Over 70 million Americans voted in the 2010 midterm elections, representing 42 percent of registered voters, about 1.2 percentage points higher than in 2006. Turnout was up in at least nine states, including significant increases in Florida, Minnesota and Texas; it appeared to be down slightly in several other states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania as the Democrats stayed home.
Even as results from the 2010 mid-term elections were still coming in, America was seeing a shift in the makeup of the political landscape both in Washington, D.C. and in state legislatures across the country. Republicans gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives and closed the gap in the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. They had a net gain of at least 60 seats in the House.
Democrats retained a slim majority in the Senate, where Republicans picked up 6 seats.
At the state level, Republicans will control at least 29 governorships, Democrats at least 16, and an Independent will be governor in Rhode Island. Combined with Republican pick ups in the state legislatures, this will have major implications for "redistricting" in 2011, where boundaries are established every ten years for congressional representation, which will favor Republicans for the next 10 years.
To say I’m ecstatic about the results is an understatement, even though it was expected. However, this is no time to gloat and the road ahead will be difficult. We must remove from office the most destructive President in our history. I’m amazed that many of these races were so close and how many people still don’t understand the magnitude of Obama’s flawed agenda. It certainly points out the need to continually hold him accountable for his errant policies and actions in the next 2 years and to counter the toxic propaganda of unions like SEIU, the leftist media and internet, and the misguided theories of about 40 Socialist and Communist “czars” who have found a home in this Administration.
The new conservative-controlled House will be the source of much legislation in the coming months that will refute and repeal the garbage that was past in the last 2 years under Pelosi’s authoritative and intimidating reign of terror. Obama will be forced to veto much of this legislation which will make him more vulnerable in 2012, because he is an ideologue not a politician like Clinton.
Now that the political landscape has changed and the country has sent Mr. Obama a resounding message, it is time for a new leader to emerge, one who loves America and is capable of unseating him, one who can get this country back to the optimistic world power it once was before we elected a President not worthy of his own people.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Obama, Divider-in-Chief
As we wind down this mid-term election campaign there is no doubt in my mind that the Democratically controlled Congress will soon face a tidal wave they have not seen in years. It has happened four times since the 60’s, when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and governed from the left, the American voters vigorously drove them out of control. This time the rejection will be the most resounding in history.
President Obama, our psychiatrist-in-chief, claims we are “angry, scared, nervous, confused, and not thinking clearly”. Well, we are none of that. We just don’t want what he and this Congress has been dishing out for the past 20 months. The President, who campaigned on hope and change, now sounds more like he’s diagnosing depression rather than offering inspiration. I guess he believes we will resort to our “guns and religion” to find solace.
It’s the President who is angry and confused, he can’t understand why we have rejected his policies. His campaign rhetoric clearly illustrates this. Never in my adult life have I heard a President sound like a Chicago ward captain or community organizer pitching black vs. white, union vs. non-union, rich vs. poor, and telling Latinos that they must “punish their enemies” (presumably white people who want to stop illegal immigration and support the Arizona immigration law). Have you ever heard a President talk in such a way to demean the office and with such a lack of class? It almost seems that we have a Caesar Chavez in control of the office. Just amazing!
In other posts, I have talked about the traits of great leaders and showed how Obama has continually failed the test of meeting the requirements of an effective leader. Now he has lost the most important test of a leader……trust. The majority of the American people really don’t trust him or his minions, because we now understand where he comes from, how he thinks, and what drives him. His book “Dreams from My Father” tells it all, and from is the operative word here.
This President is driven by a man he never knew, his father, a professed Socialist and anti-colonist from Kenya. A man he only met once, at the age of 10, but was idolized in his mind by his mother, also a professed anti-colonist. This analysis is clearly laid out in Dinesh D’Souza’s new book “The Roots of Obama’s Rage”. In D’Souza’s words he concludes, “Our President is trapped in his father’s time machine. Incredibly, the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950’s. This philandering bigamist, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anticolonial ambitions, is now setting the nation’s agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son. The son makes it happen, but he candidly admits he is only living out his father’s dream. The invisible father provides the inspiration, and the son dutifully gets the job done. America today is being governed by a ghost”.
