About All The Money That BP Promised

The $20 billion dollar fund is mostly intact. About 90% of the research funding, hasn’t been spent. There is no rhyme nor reason for who gets money and who doesn’t.

The Local Puppy Trainer reports that a Downtown legend may close its doors: Staff’s says oil spill may seal its fate

FORT WALTON BEACH — Staff’s Restaurant has been a fixture downtown for nearly 100 years. These days it doesn’t look like it will make it to its centennial.

Fifth generation family members blame the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a long wait for claims money from BP and fewer customers for putting them on the brink of closure.

“We’ve been through the Great Depression, hurricanes and economic hard times, but the oil spill is what will shut us down,” said restaurant co-owner Martha Garvie. “To think this is what’s going to wipe us out … We’ve used all possible revenue that we could beg, borrow and steal, so to speak.”

No final decision has been made to close, but indicators point to that option.

They applied for BP money in January, and were told they would hear in April. In April they were told it would be another 90 days. In the meantime the deadline for filing will pass. No one is loaning money for a small business, and the rising cost of gasoline has depressed the local tourism business. The high unemployment and general uncertainty have kept locals out of restaurants, so there is no time left to “weather this storm”.

Well, at least they don’t have to worry about estate taxes, thanks to the Republicants. Low taxes and no services – that’s the ticket.

NPR reports that a ‘Quagmire Of Bureaucracy’ Stifles Gulf Spill Research. BP says it wants to fund research and sets up a fund, which spends more time arguing about “the shape of the conference table” than making grants for research, and the first year of the spill has been lost. It is almost as if the process was designed to prevent research from taking place … but, of course BP would never do that [yeah, right].

Geoff Pender of the Biloxi Sun Herald has a look at local politicians in his piece, Government officials defend questionable use of BP oil spill grants.

Gee, Mississippi politicians spending other people’s money in extravagant ways which don’t seem to correspond to the purpose behind the money. It’s like those lifeguard towers that FEMA paid to replace a few hurricanes ago. Not only does no one ever remember seeing a lifeguard tower on the beach, there is no record of that county ever hiring a lifeguard for the beach. They did spend money on signs saying “Swim at your own risk – no lifeguard”. There’s nothing quite like a fiscally conservative Southern politician. Don’t ever get between them and food, or “free” Federal money.