Government Delays Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup

by Ronnie Spangler

No one can defend British Petroleum (BP) for the disaster taking place in the Gulf Coast. That being said we must take a long hard look at how the US Government and this administration has reacted to this crisis. In the minds of most people it has been slow and dismal at best. Due to the bureaucracy built into are system we should have seen it coming and expected nothing better from our government.

With a system heaped in turf battles and bureaucrats fighting for organizational power, cleanup efforts and efforts to prevent the oil from coming ashore have been drastically undermined.

The President has tried to have it both ways. He has said we are in charge but BP is responsible and they are handling everything from containment to cleanup. The problem facing the government is competing agencies with different policies have different rules for the way BP deals with containment and cleanup. This has caused mass confusion and has hampered BP and Gulf Coast state governments in their efforts in both areas. This confusion has allowed not only the containment but also the actual cleanup to become a lackluster effort at best.

Not only must BP deal with the economic claims from residents and business along the coast, BP must try to understand and follow overlapping jurisdiction from a ever increasing number government agencies. Before they can take any action to prevent the spread of oil or the onshore cleanup, they must first make sure they have the approval and then follow the guidelines of each and every agency or bureaucrat.

It is no better for the states along the Gulf that must deal with all of these different federal agencies. Being a private entity, just try to imagine what it would be like trying to follow American laws (some written as far back as 1920) and all of the different rules of the different agencies of the Federal Government. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Here are a few of the agencies BP and states along the Gulf must deal with during this crisis.

Coast Guard
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Office of Air and Radiation
Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Office of International Affairs
Office of Water
Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Department of Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Minerals Management Services
National Park Services
Fish and Wildlife Services
Corps of Engineers

There are more but each of the above agencies or divisions or offices within the agency has its own interest and guidelines that must be followed.

OSHA in its effort to protect American workers only allows contracted workers or Federal workers to work 20 minutes out of 60 minutes cleaning up oil that has reached the shore. At this rate for every 100 employees working for 20 minutes another 300 employees will be standing around for 40 minutes doing nothing. Americans working for Jiffy Lube changing oil in vehicles work 8 to 10 hours a day without this kind of policy.

If the President was serious about helping the Gulf area and reducing the effects of this disaster, in the very beginning he would have declared this a National Disaster. This would have allowed a national emergency response that could have relaxed or eliminated some of the political and bureaucratic infighting and confusion.

Lessons learned from this disaster will not be known for years to come. This Administration will never admit any failings. From the beginning they have felt it was only necessary to find fault and lay blame. I have still not been able to understand how the Federal Government (especially the Executive Branch) can abdicate government responsibility, procedures, or enforcement of federal policy such as closing or restricting access to public beaches, to private entities like BP.

The President will have his meeting with BP and give a great speech where he will announce a tougher stand and maybe a breakthrough on settling claims faster and more efficiently. One idea is to create an escrow account paid into by BP and having a third party independent committee settle the claims, more bureaucracy. If the government sector can really be more efficient than the private sector I would suggest BP place in escrow in each state along the Gulf $25 million dollars for the state agency to settle claims related to damages from the spill. This should carry residents and businesses through the year and will not release BP from future claims or damages. Money that was not spent by one state could be transferred to another state or more added as legitimate claims increased.

The biggest problem facing the government and BP will be deciding who and what part of the economy was effected by the oil spill and how much of a percentage point did the already failing economy play in industries like tourism. There is one fact that cannot be ignored. With the national unemployment rate near 10%, in some states 12%-15%, tourism would have declined not only along the Gulf but throughout the country as well. Families that could take a vacation or had extra money to spend had already decided to stay closer to home. Parents were discussing cheaper ways to enjoy their time off long before the oil spill. Another fact of life is normally unemployed people do not travel from state to state on vacations.

