After reading multiple articles and editorials on the BP gulf oil spill, I can't help but wonder whether or not we are missiong something. I've not read one article that talks about the enormous profits the oil industry makes, or how we, as consumers and tax payers, foot the bills.
What do I mean by that? I mean this. First, we buy all the gasoline and home heating oil from the huge multi-nationals. Second, when there is a disaster, we tax payers foot the government's decision to clean up the mess. Of course, there has been no commitment yet on the part of the federal government to clean up the mess from the BP gulf tragedy, but I bet that "help is on the way." As this thing gets worse, think about all the federal aid that will necessarily go to restore coast lines, assist fisherfolk, rejuvenate the tourism industry, and help coastal industries get back on their feet. Think about all the federal aid that will go to cleaning up the spill, the tidal basin, and the deep water oil dregs that will pester the gulf for generations to come.
So we pay both ways: we buy the gasoline and pump our taxes into fixing the mess. What a deal. The oil companies then continue to make profits and pay dividends to their stockholders.
Now is the time to convert to electric and hydrogen powered cars. Now is the time to move forward with nuclear power plants and wind farms. Now is the time to harness solar energy. Now is the time to make the great transformation from a petrolium based economy to alternative sources of energy. Earth, our island home, demands it ecologically and financially.
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