Remember to vote on Tuesday.
President Obama, our psychiatrist-in-chief, claims we are “angry, scared, nervous, confused, and not thinking clearly”. Well, we are none of that. We just don’t want what he and this Congress has been dishing out for the past 20 months. The President, who campaigned on hope and change, now sounds more like he’s diagnosing depression rather than offering inspiration. I guess he believes we will resort to our “guns and religion” to find solace.
It’s the President who is angry and confused, he can’t understand why we have rejected his policies. His campaign rhetoric clearly illustrates this. Never in my adult life have I heard a President sound like a Chicago ward captain or community organizer pitching black vs. white, union vs. non-union, rich vs. poor, and telling Latinos that they must “punish their enemies” (presumably white people who want to stop illegal immigration and support the Arizona immigration law). Have you ever heard a President talk in such a way to demean the office and with such a lack of class? It almost seems that we have a Caesar Chavez in control of the office. Just amazing!
In other posts, I have talked about the traits of great leaders and showed how Obama has continually failed the test of meeting the requirements of an effective leader. Now he has lost the most important test of a leader……trust. The majority of the American people really don’t trust him or his minions, because we now understand where he comes from, how he thinks, and what drives him. His book “Dreams from My Father” tells it all, and from is the operative word here.
This President is driven by a man he never knew, his father, a professed Socialist and anti-colonist from Kenya. A man he only met once, at the age of 10, but was idolized in his mind by his mother, also a professed anti-colonist. This analysis is clearly laid out in Dinesh D’Souza’s new book “The Roots of Obama’s Rage”. In D’Souza’s words he concludes, “Our President is trapped in his father’s time machine. Incredibly, the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950’s. This philandering bigamist, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anticolonial ambitions, is now setting the nation’s agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son. The son makes it happen, but he candidly admits he is only living out his father’s dream. The invisible father provides the inspiration, and the son dutifully gets the job done. America today is being governed by a ghost”.
Remember to vote on Tuesday.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Why This Election Means So Much (Part 2)
In my last post I dwelled on the importance of this coming mid-term election and its potential to change the course of this country. I also talked about what was at stake, the mood of the American voter, what we might expect, and how to avoid electoral mistakes. In this post I want to explore your thought process in casting your vote, what I think you should look for in your candidate, and the role of leadership.
What Factors Are Important to Your Vote?
Obviously, your political bent is a key factor in influencing your vote, but other factors are equally important. As a matter of fact, most Americans tend to be independent and not party-aligned, as illustrated in the recent election of Republican Chris Christi as Governor of New Jersey, a strongly Democratic leaning State, and Republican Scott Brown, in the Senate, winning the seat of Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a Democratic icon.
Qualities such as character, values, education, experience (non-political experience as well), track record, ideas, motivation, and communication skills should all factor in a voter’s decision. When you look at these qualities they usually are good indicators of potential great leaders. Leadership skill is not only important for a President; it also is for a Governor, a Congressman, a Senator or any public or private official that is head of a productive group or enterprise.
For our elected officials, it is clear that leadership skills are the key to success. Successful leaders are different and have different strengths and skill sets. One thing is sure however, most are charismatic and eloquent speakers and can mesmerize their audience by their commanding presence and message. Think of Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton; even Hitler, Castro, and Chavez had that skill, so although this attribute is important, it alone does not identify a successful leader.
