Is the Oil Spill Our Dust Bowl? → Washingtons Blog
Is the Oil Spill Our Dust Bowl? - Washingtons Blog

Monday, May 24, 2010

Is the Oil Spill Our Dust Bowl?


The dust bowl lengthened the Great Depression.

Many experts say that we're in another depression (which may even be worse than the 1930's).

The Gulf oil spill is substantially impacting the economy. Is the Gulf oil disaster -which is destroying fisheries, shrimping and tourism in the Gulf - our dust bowl?

You may assume that the dust bowl was a natural phenomenon. However, it was largely caused by poor farming practices which led to soil erosion.

9 comments:

  1. Gulf Coast tourism generates $20 billion a year and Louisiana fishing industry generates $2.4 billion a year. If this impacts the overall economy, it's because it closes the offshore oil port called the LOOP has to be shut down, southwest pass gets closed keeping refined oil from being shipped out of the Louisiana refineries, or H2S levels force cities to evacuate.

    This is more likely to cripple Louisiana and inconvenience everyone else. Take the $2.4 billion fishing industry and reduce it by about 75%. Of this, about $200 million comes from shrimp, crab, and oysters that could take decades to come back. Tourism for the 3 impacted areas generates $3.5 billion in revenue per year. Recreational fishing adds nearly 10K jobs in the state. The seafood industry overall adds and estimated 27K jobs. Then add in the price of seafood rising for local restaurants along with fewer people eating, especially in the NOLA area. Best case scenario, Louisiana is completely screwed. Worst case scenario, you pay much more for gas, housing is suppressed, food prices soar, and unemployment rises substantially.

    sources:
    http://protectourcoastline.org/inner.asp

    http://www.lorenscottassociates.com/Reports/ImpactofSaltwaterFishing.pdf

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2010/05/06/GR2010050605448.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. The mirror of our negligence?

    Certainly makes sense as an observation, if not an intentional 'creation' on the part of the larger collective consciousness.

    No, we didn't 'mean' to do it, we just somehow did.

    It's an endless re-run of POGO this century:

    We have met the enemy, and he is us.

    As I child I always remembered it as "and them are us" but that was an inside family joke, as it turns out them are us.

    seems to be the relevant point.

    ReplyDelete
  3. To quote (haven't a clue about accuracy, though. Anyone care to comment?)
    "If there is a single aspect to the dangers of the BP oil leak, it lies in the question CEO Tony Hayward and other BP executives have been avoiding since the first drop of oil went rogue: How much oil is leaking?

    The real answer is - more than anyone wants to admit, because the well holds enough oil to make Saudi Arabian drillers jealous.

    The oil field the Deepwater Horizon had tapped is said to be the second largest deposit in the world. Viewzone.com reports, “The site covers an estimated 25,000 square miles, extending from the inlands of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. “

    Source:
    http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m5d23-BP-oil-leak-Fallen-Deepwater-Horizon-was-tapping-second-largest-oil-deposit-in-the-world

    ReplyDelete
  4. I keep saying, this OIL SPILL DISASTER IN THE GULF is all a PR stunt. Look at the following NY Times article from today's Times, 5/25/2010, -and focus on the pictures.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/earth/25spill.html

    People are blind with hysteria about what? A dead bird? A couple of guys in white uniforms soaking up what looks to be less than 10 gallons of oil? Give me a break-!

    Aside from the very-convincing satellite photos, there's nothing.

    The satellite photos come from NASA.

    Doesn't anyone remember how NASA has been finding water, oceans, mermaids, clam bars and the Queen Mary on Mars for the last twenty years in an effort to keep the money flowing into NASA?

    And these rumors about the Coast Guard threatening to arrest anyone who takes a picture of the Gulf of Mexico read exactly like the rumors of the Tungsten-filled gold bars that came from Fort Knox.

    It's called propaganda -people. Propaganda for which YOU are the target.

    Move along. There's nothing left here to see -but rubber-necks and the Whooping Cranes laughing at how duped the American public is.

    Barack Hussein Obama, our Kenyan President, is the most accomplished liar the world has ever seen, -hands-down-.

