Bayou Bewilderment

As I write this, the Louisiana shore is awash with oil and more is to come over the next several months. Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are also affected with fouled beaches and wetlands as experts tell us that even the Carolina shores may be subjected to a similar fate should ocean currents act as predicted. Anger is as abundant as the oil spilling from the doomed well and just as crude. And who can blame those most affected by this disaster? From business owners to property owners to tourists. Perhaps more perilous and long-lasting is the loss of wildlife and habitat. The future of the Gulf Coast is bleak.

British Petroleum is no more successful with damage control than it has been in stopping its leak. Whether a mile below the ocean’s surface or three inches from a microphone, attempts to stem the flow of oil or turn the tide of public opinion have failed. Who do we blame? BP? Halliburton? Transocean? Washington regulators? To be sure, there’s plenty to go around and only time will tell if the truly guilty parties are brought to justice.

In the meantime, collective hearts go out to those living in close proximity to the damage. What with the scope of the oil slick, can there be any surprise at a moratorium on further deep water drilling? How else can we get our proverbial ducks in a row and try to prevent any replays? Well, I guess Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal is surprised. He is as angry at this prospect as the spill, maybe even more so. It seems that his rationale centers on the fact that the oil industry and its associated drilling are essential parts of Louisiana’s economy. And without the drilling, folks will go broke.

I’m confused: first heard are screams of outrage at the sight of unleashed crude oil washing up on barrier islands and beaches. Then, when a timeout is declared to review, rewrite, and re-implement deep water drilling procedures and regulations an even louder scream arises from the same group! Can they be serious? Apparently they are and their demands bring this attempt to have it both ways into sharp focus.

Who doesn’t want their cake and then eat it, too? We were all taught that such dreams are simply that: dreams. Unattainable goals. But our local, state, and federal governments have spent the past several decades convincing us that such dreams can be found in a political reality where boons are provided absent the banes of payment. A quid without a quo, if you will. And we’ve been more than happy to buy into this flimflammery. So why not apply the same reasoning to the BP fiasco? Make ‘em pay, make sure it never happens again, but keep drilling so I can keep my job.

It seems that, as a country, we are finally coming to terms with the concept of paying the bill for what we get. Unfortunately, it also seems that only the other guy should pay for what the other guy gets. Our stuff is important and we really need it, but that other stuff used by that other guy is wasteful and must be stopped or he must find a way to pay for it. Social Security, Medicare, subsidies, you name it: all “programs” offered by our political institutions have come with a price tag long ignored. Many think that our continued spiral into ever-increasing deficits may prove to be our undoing. Your guess is as good as mine, but one thing I do know: don’t ask for my prayers, my pennies, or my “pitching in” if you’re expecting your cash flow and the conditions that contributed to your misery be allowed to continue unabated.

If the consequences of Louisiana’s decision to continue deep water drilling were to remain within their state borders, I’d have little to say about it. But the BP disaster will have far-reaching ramifications. The Pelican State is in danger of losing its pelicans plus countless other assets and the fallout of this event will carry far beyond her confines. Much must change and the change must begin with a reappraisal of past practices regardless of the short term economic impact.