In delivering these qualities, the methods and tactics a candidate uses are critical and usually separates the great leaders from the mediocre. I believe leadership or leadership potential to be the most important aspect of this coming election. It is essential if we are to change the course of any failing corporation or government. In our politics today, the signs are already there. The mood of America has deteriorated and become angrier, more cynical, sometimes foul, and in some cases even murderous. Joblessness is eating at the core of our cities, creating a powerful need for innovative and courageous leadership to provide the initiatives that will spur employment, revitalize investment in our economy, and uplift our spirit. The failure of leadership in our “ruling class” is in many ways more urgent and more dangerous than the problems we face because our problems won’t be solved without it and because lack of leadership is slow to recognize and little understood.
Voter Empowerment Is What’s Needed Now
Two hundred thirty-four years ago, when the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, America had a population of only three million people, yet six world class leaders, at least, were present there as authors of that extraordinary document. Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin, and Madison all helped to create our form of government. Today we are over 300 million and you will be hard pressed to identify six leaders of that quality in Washington D.C.
Where have our political leaders gone? Have we become too cynical to care? Has making politics a career fostered mediocrity and corruption, or have we become too saturated with information to make clear and informed decisions? I think not. Voter empowerment is the key. If you feel your vote will make a difference and you take the time to understand the priority issues and listen to the candidates, you will go to the polls and find the leaders out there we so urgently need. It’s happening now, be a part of it, and be sure to cast your vote on November 2nd.
What Factors Are Important to Your Vote?
Obviously, your political bent is a key factor in influencing your vote, but other factors are equally important. As a matter of fact, most Americans tend to be independent and not party-aligned, as illustrated in the recent election of Republican Chris Christi as Governor of New Jersey, a strongly Democratic leaning State, and Republican Scott Brown, in the Senate, winning the seat of Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, a Democratic icon.
Qualities such as character, values, education, experience (non-political experience as well), track record, ideas, motivation, and communication skills should all factor in a voter’s decision. When you look at these qualities they usually are good indicators of potential great leaders. Leadership skill is not only important for a President; it also is for a Governor, a Congressman, a Senator or any public or private official that is head of a productive group or enterprise.
For our elected officials, it is clear that leadership skills are the key to success. Successful leaders are different and have different strengths and skill sets. One thing is sure however, most are charismatic and eloquent speakers and can mesmerize their audience by their commanding presence and message. Think of Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton; even Hitler, Castro, and Chavez had that skill, so although this attribute is important, it alone does not identify a successful leader.
In delivering these qualities, the methods and tactics a candidate uses are critical and usually separates the great leaders from the mediocre. I believe leadership or leadership potential to be the most important aspect of this coming election. It is essential if we are to change the course of any failing corporation or government. In our politics today, the signs are already there. The mood of America has deteriorated and become angrier, more cynical, sometimes foul, and in some cases even murderous. Joblessness is eating at the core of our cities, creating a powerful need for innovative and courageous leadership to provide the initiatives that will spur employment, revitalize investment in our economy, and uplift our spirit. The failure of leadership in our “ruling class” is in many ways more urgent and more dangerous than the problems we face because our problems won’t be solved without it and because lack of leadership is slow to recognize and little understood.
Voter Empowerment Is What’s Needed Now
Two hundred thirty-four years ago, when the Founding Fathers gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, America had a population of only three million people, yet six world class leaders, at least, were present there as authors of that extraordinary document. Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin, and Madison all helped to create our form of government. Today we are over 300 million and you will be hard pressed to identify six leaders of that quality in Washington D.C.
Where have our political leaders gone? Have we become too cynical to care? Has making politics a career fostered mediocrity and corruption, or have we become too saturated with information to make clear and informed decisions? I think not. Voter empowerment is the key. If you feel your vote will make a difference and you take the time to understand the priority issues and listen to the candidates, you will go to the polls and find the leaders out there we so urgently need. It’s happening now, be a part of it, and be sure to cast your vote on November 2nd.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Why This Election Means So Much (Part 1)
November’s mid-term election is essentially a national referendum. No time in recent memory has a mid-term election had such importance. The populace is angry; politicians have no credibility, and the policies of our current "ruling class” are out of sync with the majority of our citizens. Interestingly enough, political party, liberal or conservative, left or right, are not the issues, as illustrated by the rise of the so-called, T-Party adherents. They believe that America needs to click on delete and go back to the basics, I mean the Founding Fathers, and start all over again.