It is time to lay equal blame on both BP and the Federal Government for failing to limit the disaster of the accident on the oil rig. It is also time for America to understand that big government is not the answer to every problem. A large bureaucratic government only enlarges a problem and sometimes turns a crisis into a national disaster with far reaching consequences.

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BP Facing Bankruptcy Take Over

By Ronnie Spangler


British Petroleum (BP) is moving closer to the days of bankruptcy or a hostile take over by the Obama Administration or China. With their stock steadily declining in value it is only a matter of time before another interested party makes a move to buy up the cheap stock (as compared to other oil companies) and gain control of BP. China has already said they are interested in BP and some in Congress have suggested the Obama Administration should take over the North American Operations Division of BP. England has said privately that they would not be completely opposed to a move by President Obama taking over this part of the company. On the other hand England has warned the President his constant bereavement of BP has affected the value of the company so much that retirees in England are loosing money from dividend payments and it is beginning to affect their financial well being.

President Obama understands that most Americans could care less how the loss of dividend payments affects British shareholders and retirees so he will continue to hammer BP forcing their value on the market to steadily decline. Due to the President's political ideology and his stated goals of transforming America, he is determined to use this crisis in the Gulf to his advantage. Using the same scenario he used to gain control of General Motors the President is betting the Feds can out maneuver China after BP's stock falls low enough on the open market.

Given a choice England will do everything in their power to side with President Obama to prevent China from gaining control of BP. In the mind of British leaders and the board members of BP it will be a choice of two evils. Everyone in the business world sees what is going on but they are powerless to stop it. Gaining control of one of the largest companies in the oil industry will be just one more step in President Obama's plan for a total transformation of America.

People think President Obama is just incompetent or too inexperienced in the way he is handling the crisis in the Gulf. If you consider his ideology of never letting a crisis go to waste, working with BP to minimize the crisis would be the last thing he would want to do. Without shifting all of the blame, responsibility and anger onto BP his plan will not succeed.

Sadly as the lawyers get richer, more Americans become unemployed, revenues from tourism continue to decline, American anger towards BP continues to rise and the value of BP on the open market continues to fall the crisis in the Gulf will move to a higher level. That level will be announced by the Administration. Just before and as their excuse for taking over a controlling interest of BP, the Administration will declare it to be a matter of national interest.

For those that cannot understand why the President has not talked to the CEO of BP since the oil spill began, this is the only answer that makes sense. Will it work, only time will tell.

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Obama, Moses and Ramses

By Ronnie Spangler

Trying to understand or predict the direction President Obama is leading the country into is like predicting the path of a tornado before it touches ground. One way to try to understand this President is to look at the past. In this comparison I will not reach definitive or personal opinion of the President simply because most will feel this is an unfair comparison. Why, because the comparison of events and actions taken by the main characters are of a real life President Obama verses the 1956 Hollywood version of "The Ten Commandments" Moses and Ramses. Is it fair, only to the extent that all three characters had their own idea of the direction they had envisioned for their country and/or people.

In the Hollywood and biblical version of Moses he was directed, guided and protected by God to set the enslaved people of Israel free from Egyptian bondage. Ramses on the other hand saw himself as the all powerful Pharaoh with his own God that was more powerful than any God of the Jews. While Moses was submissive to his God Ramses at times felt as Pharaoh he was a god, hence his belief that "I am Pharaoh I am Egypt."

So where does President Obama fit in? Like Ramses his arrogance leads him to believe that he and he alone can solve all of the problems of America and the world. In the movie Ramses often said, "So let it be written, so let it be done." This was his arrogant way of saying "I have made my decision and it is the right decision. No one should question it and no one can refuse to carry out my decision. I am Pharaoh and once my decision is written in stone the problem is solved."

It could be said that President Obama treats modern day problems much the same as Ramses. He did inherit an economy that was crashing and an unemployment crisis. His answer was health care reform, a huge spending spree and the take over of private industries. In this case he heard the problem, made his decision and once the Congress had written the policy the problem was solved. In reality nothing has been solved but in the mind of this President if everyone just follows his written word then the problem no longer requires his attention, except to occasionally remind people that everything is getting better.

