Gulf Paymaster: People Are in 'Desperate' Shape

[phantom power]

The man President Barack Obama picked to run the $20 billion Gulf oil spill damage fund said Monday many people are in "desperate financial straits" and need immediate relief.

"Do not underestimate the emotionalism and the frustration and the anger of people in the Gulf uncertain of their financial future," Kenneth Feinberg told interviewers. "It's very pronounced. I witnessed it firsthand last week."

Feinberg, who ran the victims claim fund set up in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, said he is determined to speed up payment of claims.

His appearance came a week after the administration worked out an arrangement with oil giant BP to establish an independent claims fund — initially $20 billion — and pledged to reconfigure the system and expedite payments. Feinberg said BP has paid out over $100 million so far, and various estimates place total claims so far in excess of $600 million.

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=10968468

[notesdev]

1. About that "independent" claims fund

if it's independent, how is it that an administration appointee is running it?

[shraby]

6. I don't believe that Republicans can appoint anyone to

anything. The adminstration does the appointing.

[notesdev]

9. Well that's the point

It is not so independent after all. Instead of due process in courts, people are going to get the edict of yet another unaccountable appointee. With the government and BP collaborating to misinform the public about the severity of the problem, an independent third party is what I heard implied in that promise.

[TheWraith]

10. And as long as we're believing stuff for which there's no evidence...

...how do we know some third party wouldn't be a secret supporter of BP? :tinfoilhat:

[burnsei sensei]

2. Now we have a new kind of dust bowl

that is generating a new kinds of internal exiles and refugees.
Add them to the families whose homes were foreclosed and you've got an entire community of internal exiles.
Chance has slammed the door on these people.
Does the ruling class have even one iota of empathy to care?

[Fumesucker]

3. Empathy is for losers..

The answer to your question is, no, the ruling class has not a single iota of empathy except for their own and not always that.

[burnsei sensei]

7. The statement: the meek will inherit the earth

becomes an optimistic one, then.
There's absolutely nothing admirable about those under the collar of authority.

[Fumesucker]

8. That's the only damn way the meek are going to get anything..

Inherit it..

[notadmblnd]

4. I believe these people are entitled to all they can get from BP

But I do want to say that this is the conservative south. The conservative south that wants everyone else to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I just find it ironic that when the tables turn on them, they're first in line bitching and complaining.

[Glorfindel]

5. If this disaster had happened in San Francisco Bay...

the same conservative southerners who are now yelping and demanding help would be saying, "Let the damn queers and liberals starve and good riddance." I live here. I know what I'm talking about. Hypocrisy is a fine art in the south.