Me, Me, Me

On the News tonight: A man standing on a Gulf Coast Beach expressed disappointment with the Presidents speech last night. He said, "I don't care about an Energy Bill, I care about paying the bills". I understanding the frustration of those directly affected by the oil spill but a Me Now, Me Only attitude won't fix the problem. As we deal with this catastrophe now we must also look at the big picture and plan for the future. We can not continue to be as dependent on fossil fuels are we are now. There are other clean energy sources and we must work on developing them NOW.

BP

To begin with let me be clear about this. I am just as upset as everyone else regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I live 1.5 miles from the beautiful, white, sandy beaches of the west coast of Florida and I know how devastating this will be for all of us.

People here are carrying signs and protesting at BP gas stations everywhere and calling for a boycott of BP products. I understand their desire to punish BP and I believe BP should be punished but there are three points I would like to make.

#1
It will be very difficult to completely boycott PB. They are a HUGE company and many of the things we use every day and don't even think about are made by BP. The soda can you drink out of may be made by BP. The asphalt on our roads is very likely made by BP - and the list goes on.

#2
But lets say we were able to boycott BP and drive them into bankruptcy (their stock had already take a really big hit). What happens then? Who is going to pay for the cleanup of this awful mess? I can tell you who - the American taxpayer. Quite frankly, I don't want to pay for it with my tax dollars. So, even though I don't presently use BP gas, I am going to start. I need gas anyway and their gas costs the same so I will help them out until they get this mess taken care of.

#3
For the most part, BP doesn't own gas stations. They are owned by and independent station owner. He is a guy who has a wife and family just like the rest of us. He may live down the street from you or go to your church. His kid may play on the same little league as your kid. The money he makes from his station he spends in his community - your community. So when you boycott his station and deprive him of his livelihood, you are really hurting your neighbor and your community.

Not For Sale

I'm taking the pool off the market. It's back to being wonderful. We don't use AC yet so a dip in the pool right before I climb into bed is great. It took a month to get the mew pump in and now that the green scum is gone I am a happy woman!