In Oklahoma, where oil and natural gas drive the state’s economy, tea party favorite Randy Brogdon, a Republican candidate for governor, said federal involvement in the BP disaster is only making the situation worse.
“This is a perfect example of why government should never be involved in the private sector,” said Brogdon, a state senator campaigning on limited federal government. “Government is not the solution. It’s the problem. The more government tries to get in and regulate the free market, the worse things become.”
The disaster was not a problem caused by government regulations but the lack of enforcement. In the Bush years, the MMS (Materials Management Service) that is supposed to oversee oil wells among other things had become utterly corrupt. Drug use and inappropriate sex was the norm between the industry and employees of the MMS. Forms were filled in by oil company reps in pencil for MMS employees to then ink in the document. It allowed BP to rack up 760 major violations in a three year period that they could write off to the cost of doing business.
The free market is working to some degree and BP are paying for their negligence.
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