The blog mentions the CLEAR act passed by the House of Representatives that will hopefully improve planning for offshore drilling and, among other things, will increase land and ocean conservation funding. What other actions need to be taken by the government in order to ensure this disaster will not be repeated? If the Senate does not put the CLEAR act into action and does not support the increase in funding for the Gulf, what type of response do you think the public will have?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Group 1 Blog
Our selected blog can be found by accessing http://magblog.audubon.org/oil-spill and it pertains to updates on the oil spill and the general public's feelings. The first link entitled "Poll Shows Environmental Restoration High Priority in Gulf States and Voters Want BP to Pay" references a poll taken across Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Mississippi. 87% of the 2,061 voters felt as though the Gulf's health was a direct correlation to their state's economy. Also, it was concluded that 78% of the voters agreed that a separate fund should be created for the Gulf region and the Mississippi river delta that would include payments from BP. Do agree with the voters that BP violated the Clean Air Act and the Oil Pollution Act?
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ReplyDeleteI just thought it was funny how near the middle of the blog they kept repeating how much 'America needs the Gulf'. I guess they were trying to emphasize that point, but it was just kind of annoying to me.
ReplyDeleteA part of this Blog says that voters in Gulf Coast states are more likely to vote for government officials who support environmental restoration or funds for environmental protection. Do you believe that candidates will now change their view points on the environment for voter support? If so, do you believe that those candidates will actually focus on the environment after elected?
ReplyDeleteThe section titled "Oil Spill Update: Feds Provide Detailed Weekly Avian Victims Reports" on this blog has some good graphics.
ReplyDeleteIt really puts it into perspective how many birds have been discovered injured and were in need of help. I find the numbers suprising.
I think the government also needs to take steps into cleaner energy research so that we don't even need to have oil in order for our country to function. If the Senate does not pass the CLEAR Act I feel that there will be some type of public protest because now the public knows that this can happen and it could be worse if we do nothing to prevent it in the future.
ReplyDeleteI like how this particular blog uses polls that show the people from the states that were actually damaged.
ReplyDeleteTo mimi- I agree that BP has violated the Clean Air Act and Oil Pollution Act.
Yes I believe they will "change" their opinions and view points. Who doesn't want votes? But there have been plenty of times in history when politicians said they were going to do one thing and didn't. They want dollars not change.
ReplyDeleteI liked this quote from the participant at the town hall meeting:“Recovery and sustainability for the Gulf depends on three critical resources: our people, our environment, and our commerce. We need a recovery plan that brings these aspects back into balance,” It made sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI think, for now at least, that some candidates will change their view points. It's wrong, but I guess it's a way to get more numbers. But I don't really think many of them will keep that view after elected. Most will probably just go back to what they thought before.
ReplyDeleteAs a response to Mimi question about "what other actions need to be taken by the government to make sure the disaster will not be repeated?"
ReplyDeleteAt the very end of the blog there is a link to read what Rep. Henry Waxman and other specialist said. When reading through Henry Waxman views, he said that this accident might have other warning signs such as our growing dependence on oil. Do you think we taken a step to far with our dependence on oil? Also, what effects could this cause if we keep on pushing the oil market?
To Andrew- we learned in Government last year about which characteristics to look for to decipher which polls are credible. I thought this blog did a good job at including who funded the poll, the survey size and where people were from in which responded to the poll. I think that's an important aspect in judging how reliable the poll is
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that BP broke both the Clean Air Act and the Oil Pollution Act due to their negligenc on the sea-based drill. The voters were correct to think that BP should be responsivle for damage costs to the environment.
ReplyDeleteIf the CLEAR Act is to be passed, it should help to repair the damaged areas and prevent future environmental disasters.
If you were a Policy maker, what would you try to implement in the new policies being ceated for environmental protection? What would you change? What would you keep the same?
I agree and sympathize with voters in the Gulf region states. They are facing a tragedy that they did nothing to cause. BP has assumed fault and should now work with the states as well as the federal government to restore the Gulf to what it was before they caused the largest oil spill in history.I also feel like this blog says a lot about the feelings of people and voters in the 5 Gulf States, and about how they will vote in upcoming elections.
ReplyDeleteI think this blog reiterates the fact that BP's whole claims services is not working if the majority of people being polled feel as if they still need more money to make the gulf a functional part of their economy again.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed that the article remained politically neutral. At the beginning of the article the author states that both Democrats and Republicans "overwhelming support restoring the health of the region."
ReplyDeleteThe author seemed more interested in displaying the facts than the less important political arguments.
