"So It's Your Fault!"

"So It's Your Fault!"

As oil continues to spurt into the Gulf of Mexico, leaders of all possibly culpable parties, like BP and Halliburton, are completely unwilling to take responsibility for their actions and admit their involvement in the environmental tragedy. At last week's Congressional hearing, the representatives from each company spent more time blaming each other and absolving themselves of responsibility than offering solutions or even reasons for the failure. Even ignoring the massive impact on shore communities, fishermen, and sea-dwelling animals, the oil spill's gigantic impact on the environment is absolutely heinous. The unwillingness- not just of the corporate leaders, but of politicians- to take responsibility for their actions has become unfortunately rampant in Washington.
In 2009, after the passage of the stimulus, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal took an anti-stimulus stance for his state, attempting to spurn all aid from the federal government to help Louisiana out of the financial crisis. Now that the oil spill has infiltrated Louisiana's shore, Jindal is quick to call for the federal government to provide both personel and financial support to the state. Its not as though Jindal has changed his mind on the role of the federal government and rejected his previous actions as improper, he has just decided that in certain scenarios- when his state's workers are in imminent danger, for example- it is okay for the federal government to provide aid and in others- like a massive state-wide financial crisis- it is not.
Some politicians have simply changed their mind about off-shore drilling subsequent to the spill. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has made statements changing his position on drilling off the coast of California, which is different from Jindal's selective positions. By changing his position completely, Schwarzenegger is not acting hypocritically or irresponsibly, rather, he is simply taking current events into account.
The complete danger and massive size of the spill has not changed how some view off-shore drilling. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has continued to, while oil is still being released into the water, make statements for off-shore drilling. The Obama Administration has not edited their expansive off-shore drilling plan, nor has Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. Hopefully, the enormous scope and financial and  environmental danger involved will lead to some politicians reconsidering.