch companies are on stand-by to help the Americans tackle an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. The two companies use huge booms to sweep and suck the oil from the surface of the sea. The US authorities, however, have difficulties with the method they use.
What do the Dutch have that the Americans dont when it comes to tackling oil spills at sea? Skimmers, answers Wierd Koops, chairman of the Dutch organisation for combating oil spills, Spill Response Group Holland. - more
Note the date! 4 May 2010 - 12:44pm
Where the heck have you been.
The Donks can eat the damn oil after they established the standard of perfection in response to media crisis upon their predecessor Trunks from 2001-2008.
#16
Costner's got a deal to build 32 machines for BP, but apparently the ones he has haven't been allowed to operate so far:
Though the world-famous actor and Houtaling are both pleased that BP has now agreed to deploy the devices, Costner told members of Congress earlier this week. that he'd had a hard time getting an opportunity to try out his centrifuge for the Coast Guard.
"We would offer to take our machines out there but we couldn't get onto the spots because the Coast Guard would regulate that we couldn't get there," Costner testified.
Were coming to this fight very late, said Costner. I think everybody would recognize that. And so were going to do the things that we can do but this company is poised to mobilize in order to step this up and to create an environment where people can go back to work. There is a single moment that exists right at this moment and that is there are people out of work. Theres a moratorium and theres no way to lift that unless I believe the government feels that people can operate in a safe way. This represents that pivot point.
If we want to discuss the what ifs looking back, I think you could fill in the blanks of understanding if these machines were already deployed, what we would be looking at, said Costner. I could scale this out for you and we would be chasing this oil out at the derrick itself. We couldnt do anything about the size of the leak but we would be chasing that and we would be keeping that offshore.
#17
The only good thing to come of this mess is even the Hollyweirdos and liberal environmentalists are beginning to criticize Obama. My very liberal friends have even expressed regret for voting him in!
#18
Obama is an imature POS! He could have released the Oil booms, he could have ordered the skim boat, regardless of where they were made, out to sea. He could have done thi all on day two! Instead he decided to watch some Britt singer has been. This is Obama and Jindells fault that the oil has reahed the marshlands. Make no mistake, while the Kings played, the castle is burning.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/12/2010 16:33 Comments ||
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#19
What is your problem with governor "jindleberry"? What exactly has he not done that he could have done.
#20
Yup, there is law in place that allows the administration to bypass any procurement requirements, do what needs to be done, and still pass the charges to BP. So if Obama had asked the BP CEO what is happening, he might have said, we're evaluating boom in Maine. Obama could have said, "Evaluating? Get it done now, or we'll do it for you." Of course, he would have to interrupt his schedule to have that conversation.
#21
Bman,
1. He wanted to put up the berms a month ago. Said he could not do it because he needed the permit and that permit was waiting on an environmental impact study from the feds. He is responsible to the people of Louisana, he should have ok'd it and moved ahead without the feds.
2. He had the booms on site a month ago. There is a company in California that made another 200,000 feet of boom available last month. He did not act, waited instead for the feds to step in, just like a recent hurricane, now he's upset the oil has reached the shore.
3. There are at least a dozen skimmers sitting in Louisana. They are not made in America and the fed will not contract to use them due to some 1920's law, pure bullshit.
I'm not sure of this kevin Costner deal, or where its at or not at, so no comment.
Jindell did exactly what they did before katrina, bitched about how the big government needed to step in. All in all, he's right. But once he realized the feds were stuck on stupid, he should have used the leadership his voters were counting on and put on his waders and gone to work. Why is it when there is a flood people in the midwest sandbag without waiting for uncle sam to do it? Jindell should have sent his people out there to build the sand wall, string the booms, contract with skimmer captains, and to hell with the fed and coasties until it was over.
Just my nickles worth here. I dont quit and dont take to quiters and to folks that when they have a choice to defend themselves or be a victim decide on the later.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/12/2010 20:16 Comments ||
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#22
That all came off a bit strong Bman. My anger is not directed at you, this is people playing politics with good people lives. The people of Louisana are good worthy Americans. I feel they have been treated with poor leadership from the coward in the white house to Jindell who found it more important to slam the white house than to actually do someting. Please dont take my comment as anger at you. We are soon to have a complete state on federal welfare.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
06/12/2010 20:22 Comments ||
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#23
Jindell is not a leader. He's a slave to process. He's not the one we are looking for.
Well I just spoke to a friend who works on an offshore rig. He said the US have rules that DON'T ALLOW for ships to suck up the water, separate the oil and spit the old water back out. Even if it is much better having 0.5% oil in the water instead of 70% oil in the water, the rules say you can't stick the treated water back in the ocean.
so that might be why they can't operate.
because they'd need to separate the oil out and pump the bilge back to operate effectively
too much regulation preventing solutions?
Honestly if they got those vacuum cleaning boats out to the rig on Day 2 of the disaster it might not be so bad now!
#27
Don, et al, I disagree. Fed penalties are nothing to sneer at, especially with this POTUS - btw his name is Jindal. IMHO he's been doing what he can within the EPA and POTUS restrictions. I don't often disagree with you, but on this, I do
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/12/2010 21:29 Comments ||
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#28
First, sorry for the mis-spelling of Jindal's name.
I'm pretty sure that the President has the authority to waive environmental rules in an emergency. And he has the ability to delegate that authority to the Admiral. But, he won't. That makes this incursion Obama's problem. If he was as smart as he's purported to be, he could have stayed above it.
#32
Your friend is absolutely correct anon1.
Even if he only dipped one teacup of fresh seawater out of the ocean, he could be arrested and both he and BP would face a big fine if he poured it back where it came from.
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