re: #41 sattv4u2

So what if we just all of BP’s shareholders and mana directors behind bars?

Because “all of BP’s shareholders and mana directors” were not responsible. That would be akin to saying all Toyota management and shareholders should go to jail because of the recalls they’re having

And that is the problem with corporate law. A corporation has all the legal rights of an individual, but there is/are no individual(s) to be held accountable for fuckups, and trying to charge the corporation as a whole is made virtually impossible by their lawyers. Sure, you can throw the odd executive in jail for that person’s personal crimes and misdemeanors, but in a case like this, there is no mechanism for making the corporation pay up outside of protracted lawsuits. They will hide behind lawyers and smokescreens for decades before coughing up a single penny.

By “accountability”, I mean the kind I would experience if I let my backyard heating-oil tank develop a leak and all 275 gallons got into the local groundwater.

In that case, it would be open-and-shut. Mister Cato, was that your oil tank? Yes, Your Honor. Did you fail to have it inspected? Yes, Your Honor. Gavel! Next case! We’ll send you the bill.

We know where the mess in the Gulf came from, but trying to get BP to pay for the damages is going to be like squeezing blood out of a turnip.