The Issues
The issues are really centered on the historical trend of America and the belief that the future for our grandchildren will not be better than their grandparents, and that our reign as the greatest economic force on the planet is passing, and American exceptionalism is in doubt.
The rising influence of government in our lives, discriminating taxation, the redistribution of our wealth as individuals and as a nation, the trend toward 3rd party control of our health decisions, our changing population and out moded immigration policies, our mounting debt, the threat of a different kind of enemy from abroad, and worries about our safety and security, and the apparent waste and corruption in our financial and political class, all contribute to the uncertainty and worry about the future, which in turn exacerbates our economic woes.
What’s at Stake in November?
We are a graphically diverse society and financial, socio-economic, political, and geography issues define our divisions. All contribute to our differences and our free society allows anyone to express their opinions. The newspaper, the Internet, books of many kinds, demonstrations and rallies, are major outlets for this expression. In the final analysis, what we do at the ballot box is more important than anything we can do to influence events.
Although we are the most educated and informed country on the planet we will be lucky if we get 40% of all eligible voters to cast a ballot in this vitally important election. Since many voters push their own special interests and are relatively uninformed on a broad range of other topics of equal importance, our elections don’t always get a result that is in the best long-term interests of the country. However, generally speaking, the American people have made the right decisions during the major periods of crisis in our history. It is probably because regardless of our backgrounds and education, we have that unique quality of “common sense” that seems to transcend our differences. Obviously, the best way to avoid these electoral mistakes is to bring as many of the voters as possible to the polls and avoid “special interests” results.
Since many Democratic seats in both the House and Senate that are up for grabs this November; control of Congress is at stake in this election. Because the growing discontent has been fueled by one-party control of Congress for the last 4 years and now with the Executive branch for the last 2 years; this mid-term election can alter the current course of our country.
The Issues
The issues are really centered on the historical trend of America and the belief that the future for our grandchildren will not be better than their grandparents, and that our reign as the greatest economic force on the planet is passing, and American exceptionalism is in doubt.
The rising influence of government in our lives, discriminating taxation, the redistribution of our wealth as individuals and as a nation, the trend toward 3rd party control of our health decisions, our changing population and out moded immigration policies, our mounting debt, the threat of a different kind of enemy from abroad, and worries about our safety and security, and the apparent waste and corruption in our financial and political class, all contribute to the uncertainty and worry about the future, which in turn exacerbates our economic woes.
What’s at Stake in November?
We are a graphically diverse society and financial, socio-economic, political, and geography issues define our divisions. All contribute to our differences and our free society allows anyone to express their opinions. The newspaper, the Internet, books of many kinds, demonstrations and rallies, are major outlets for this expression. In the final analysis, what we do at the ballot box is more important than anything we can do to influence events.
Although we are the most educated and informed country on the planet we will be lucky if we get 40% of all eligible voters to cast a ballot in this vitally important election. Since many voters push their own special interests and are relatively uninformed on a broad range of other topics of equal importance, our elections don’t always get a result that is in the best long-term interests of the country. However, generally speaking, the American people have made the right decisions during the major periods of crisis in our history. It is probably because regardless of our backgrounds and education, we have that unique quality of “common sense” that seems to transcend our differences. Obviously, the best way to avoid these electoral mistakes is to bring as many of the voters as possible to the polls and avoid “special interests” results.
