Big Government in Action: Oil-Sucking Barges Shut Down by Coast Guard

by the Left Coast Rebel

I've been watching the Obama public relations disaster over the BP oil spill. I've been surprised that the leftwing seems to be as dismayed, if not even more so than conservatives do.

More than anything though, I've been shocked (even for me, which is saying something) just how mind-blowingly ineffective and ridiculously incompetent big-government is. Whether that is the lackadaisical-professorial, 'BP can handle this' initial Obama response, or the inability of the Feds to coordinate between branches. To crippling environmental red-tape that is actually aiding the environmental disaster by disallowing viable solutions, to ignoring/refusing the aid of local and international businesses.

And that's only just a smidgeon of the tip of the (oil) iceberg on how the Gulf oil spill disaster spells out the philosophy of big-government, disaster.

Leftists - why do you have so much faith in an all-encompassing Federal government?

Liberals - what do you have to say about this ABC News story today?

(ABC News)- Eight days ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered barges to begin vacuuming crude oil out of his state’s oil-soaked waters. Today, against the governor’s wishes, those barges sat idle, even as more oil flowed toward the Louisiana shore.

“It’s the most frustrating thing,” the Republican governor said today in Buras, La. “Literally, yesterday morning we found out that they were halting all of these barges.”

Sixteen barges sat stationary today, although they were sucking up thousands of gallons of BP’s oil as recently as Tuesday. Workers in hazmat suits and gas masks pumped the oil out of the Louisiana waters and into steel tanks. It was a homegrown idea that seemed to be effective at collecting the thick gunk.

“These barges work. You’ve seen them work. You’ve seen them suck oil out of the water,” said Jindal.

So why stop now?

“The Coast Guard came and shut them down,”Jindal said. “You got men on the barges in the oil, and they have been told by the Coast Guard, ‘Cease and desist. Stop sucking up that oil.’”

But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.

LA Governor Bobby Jindal today: