The Point: "I'm sure the big spill would never have happened if BIG GOVERNMENT were in charge."-
My view is that they violated state laws and federal laws that constitute gross willful negligence. Having a known alcoholic as a captain was the least of these. They legally agreed to certain safety requirements. We required them to use double-hulled tankers to prevent a spill like we had. They were also required to have a containment barge in the water and ready to respond anytime they were in the area. They broke the law just by leaving port, because the barge and all its gear were in dry dock, and buried under ice.
Their special radar for navigating this area was turned off, the crew members were not trained in its use, and its maintenance was not up to date.
Entire natural stocks of fish that were genetically adapted to the area were wiped out, collapsing local economies and ways of life. The collapsed fish stock and the seasons they were unsafe to eat put many of our fishermen and those who supplied them in bankruptcy...loosing their boats, property, permits and more.
The amount the jury awarded was only 2 and 1/2 days of profit for this company. That is .069% of a years profit for destroying these people's lives and a major source of our food and economy. It would have worked out to an average of about $75,000 each. How many will trade their way of life for that. It was already a token payment.
You can find another way to heat your home before I'll see my neighbors go with out food because we trusted a greedy corporation again by not enforcing our rules to protect us.
For what? So some insecure ??????? can have the gas to ride around LA in a Hummer? It's not worth it--Nor is stealing it from the Iraq's at the point of a gun. If Alaska wasn't already part of the U.S., they would probably come up with and excuse to attack us.
They can drill, pump and ship our oil with out blessings. Reagan said it. "Trust, but verify." Too much depends on it. At this point, they have to earn our trust back. Along with our legislature, since some were owned by the oil companies. Employees that spoke up, including state inspectors, were smeared, spied on, and had their sources smeared.
I'm tired of having the air I breathe, the water I drink, and the food I eat contaminated with toxins that destroy me and those I love along with the natural life around me""all for GREED. The object in a mine is to keep the canary alive...then you are safe. When the canary is sick, you respond and fix the problem.
Our founding fathers did not include corporations in the Constitution for good reasons; based on their own experience as colonist under the thumb of British Companies.
Fool you once, shame on them.
Fool you twice, shame on you.
Fool you thrice, Helloooooooo?