Since many Democratic seats in both the House and Senate that are up for grabs this November; control of Congress is at stake in this election. Because the growing discontent has been fueled by one-party control of Congress for the last 4 years and now with the Executive branch for the last 2 years; this mid-term election can alter the current course of our country.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Shot Heard ‘Round the World – Is Silenced
Bobby Thompson passed away yesterday and with him goes a whole host of childhood memories of my youth. As a kid I was a die-hard Brooklyn Dodgers fan and for the decade 1947-1957, I was pretty spoiled. The Dodgers won 6 National League (NL) pennants in that time and should have won 8. In 1950 they lost in the last game of the season to the Phillies and in 1951 Bobby Thompson hit a 3-run homer in the 9th inning with the Dodgers ahead 4-2 in the last game of a 3- game play-off because the season had ended in a tie.
The interesting thing about that 1951 season was that the Dodgers were 13 ½ games ahead of the second place Giants in August and still the season ended in a tie. I thought how could we lose? All we needed was to play .500 baseball for the rest of the year and we’re a shoo-in. Well, the Giants hardy lost a game from mid-August to October. They won 37 of their final 44 games. Quite a feat in baseball!
I hated the Giants! The rivalry with the Dodgers was one of the most intense in the NL, as it is today between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but not quite the same, since they are not in the same city now. Even though the Dodgers dominated the league in that decade, the Giants always managed to give them a tough battle no matter how bad a team they had. To top matters, my best friend and eventually the best man at my wedding was an avid Giant fan and he finally had his moment that dim day in October, 1951.
The Yankees went on to beat the Giants in 5 games in the World Series and over the years Ralph Branca (the Dodger pitcher who gave up the homer) and Thompson became good friends and appeared together at many functions when their playing days were over. I grew up to appreciate both of them over the years as good competitors who managed to etch their names into baseball history, even though neither made it to the Hall of Fame.
An interesting footnote to this story is that Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee catcher, attended that famous game with some teammates, eager to see which team they would face in the Series. After the Dodgers scored three times in the eighth inning to lead 4-1, Berra decided he had seen enough and left the ballpark to beat the traffic. That’s when he developed one of his most famous “Yogi-isms” which many of us still use today and will be indelibly engrained in our lexicon, “it ain’t over till it’s over”.
Don’t worry Bobby, you won’t be forgotten and they’ll still talk about your historic feat long after we’re gone. It still ain’t over.
The interesting thing about that 1951 season was that the Dodgers were 13 ½ games ahead of the second place Giants in August and still the season ended in a tie. I thought how could we lose? All we needed was to play .500 baseball for the rest of the year and we’re a shoo-in. Well, the Giants hardy lost a game from mid-August to October. They won 37 of their final 44 games. Quite a feat in baseball!
I hated the Giants! The rivalry with the Dodgers was one of the most intense in the NL, as it is today between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but not quite the same, since they are not in the same city now. Even though the Dodgers dominated the league in that decade, the Giants always managed to give them a tough battle no matter how bad a team they had. To top matters, my best friend and eventually the best man at my wedding was an avid Giant fan and he finally had his moment that dim day in October, 1951.
The Yankees went on to beat the Giants in 5 games in the World Series and over the years Ralph Branca (the Dodger pitcher who gave up the homer) and Thompson became good friends and appeared together at many functions when their playing days were over. I grew up to appreciate both of them over the years as good competitors who managed to etch their names into baseball history, even though neither made it to the Hall of Fame.
An interesting footnote to this story is that Yogi Berra, the famous Yankee catcher, attended that famous game with some teammates, eager to see which team they would face in the Series. After the Dodgers scored three times in the eighth inning to lead 4-1, Berra decided he had seen enough and left the ballpark to beat the traffic. That’s when he developed one of his most famous “Yogi-isms” which many of us still use today and will be indelibly engrained in our lexicon, “it ain’t over till it’s over”.
Don’t worry Bobby, you won’t be forgotten and they’ll still talk about your historic feat long after we’re gone. It still ain’t over.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Gulf Spill - Where Did All the Oil Go?