In response to Seth. I do think politicans in the gulf area will take a "green" stance on politics. With the oil disaster still in the eye of the media, politicians will try and ride on this attention to gain support. Unfortunately, the majority of these politicans are not educated on environmental matters and will not be able to accomplish much. The silver lining of this situation would be the increased chance for real eco-educated politicans to be elected because those who know what they are talking about will stand out amongst the phonies.
ReplyDeleteThe blog mentions that people in the gulf area are well aware of the gulf oil disaster. So I am curious as to how many of us from the Great Lakes area are informed about the Asian Carp problem that now threatens the ecosystem of the Great Lakes?
I really like how they showed the poll of the states that were affected by the spill and went back to it saying America as a whole wanted to see a change. I believe that the canidites will change their view points to win more votes.
ReplyDeleteIf the government needs to give the people of the southern coastal states reasurrance. So, if the CLEAR act doesn't pass the Senate, it will send a message to these people that the government is not doing all that it can to help the coast. And, to make sure something like this doesn't happen again, the government needs to make a precedent out of BP by harshly punishing/fining the company
ReplyDeleteI feel that candidates will change their views just to get votes. This could cause problems because they are just changing your view on the enviornment to get votes instead of truely looking into the problem and making changes that will help to imporve the environment.
ReplyDeleteWho do you think the people were that voted just a little or not at all? And why did they vote this way?
I also agree with Mimi about the BP violated the Clean Air Act and Oil Pollution Act.
To Jordan-I know about the Asian Carp problem since you told me about it yesterday
ReplyDeleteBut it says that the poll was conducted by phone. People didnt have to participate in a short poll or survery or however they worded it to get people to stay on the line.
ReplyDeleteAs i am currently learning in Psychology, people need to pay attention to how studies polls are conducted. If no one pays attention to how the studies and polls are conducted, then no one will notice that the results might be skewed one way or another. it may not be the case here, but ya know, just sayin.
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ReplyDeleteI think Kara brings up a strong point. The candidates should focus on the problem and be genuinely worried about the environment, not their own agenda
ReplyDeleteI think voters will end up changing how they view the situation with how much it affects their state.
ReplyDeleteEven though the blog starts out by clearly stating how BP violated the Clean Water Act and the the Oil Pollution Act, it is nice to be able to read a blog/article that doesn't necessarily take one side and support it and completely bash the opposing views. The entire article remained quite neutral, just stating facts.
to Elyse, i think you have a very good point with the governemnet trying to find another source of engergy our world could use to run. who says that even with these acts passed another accedent could not happen? yes solar energy has been experemted with and its extreamly expencesive but we only have one world and there are no edit buttons if someone messes up...as we all can now see with the oil spill
ReplyDeleteTrue, I am in Sociology and we are learning the same stuff about polls and surveys. Doing a poll or survery by phone can truely effect the results. If they did the poll by home phone numbers, not everyone has home phones anymore a lot of people just use their cell phones. So I agree with Amy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Stuart about their own agenda. The first priority right now in these states is the recover of the spill. Their agenda and first priority should be those of the people they represent.
ReplyDeleteRE amy respone about psychology: Although this could be true, I find it hard to belive that they would have to do much to manipulate the voters into voting for their side. It is clear that there is obviously going to be a lot of economic damage and it seems that the people living are very aware of the economic problems caused by the spill. So, I belive that the poll was most likley conducted in a fair manner.
ReplyDeleteAlso keep in mind that the question asked was included in the data. The poll was taken by phone and they question is as follows: Would you say the environmental health of the Gulf Coast region affects your state's economy very much, somewhat, just a little or not at all?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that this is a fair un-bias question?
A good point to bring up is how you want to take the numbers shown in the poll. Compared to the population in those five states,approximately two thousand people are not very many. Something the graph of the poll did not show, which somewhat raises a red flag, as a statistic for the percent error of the poll. For as much as we know the percent error of this poll might be too high to be considered a viable source of information. Do you think the validity of the poll is high if its hiding the percent error of the poll?
ReplyDeleteI think that politicians regardless of party are going to take advantage of the outrage and desire for change in the Gulf States. They now are using them as a pawn in the political sphere.. It's really sad that some people are so greedy for power that they would take advantage of a natural disaster that has devastated so many peoples' lives.
ReplyDeleteTate.157, why do you think they kept repeating "America needs the gulf" what effect do you think they are trying to produce?
