The Reagan Revolution Is Washing Ashore in the Gulf of Mexico

[babsbunny]

Ronald Reagan preached that corporations should be allowed to operate without interference from government regulators

http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2010/06/reagan-revolution-is-washing-ashore-in.html

A headline the other day in an Alabama newspaper indicated that frustration with the BP oil spill is reaching a boiling point.

"State Beaches Soiled; 'The Gulf Is Bleeding,'" read the headline. "Obama Visits For Third Time As National Anger Grows."

The headline raises this question: Why are Americans angry? For roughly 30 years, huge numbers of us have supported Ronald Reagan and his descendants in the anti-regulation wing of the Republican Party. But events such as the BP oil spill are the natural by-product of a philosophy that trumpets the free market and limits government oversight.

So again, why are we angry? Shouldn't we have been expecting this?

[MineralMan]

1. And we elected a Texas Oil Man and his Halliburton Henchman

to run the country for 8 years. I'm surprised that anyone is surprised at what happened. They gave the Gulf away.

I notes that * and Dick have been awfully silent lately. Can't imagine why.

[Cetacea]

2. He announced his war against the earth while running.

Who could forget that trees cause more air pollution than people? James Watt? ("how much energy does it take to destroy the California coastline?")

[lunatica]

3. I used to say 'we' all the time when talking about Americans

But I don't anymore. I will never agree with the teabaggers, Sarah Palin devotees or Plutocracy or corporatocracy. The day the Supreme Court selected Bush was the day I stopped saying 'we'.

[Greyhound]

5. And that started with Raygun too. n/t

[OHdem10]

4. Beautiful. Describes our circumstances perfectly.

[Scurrilous]

6. K & R

:thumbsup:

[AnArmyVeteran]

7. The Gulf disaster is a conservative wet dream

This is capitalism at its finest. And even though it was caused primarily by conservatism, right wingers are busy blaming Obama. Conservatives are incapable of accepting responsibility, yet they constantly claim to be the party of personal responsibility.

[applegrove]

8. Maybe it is time for democrats, en mass, ask the republicans they know

why they are for lax regulations. The wingnuts never have to answer for anything and yet they keep voting for deregulation.

[moondust]

11. I have a pet theory on that.

It's about increasing corporate profits in order to lift stock prices which increases the value of their portfolios. But yes, somebody should ask them.

[applegrove]

17. What I meant was that alot of middle class or even working class people vote

for god, gays or guns. They need to be asked why they are voting for deregulations and oil spills. They may not be aware that this is indeed what they are voting for. We can only hope that in the BP investigations to come Americans get angry and then take responsibility again for how they vote or what the outcome of their vote is (instead of voting for patriotic reasons or whatever and feeling always good about that).

[applegrove]

9. "The Reagan Revolution Is Washing Ashore in the Gulf of Mexico" I hope that lines goes viral on the

internet. It really paints a picture of what exactly has been going on.

[Maru Kitteh]

16. I plan to pair it with "It's mourning in America"

Taken together, they are hideously correct and on target.

[Cresent City Kid]

10. I'll remember

Criticisms of Obama for slow reaction to the spill, keeping the Bush culture going, etc. are valid but don't forget the army of republicans waiting to reclaim power and get us fully back on track to the 19th century.

[Toucano]

12. "It's morning in America."

It was actually the gloaming. They were confused.

[Maru Kitteh]

14. It's mourning in America.

Every once expansive civilization has it's tipping point. Is this ours. It's long overdue perhaps, if it is.

The only redeeming consequence may be the awakening of the world to the folly of "clean" or "safe" fossil fuels.

[moondust]

13. And SCOTUS let Exxon off easy.

Exactly the wrong message to send to the oil industry.

Surprise! BP cut corners in days before Gulf spill

[laughingliberal]

15. Yes. The deregulatory climate Reagan ushered in is directly responsible for this. Just as his

economic policies are directly responsible for the economic mess we're in. Yet, I see some Democrats embracing these policies and fighting reforms, daily.