Although we are not out of the woods yet, it would appear that the Deepwater Horizon blow-out is under control after 100+ days and oil is no longer spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Also, you should note that all sorts of scientists, environmentalists, and government agencies are out there in planes and ships looking for the oil but can’t seem to find it, except for some disconnected patches. However, you don’t see much of this reported in the media. Some 40-60,000 barrels of oil per day were released for almost 100 days, where did it all go?
Well, a small amount did find its way to the Louisiana shore line and wetlands, and maybe some tainted the beaches in Pensacola, and unfortunately some pelicans and turtles may have been lost but not many relative to their population. Some of the oil was burned, mostly at the site of the blow-out, some of the lighter components were evaporated by the warm temperatures in the Gulf, and most of the rest has been and is being broken up and bio-degraded by the many organisms that inhabit the ocean. How can this happen so fast? Simply, the use of the dispersant, COREXIT 9500™.
The COREXIT™ Story
COREXIT™ has been the go –to dispersant in the oil industry for decades, it was developed by Exxon Production Research (EPR) and Exxon Chemicals, and yours truly speaks with some knowledge about this, since I had a part to play in its development and application in major oil spills. Its inventor was a microbiologist named Dr. Gordon Lindblom, a friend and co-worker I met at (EPR) in 1962. No matter what you read in the press, COREXIT™ is not Dawn™ or Joy™ dishwasher soap. The media love to use this over simplification. It is a unique class of chemical that is particularly effective at dispersing crude oil, which is different from most of the refined and natural oils that you and I come across in our daily lives.
Since the chemical was not patentable itself, Gordon was able to obtain a “use” patent for this class of chemicals for use in oil spills, which gave Exxon exclusive rights for these applications for 17 years. When I transferred to Exxon Chemical I encouraged Gordon to join our research organization and added COREXIT™ to our product line and encouraged him to develop better application techniques for offshore spills. He proceeded to become the world’s expert on aerial spray applications, designing specific equipment for aircraft used in these applications.
In the meantime, we contracted long-term toxicity studies to determine the effect of the dispersant on fish and other sea creatures, as well as evaluate its impact on the food-chain. No significant long-term toxic effects have ever been proven or illustrated, plenty have been speculated.
The Ixtoc 1 Blow-Out
In 1979, when the Mexican oil company, PEMEX, had a blow –out on the IXTOC 1 platform off the coast of Cuidad del Carmen in the southern Gulf of Mexico, I was in charge of the chemical division involved with the COREXIT™ product and spent may weeks and trips to Mexico convincing the authorities in charge of the clean-up that COREXIT™ would prevent environmental damage to their beaches and resort areas. As the spill moved north towards the Texas coastline, the EPA would not permit us to use the dispersants to prevent damage to the U.S. coastline at Padre Island. The Mexicans made the right decision and not one drop of oil ever hit the Mexican coast, while Padre Island resorts were basically closed for many weeks while the manual work of clean-up went on. The IXTOC spill went on for 10 months although it was only in 100 ft. of water, but was worse than the BP spill in terms of volume.
BP’s Handling of the Clean-Up
I believe that the key to minimizing environmental damage in the case of BP was the sub-surface application of the dispersant directly at the well head, combined with the aerial application. This technology did not exist at the time of the IXTOC spill.
We are now hearing rumblings from legislators how BP and the U.S. Coast Guard ignored President Obama’s executive order and the EPA to terminate the use of dispersants early in the process. Thank God, they did or our Gulf beaches would be badly contaminated, our fishing and resort industries would be in shambles, and a lot more pelicans would have died.
So that’s where all the oil went, and now I await a rebuttal from some of my environmentalist friends who are trying to protect us in their well meaning but misguided way.
A Footnote
P.S. Exxon sold its Specialty Chemicals business and the COREXIT™ technology to Nalco Chemicals in the early 90’s and Nalco was the vendor to BP for the spill. To my knowledge no change was made in the formula and Exxon was not involved other than offering counsel in its oil spill expertise. Exxon was not permitted by the government to use COREXIT™in the Valdez tanker spill.