In the case of Moses he never believed he had the answers for the problems facing the Israeli people. He asked God for guidance and left many of the decisions facing the Israeli people, up to the people. When he confronted Ramses and demanded that he let the enslaved people go, he demanded on behalf of God and told Ramses that God, not Moses, would punish Egypt if the Pharaoh refused. Moses being submissive to God understood and often said he had no power but that God had all the power and was using Moses to guide his people to the promised land. In simple terms Moses was a man of humility and free from arrogance.

With President Obama it has become increasingly clear that this is a man completely void of humility and steeped in arrogance. If everything goes right he, his supporters and most of the media, will always find a way to credit the President. If things go wrong there will always be someone to blame, witness the many soles thrown under the infamous Obama bus.

Under Ramses, Egypt was headed for total domination of the known world thereby enslaving the conquered people of other nations in order to enhance the power and riches of the Pharaoh. On the other hand, Moses was summoned by God to free his people from bondage and deliver them to the promised land. A land ruled by the people with the right to decide for themselves whether they would follow the laws of God and have his protection, or sway from God and be ruled by tyrants and dictators.

With the Pharaoh, the people have no say in the direction their country is going and no say in the matters of state. Ramses made all decisions for Egypt and never felt the need to listen to the common man. Moses informed the people of Israel of God's intentions for them and let the people make the decision to follow or not. Once they were free from the influence of Ramses they came to a crossroads where they must accept or defy the laws (Ten Commandments) sent down from God. Those that chose to follow the basic laws from God went on to form a nation with a government that listened to the people and based their decisions on the will of the people. When they as a nation strayed from those basic laws their nation was lost and once again fell to tyrants and dictators.

Today President Obama seems to have a total disregard for the will of the people. In every recent policy decision he has strayed from the will of the people. The majority of Americans were against his spending and expansion of the government. They were against his health care reform plan and take over of private industries. In each case he acted like father knows best and totally disregarded what the common person had to say.

When God punished Egypt with the ten plagues Ramses found he was powerless to stop the disasters that fell upon his nation. Today President Obama faces man-made disasters that he may or may not be able to control. In the Gulf oil spill he is conflicted on whether to take responsibility for the clean up efforts or continue to say it is the responsibility of British Petroleum. He tries to have it both ways by saying the government is in charge but British Petroleum is responsible. Meanwhile the oil continues to come onshore making the people angrier at both BP and the Federal government. He is quietly contemplating the idea of taking over BP's North American Production Division of British Petroleum but the disaster hasn't angered the American people enough that they would allow another take over of another private industry.

Another crisis facing America is the possibility of renewed fighting on the Korea peninsula and outbreak of war between Iran and Israel. Because of past speeches and actions taken by President Obama enemies of America, Israel and South Korea believe Mr. Obama to be a weak president and therefore view America as a weak country unwilling to fight along side our allies.

Again the President is on the wrong side of the opinion of the majority of Americans. He has made speech after speech against Iran obtaining nuclear weapons and North Korea's aggression toward South Korea but neither nation is listening. They are not buying his 'So let it be written so let it be done', attitude.

I am certain if President Obama had the opportunity to compare himself to the Hollywood or Biblical version of Moses or Ramses he would choose Moses with the caveat' that God does not talk to me. Some would say he is more like Ramses but I will let the reader make his own comparison and reach his own conclusion.

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Obama and Transparency

By Ronnie Spangler

If President Obama wants to be true to his campaign promise, he will make public the list of countries illegals crossing our borders are coming from. As described in this report the government keeps an up to date list of illegals apprehended by CBP and Border Patrol agents. At one time this information was public, why did the government decide to hide it from the American people? Maybe the Arizona Governor Jan Brewer should bring this to President Obama's attention.

Watch the report here.

