re: #554 reine.de.tout

I have no issue with appropriate and SAFE regulations being implemented and enforced. And the MMS needs to be looked at and overhauled.

Your question to me was how many other companies are being given the exceptions? I could not answer that; all I have is decades of historical evidence to rely on, and 3 decades of experience that my husband has to draw on. That’s a lot of experience.

That isn’t evidence that exceptions weren’t given, but that exceptions didn’t end in disaster.

I do, however, have an issue with people in this thread who INSIST on trying to blame Bush and the Republicans for a perceived “soft on MMS” stance, but yell like banshees if we dare to mention that well, yes, but this particular exception was granted under the Obama administration.

This exception was granted under the Obama administration. The GOP, however, has by far a larger record for pushing for deregulation and supporting deregulation.

The final point being that it isn’t the fault of EITHER PRESIDENT.

Or any president.

The damned federal bureacracy is so huge, no one person can oversee everything, all the time, and unfortunately, it takes a mess like this to bring to light when an agency has ceased functioning effectively needs to be reviewed and revamped.

I don’t think it does take this sort of accident. Many other industries have been hugely improved by the actions of watchdog groups before massive accidents have occurred, or even by (gasp) the work of people in Congress. I don’t accept that things like this have to happen, and I think that we can work to prevent them from happening. More funding for those watchdog groups, for example, would be a very good thing.