Well, a small amount did find its way to the Louisiana shore line and wetlands, and maybe some tainted the beaches in Pensacola, and unfortunately some pelicans and turtles may have been lost but not many relative to their population. Some of the oil was burned, mostly at the site of the blow-out, some of the lighter components were evaporated by the warm temperatures in the Gulf, and most of the rest has been and is being broken up and bio-degraded by the many organisms that inhabit the ocean. How can this happen so fast? Simply, the use of the dispersant, COREXIT 9500™.
The COREXIT™ Story
COREXIT™ has been the go –to dispersant in the oil industry for decades, it was developed by Exxon Production Research (EPR) and Exxon Chemicals, and yours truly speaks with some knowledge about this, since I had a part to play in its development and application in major oil spills. Its inventor was a microbiologist named Dr. Gordon Lindblom, a friend and co-worker I met at (EPR) in 1962. No matter what you read in the press, COREXIT™ is not Dawn™ or Joy™ dishwasher soap. The media love to use this over simplification. It is a unique class of chemical that is particularly effective at dispersing crude oil, which is different from most of the refined and natural oils that you and I come across in our daily lives.
Since the chemical was not patentable itself, Gordon was able to obtain a “use” patent for this class of chemicals for use in oil spills, which gave Exxon exclusive rights for these applications for 17 years. When I transferred to Exxon Chemical I encouraged Gordon to join our research organization and added COREXIT™ to our product line and encouraged him to develop better application techniques for offshore spills. He proceeded to become the world’s expert on aerial spray applications, designing specific equipment for aircraft used in these applications.
In the meantime, we contracted long-term toxicity studies to determine the effect of the dispersant on fish and other sea creatures, as well as evaluate its impact on the food-chain. No significant long-term toxic effects have ever been proven or illustrated, plenty have been speculated.
The Ixtoc 1 Blow-Out
In 1979, when the Mexican oil company, PEMEX, had a blow –out on the IXTOC 1 platform off the coast of Cuidad del Carmen in the southern Gulf of Mexico, I was in charge of the chemical division involved with the COREXIT™ product and spent may weeks and trips to Mexico convincing the authorities in charge of the clean-up that COREXIT™ would prevent environmental damage to their beaches and resort areas. As the spill moved north towards the Texas coastline, the EPA would not permit us to use the dispersants to prevent damage to the U.S. coastline at Padre Island. The Mexicans made the right decision and not one drop of oil ever hit the Mexican coast, while Padre Island resorts were basically closed for many weeks while the manual work of clean-up went on. The IXTOC spill went on for 10 months although it was only in 100 ft. of water, but was worse than the BP spill in terms of volume.
BP’s Handling of the Clean-Up
I believe that the key to minimizing environmental damage in the case of BP was the sub-surface application of the dispersant directly at the well head, combined with the aerial application. This technology did not exist at the time of the IXTOC spill.
We are now hearing rumblings from legislators how BP and the U.S. Coast Guard ignored President Obama’s executive order and the EPA to terminate the use of dispersants early in the process. Thank God, they did or our Gulf beaches would be badly contaminated, our fishing and resort industries would be in shambles, and a lot more pelicans would have died.
So that’s where all the oil went, and now I await a rebuttal from some of my environmentalist friends who are trying to protect us in their well meaning but misguided way.
A Footnote
P.S. Exxon sold its Specialty Chemicals business and the COREXIT™ technology to Nalco Chemicals in the early 90’s and Nalco was the vendor to BP for the spill. To my knowledge no change was made in the formula and Exxon was not involved other than offering counsel in its oil spill expertise. Exxon was not permitted by the government to use COREXIT™in the Valdez tanker spill.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Welfare or Unemployment Benefits?