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Oil Industry Next Obama Take Over

by Ronnie Spangler

After 55 days of government incompetence in the way they are handling the Gulf Oil leak you have to wonder if President Obama is just waiting for the right moment to declare a state of emergency and take over the American oil industry. It is no secret the President has always been opposed to drilling in this country unless the drilling is government owned and operated by government workers.

Is it really such a stretch to believe this President and Democrat controlled Congress would be willing to wait until the oil has devastated our coastal areas, before the government takes a larger role in solving the problem? Before answering yes this is crazy, consider past statements of members of Congress and the actions of this President during the economic crisis.

Remember Maxine Walters:



Remember Rahm Emanuel:



The 5 areas Rahm is talking about we now find out means complete government control.

Where is the media in this, all but silent. If this had been the Bush Administration after 33 days of leaking unknown amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, would we be saying this is another Katrina and proof of government incompetence?

Here is David Axelrod admitting the government is incompetent in finding answers to stopping the leak. He admits only the oil industry has the equipment and the knowledge to handle the leak.



With this in mind can we really expect government to run the oil industry? Will we become so angry with the oil industry that we sit idly by watching while President Obama fulfills another goal of government take over and fundamentally changing America into another European Socialist State?

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Throw The Bums Out Enough Said

By Ronnie Spangler

I couldn't have said it better, Click on link. Thanks Ray Stevens

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F-16s Scambled Over Arizona Mexico Border

by Ronnie Spangler

NORAD scrambled two F-16 fighter jets out of Luke Air Force base at 6:10 a.m. Sunday to intercept an ultralight aircraft that entered Arizona from Mexico. The ultralight aircraft was sighted on radar and by the Border Patrol's air patrol. Border Patrol personnel suspect the ultralight was carrying bundles of drugs, typically marijuana.

NORAD released the following statement, "Upon intercepting the aircraft, the F-16s shadowed the aircraft for 30 minutes until it turned and flew back into Mexico," the release states. "The F-16s returned to base."

According to Border Patrol personnel this is nothing new except, this is the first time NORAD has scrambled jets to intercept the violation of US air space along the southern Arizona border.

Using ultralights to deliver drugs is a common practice by Mexican drug cartels. The drug lords in Mexico know that the federal government will never use military personnel to shoot down this type of aircraft. In the past the Border Patrol has been successful in capturing the drugs and smugglers on the ground, once the drop has been made. On a couple of occasions the Air Border Patrol using Apache helicopters have been able to force these aircraft down and agents on the ground have apprehended the pilot and secured the drugs.

Incidents like this are common all along our border and it's becoming more and more frequent. While the Yuma Sector under Operation Streamline where this incident occurred makes it more difficult for the smugglers to get away, but it raises questions about just how serious Homeland Security under Secretary Napolitano takes encroachment of US airspace along our borders.

What if this had been a terrorist with a bomb strapped underneath the ultralight instead of drugs? I am certain the Air Force pilots were under strict rules of engagement and probably forbidden to fire upon the aircraft unless they were fired upon first. The Yuma Marine Air Base was closer than the Luke Air Base that is stationed in Phoenix. The Marines have both jets and helicopters that could have easily forced the ultralight to the ground and allowed Border Patrol Agents to find out if the bundles were in fact drugs or worse.

President Obama and Secretary Napolitano like to talk about Arizona and proclaim the border is "as safe now as it ever has been", but the facts do not support their claim. Incidents like this is another reason why terrorist have been successful bringing bombs on planes and into Times Square. It's only a matter of time before one comes into the US from Mexico.

You probably won't hear about this incident on the mainstream or national news media. It was mentioned by the local Tuscon news but again the ultralights crossing our border is not news, only the fact that NORAD scrambled 2 jets made it news worthy. My question and I'm sure it has to be on the minds of some Border Patrol Agents, what was the point? If you are not going to take action to stop the incursions why scramble the jets and waste the fuel. The Mexican cartels are laughing at us.