ReplyDelete“Recovery and sustainability for the Gulf depends on three critical resources: our people, our environment, and our commerce. We need a recovery plan that brings these aspects back into balance,” I feel that this quote summarizes what needs to be accomplished in order of what is most valuable. Our citizens our land and our economy. Hopefully the clear act passes and takes steps in this direction.
ReplyDeleteGiven the small number of people given in the poll, i dont think that there could be much error. I would understand there being a question about the validity of the poll with large numbers but i couldnt see this small one having much error.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elyse. But I guess that's just how most people are. Just about everyone does something such as this, just to get something in return.
ReplyDeleteI would say that the environmental health of the Gulf Coast does affect the economy of other states. The Gulf produces seafood that is shipped to other parts of the nation and if those states on the Gulf Coast can not ship seafood then other states will not have as much. Also, the government must spend large sums of money to help fix the oil damages and this money could have been spent fixing roads or other problems in other states. So the Gulf Disaster does affect the rest of the nation even if it is not directly apparent.
ReplyDeletebe sure to click on the link within the text that says poll. it will take you here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/gulf-region-poll-results/
if you go here, you can see more results.
@friess.19, I think they are trying to either get the readers to feel an obligation to blame BP. when they keep repeating "America needs the Gulf", it kinda makes i seem like they are saying "We need this and BP jacked it up" so..yeah. I feel like its almost a way to place blame
ReplyDeleteI would say the question they asked is very unbiased. The people in those 5 states are most affected by the oil spill and their states have been in the center of the news since the oil spill was first discovered. Due to that I feel like all the people being polled, regardless of the means they are asked the question, will gladly take the chance express with others across the country how devastating the oil spill has been to their everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elyse. Politicians do take things and spin them to use them to their advantage.
ReplyDeleteAnd to answer Mimi's question, it depends on who is asked the question. The states that were mentioned in the poll would have a more strong opinion on the matter. States that were affected the most will have the strongest opinion..such as Louisiana.
To try and clear up the question with Andrew: The percent error is based on how well an area is represented based on how many people are polled. So is approximately two thousand people a high enough number to represent the population of five states?
ReplyDelete@Nicholas Waite , "It may not be the case here, but ya know, just sayin." is what i said.
ReplyDeleteAgain, it may NOT be the case here....
yeah.
To Tate: does anybody find it a problem that people are focusing on the blame of Bp instead of cleaning up? I feel that the only ones who are trying to clean up is BP. Everybody else just seems upset which they have the right to be but I think we have to get passed the blame and really start focusing on the problem.
ReplyDeleteBy saying "America needs ther Gulf", I feel they are trying to make people realize how important the Gulf is not only to the people who live there but everyone in the world.
ReplyDeleteOther actions being taken by the govt’ to make sure that an event like the BP oil spill will not happen again was clearly evident in the obama address http://blogs.forbes.com/energysource/2010/06/15/obamas-oil-spill-speech-full-text/on the Gulf oil spill. A basic summary on President Obama’s speech is that it was a call to action for America to be so dependant on oil. In his speech it calls for the U.S. to find alternative ways of energy so that another major oil spill such as the recent BP gulf oil spill will not happen again. I guess America expected a different solution than the one President Obama gave in his address to the nation. I believe instead of beating around the bush that America needs a concrete answer or solution on how the govt’ plans on fixing the gulf oil spill. America, in a recent article posted by a political internet website http://politics.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/john-farrell/2010/05/07/Gulf-Oil-Spill-Reaction-Shows-American-Has-Become-a-Whiner-Nation.html , is being described as a “Whiner Nation”. I believe that America needs to come together in this time of need and pick and dust ourselves off and work together, not playing the blame game, and work on finding the best solution to this disaster.
ReplyDelete@Nick i feel like BP is at fault, but people shouldnt be so focused on trying to make them clean everything up, because they are already out there trying to do that. If people took the time to stop whining and actually got out there and tried to help, the oil would be cleaned up quicker.
ReplyDelete@Nick so yeah, i guess i agree with u haha
ReplyDeleteI be we could use hemp as an alternative for feul...
ReplyDeleteand then we would be less dependent on oil.
ReplyDeleteTo Amy or anyone else, is hemp completely reliable? As in does it work?
ReplyDeleteI think the public would be outraged. Most of the people living in that area rely on the gulf for one occupation or another so if congress rejected the clean act then that would put the gulf at risk for another major disaster like this.
ReplyDeleteHey Stuart,
ReplyDeletehere is a website that might help answer those question,
http://www.hemp4fuel.com/news.php