This corner has been quiet for several weeks as I sit on the sidelines and view the utterly incomprehensible and inept decisions and statements made every day by the Administration. This is covered daily by both sides of the blogosphere and the cable network adversaries. If I were making a living at this, there would be enough grist to write an article every day. So why the silence?
Well, first of all I don’t want to sound like a right wing nut, or another Obama basher. Frankly, there is nothing I could write in recent weeks that would give this President a fair shake and, therefore, I would be just another member of the chorus. Poor leadership and an uncontrolled propensity for deception, political maneuvering, race baiting, contradictions, and hypocrisy, characterize this man from the Gulf oil spill, to foreign policy, national security, and a worsening economy.
To make matters worse, early this week he paraded out three unemployed people in the Rose Garden to announce another “great accomplishment”, the eighth extension of the unemployment benefits program since the recession began. He also criticized those “evil” Republicans who opposed this great achievement and attempted to block it because they merely wanted to offset the cost ($30B) by cutting some expenditures or taking it out of unspent TARP or Stimulus monies. What a terrible idea! Why this is a mere drop in the bucket, what’s $30B to this year’s $1.4 trillion deficit?
Tell me,at what point does 2 years of unemployment benefits become a welfare program? When will these extensions run out? This exercise is a testament to a failed Stimulus package and a contradiction to the “summer of recovery” touted by our totally clueless Vice President. A record 6.7 million Americans have been out of work for at least 6 months, that’s 45.5% of the total jobless, close to the highest ever recorded. The number was 23.4% in February, 2009. How’s that for recovery?
These results confrm several recent studies which conclude that extended unemployment benefits actually raises unemployment rates. If you pay people not to work, they tend to delay looking or get more selective and pass up jobs to wait for the right one, which never comes along. None of us want to deprive our citizens of support in times like this, but if you’re going to extend benefits you ought to make it deficit neutral because the action will stimulate unemployment rather than the economy.
So the beat goes on and this President, his economic advisors, and this bumbling Congress, continue to make the wrong moves that run counter to getting us out of this rut. I keep watching, trying to say something positive about this Administration, and counting the days until November.
Well, first of all I don’t want to sound like a right wing nut, or another Obama basher. Frankly, there is nothing I could write in recent weeks that would give this President a fair shake and, therefore, I would be just another member of the chorus. Poor leadership and an uncontrolled propensity for deception, political maneuvering, race baiting, contradictions, and hypocrisy, characterize this man from the Gulf oil spill, to foreign policy, national security, and a worsening economy.
To make matters worse, early this week he paraded out three unemployed people in the Rose Garden to announce another “great accomplishment”, the eighth extension of the unemployment benefits program since the recession began. He also criticized those “evil” Republicans who opposed this great achievement and attempted to block it because they merely wanted to offset the cost ($30B) by cutting some expenditures or taking it out of unspent TARP or Stimulus monies. What a terrible idea! Why this is a mere drop in the bucket, what’s $30B to this year’s $1.4 trillion deficit?
Tell me,at what point does 2 years of unemployment benefits become a welfare program? When will these extensions run out? This exercise is a testament to a failed Stimulus package and a contradiction to the “summer of recovery” touted by our totally clueless Vice President. A record 6.7 million Americans have been out of work for at least 6 months, that’s 45.5% of the total jobless, close to the highest ever recorded. The number was 23.4% in February, 2009. How’s that for recovery?
These results confrm several recent studies which conclude that extended unemployment benefits actually raises unemployment rates. If you pay people not to work, they tend to delay looking or get more selective and pass up jobs to wait for the right one, which never comes along. None of us want to deprive our citizens of support in times like this, but if you’re going to extend benefits you ought to make it deficit neutral because the action will stimulate unemployment rather than the economy.
So the beat goes on and this President, his economic advisors, and this bumbling Congress, continue to make the wrong moves that run counter to getting us out of this rut. I keep watching, trying to say something positive about this Administration, and counting the days until November.
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