Technorati Tags:news, border patrol, f-16s, military. illegals, drugs, drug cartels, arizona, mexico, homeland security, obama, napolitano
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Civil Revolt Message To The President

From YouTube

This message to the President should be shown to every politician running for office. The country is on the verge of another revolution. We will not destroy our country through violence but with our votes this government will be replaced with honest people that will follow the Constitution and respect the Republic.

Please watch:

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Arizona The Next Alamo

by Ron Spangler

The entire state of Arizona has become the modern day version of the Texas mission, the Alamo. We all learned how the Alamo came under siege when Texans tried to resist the tyrannical rule of the Mexican government under President Santa Anna. Americans were outraged and showed support for Texans with men, weapons, and money to help Texans fight for their freedom. Today Arizona has come under siege by not only illegal immigration and drug smugglers, but since passage of the new law they are under siege by the Obama administration and their own fellow Americans.

At a hearing before the Homeland Security Commission Secretary Napolitano had the nerve to publicly lie to the commission. She told the committee her department and this Administration had increased the budget, manpower and overall support for the Border Patrol along our southern borders more in the last 15 months than at anytime in recent history. This is a flat out lie.

She failed to point out that her Department directed the transfer of Border Patrol personnel from our southern borders to the northern borders where the threat to our nation is greatly reduced. She failed to mention that through attrition the numbers of border agents will be reduced over the next 4 years. She failed to mention that in order to increase technology at our ports of entry she cut the budget for Border Patrol agents along our southern borders. This is what has led to the decline in apprehensions not what she said, (paraphrase) "a reduction in the numbers of illegals attempting to cross our southern borders."

People have already forgotten the 2 Border Patrol Agents that were killed in less than a 2 year period along our Southern Border. Both were killed by illegals that fled back into Mexico. The National Media failed to fully investigate the killings and the actions taken by Homeland Security or the Department of Justice. Instead the killings quietly fell off the American News Media's radar. Evidently killing of our Border Patrol Agents is not as important as Arizona's attempt to stop criminal activity by passing state laws that mirrors federal law.

Napolitano tried to paint a picture of our southern border as a less violent place than is currently being reported by the media. This is hypocrisy to the highest degree. Like President Obama, Napolitano says one thing but in reality does just the opposite. In her statement she said they have increased the number of canine units along our border to better curtail smuggling of money and weapons heading south. In reality the Border Patrol, in an effort to save money, has been directed to change their practice of boarding their dogs with their handlers and set up a system where the dogs are kept in one kennel in each sector.

The handlers will no longer have complete control of the dogs they have trained with and they will no longer be allowed to drive their vehicles home. This and the fact that overtime pay for canine handlers and other agents has been eliminated will save money, but it will also result in less time agents will have to complete their missions. In the case of canine units the Border Patrol follows the same procedures as every law enforcement agency in the country. To create a working bond with their handlers the dogs stay with the handler both on and off duty. To save time handlers are provided individual vehicles to transport their partner canines to and from their areas of responsibility. If this new policy is enacted the handler will have to travel from his home to the kennel to pick up not only his partner but also a vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle for any damage that could have happened prior to the handler's acceptance of the vehicle, he then must pick up his partner. Before leaving the kennel he must inspect the canine's kennel and clean it if the canine has soiled it overnight.

After leaving the kennel the handler must report to his area headquarters for shift muster. It is only after all this has been accomplished can the canine unit report to his area of responsibility to look for illegal drugs or other items being smuggled in or out of the country. What all of this simply means is the handler will have less time to perform his actual mission and will in the end allow more drugs and other illegal smuggling activities to go undetected. Remember the handler can no longer work past his normal 8 hr shift so everything from picking up his canine and vehicle to returning them to their staging areas must be completed within their respective shifts.