    But this does not make an economy. Nor will it make an economy.

    Today, Goldman Sachs kicked the legs out from underneath the phony stock markets, -worldwide-.

    The opportunity to -short- the markets simply grew too great to resist. A lot of traders got very rich today, -at the expense of a lot of suckers who thought they were really smart riding the recovery.

    THE ECONOMY IS SO GOOD, all I've had to do to make a living is to go outside with a barrel at night -and catch the money that is falling out of the sky!

    But this does not make an economy -either.

    The collapse continues unabated.

    Say, "Goodnight," Gracie.

    "Goodnight, Gracie."

    Cuckoo ka-choo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If this oil spill winds up in the gulf stream and does indeed lay waste to every beach north of Havana there are going to be repurcussions at the ballot box. President Obama should at this point expect Louisiana to vote GOP as their wetlands are now wastelands. Worse may yet come. He still needs to save the economy, which of late has shown troubling signs of serious strain:

    http://themeanoldinvestor.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am shocked and saddened that anyone cares about a ballot box at this point. This is a big fat human created mess. Our species is incredibly vile. It really is. Sickening. And as for "Don" and his very short-sighted comments - ....this game has been rigged for a long time - and by people whose name you don't know or will never know. You, Don, are also part of the vile species we humans have proven ourselves to be (so am I) - either do something about it in your own life or please with the Kenya comments. It is not productive to solutions. It is simply too short-sighted of an opinion although I share your deep and grave concern. My apologies to the blogger for my comments about the human species but I am speaking of us all as a Whole and as One - which we are - whether we like it or not. This is going to be worse that a money issue. We just keep trashing our own house like a bunch of violent, partying, disrespectful teenagers. Ethics is completely gone from our society. Gone. We are in rough, uncharted waters.

    ReplyDelete
  7. " [...] either do something about it in your own life or please with the Kenya comments."

    Sure.

    I am debt-free. I have lived my 60 years, debt-free. I do NOT avail myself of doctors -for any reason-. And, no, I am not Amish.

    I have been married 40 years, and with my wife we raised two boys.

    I have money in the bank.

    This is what I'm doing to benefit humanity.

    I also write moral philosophy.

    AND -I am extolling the social virtue of just-desserts. -It's generally the most common way people learn.

    It's going to be a tough lesson too.

    I am NOT one of those who thinks God punishes people. LOL.

    I am one of those people who KNOWS people punish other people, -brutally-. That is what is coming and what is going on right now.

    This is called human nature.

    A depression is literally the best time to be filthy, stinking rich.

    And, folks, NO ONE GETS FILTHY STINKING RICH GOING INTO DEBT, PLAYING THE ROULETTE WHEEL OF THE STOCK MARKET, -OR- BY LETTING DOCTORS EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR PERSON WHILE CHARGING YOU AN-ARM-AND-A-LEG TO DESTROY YOUR HEALTH.

    And as for the country's Kenyan President?

    There is a sucker born every minute. And ALL OF THEM voted for this lying charlatan. People generally -are- pretty stupid. (I've made some stupid mistakes in my own life. But I learned from them.)

    Your "Barack Hussein Obama" wants to let in more illegal immigrants.

    The illegal immigrants aren't depressing what money I make in the marketplace. The illegal immigrants are MOSTLY depressing the wage paid to people of color, what your humanitarians would call, "poor people".

    Barack Hussein Obama pretends to be a friend to all, BUT he is seen too often -busy poisoning his own well to be anyone's friend.

    The only friend Barack Hussein Obama has is Barack Hussein Obama aka Barry Soetoro, the very same Kenyan who lied his way into running-for the American Presidency.

    Obama placed his own ambition above the sacred trust, defense, safety and surety of the United States.

    He is the quintessential politician of our era.

    To Barack Hussein Obama, NOTHING is more important than Barack Hussein Obama.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Why is it up to Obama to "save" the economy?
    We need to wake up and stop letting corporations bend us over.
    It is up to us to help ourselves. Stop bitching and blaming and waiting for someone else to do something.
    Start the clean up for free, start the relief concerts, start donating.

    ReplyDelete

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