Isn't it time Secretary Napolitano and this Administration begins to be honest with the American people and Congress? What is going on in Arizona is proof of how little concern this Administration has for the explosion of violence along our border states. This Administration has proven they are part of the far left open border crowd. Like other rank and file government employees Border Patrol Agents cannot comment on what is really happening within their agency. Retribution by higher ups including Homeland Security would be swift and costly. For this reason concerned citizens must educate themselves on what is truly going on in our government and along our southern borders. The time has come that we can no longer believe anything coming out of the mouths of Homeland Security or the politicians.

As we once supported our Texas friends at the Alamo it is time to support our friends at the new Alamo called Arizona. If we do not stand with them they will surely meet the same fate as the Arizona of Pear Harbor.

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Senate Retirement Pension Not Automatic

by Ron Spangler

A large misconception amongst the general public is all Congressmen and Senators automatically receive a pension upon their retirement from serving as a member of Congress. This is not the case. A good example is the recent announcement by Senator Bayh that he will retire and not seek re-election in 2010.

Reading the eligibility requirements for retiring members of Congress Senator Bayh will likely fall under the Deferred Retirement Provision because of his age (55) and he served less than 15 years as a Member of Congress. His pension or annuity could also be reduced by 1% for every year he retired before reaching full eligibility requirements. Unless Senator Bayh has had prior Military service he will be 3 years short of the 15 year requirement.

Under this provision if a Senator elects to leave his retirement contributions in the retirement fund, he can start drawing his annuity after reaching age 60. Requirements for Congressmen and Senators differ in some degree.

There are other options that members of Congress have when considering retirement. All of them have penalties and reductions in the amount of annuities payed to the retiree. Under all provisions members must be at least 50 years old with 20 years of service, except for the additional provision that a member may retire at age 60 with 10 years of service and age 50 with service in 9 Congresses (18 yrs).

While I am not defending the amount of benefits and sweet deals provided to Members of Congress, everything we think we know or things we hear may not always be the case. If you would like to know the facts they are available at CRS Report For Congress, Retirement Benefits For Members of Congress

There are a lot of plans available and every Congressman or Senator must decide which plan is best for them. The bottom line, no Congressman or Senator automatically becomes eligible for a immediate full or reduced pension just because he has been elected to Congress.

Following are some of the plans:

Retirement with an immediate, reduced pension is available to Members aged 55 to 59 with at least 30 years of service. It is also allowed if the Member separates for a reason other than resignation or expulsion after having completed 25 years of service, or after reaching age 50 and with 20 years of service, or after having served in nine Congresses.

Retirement with a deferred, full pension is available if the Member leaves Congress before reaching the minimum age required to receive an immediate, unreduced pension and delays receipt until reaching the age at which full benefits are paid. A full pension can be taken at age 62 if the Member had five through nine years of federal service, or at age 60 if the Member had at least 10 years of service in Congress. At the time of separation, the Member must leave all contributions in the plan in order to be eligible for the deferred pension.

Retirement with a deferred, reduced pension is available to a Member at age 50 if he or she retired before that age and had at least 20 years of federal service, including at least 10 years as a Member of Congress.

Retirement Under FERS. There are four possible retirement scenarios for Members who are covered by FERS:
Retirement with an immediate, full pension is available to Members at age 62
or older with at least five years of federal service; at age 50 or older with at least 20 years of service; and at any age to Members with at least 25 years of service.

Retirement with an immediate, reduced pension is available at age 55 to Members born before 1948 with at least 10 years of service. The minimum age will increase to 56 for Members born from 1953 through 1964 and to 57 for those born in 1970 or later.

Retirement with a deferred, full pension is available at age 62 to former Members of Congress with at least five years of federal service.

Retirement with a deferred, reduced pension is available at the minimum retirement age of 55 to 57 (depending on year of birth) to a former Member who has completed at least 10 years of federal service. The pension annuity will be permanently reduced if it begins before age 62.4

Like everything in government and the media the truth is sometimes hard to find.

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