New York, NY - Mayor Bloomberg Urges Critics To Go Easier On BP |
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News Source: NY Daily News
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New York, NY - Mayor Bloomberg defended the boss of BP.
“We’re going after the heads of some of these companies. The guy that runs BP didn’t exactly go down there and blow up the well,” the mayor said on his WOR-AM radio show.
“If you want him to fix it and they’re the only ones with the expertise, I think I might wait to look, assign blame,” he said. “There’s got to be somebody that’s culpable in everything. C’mon.”
BP CEO Tony Hayward has been derided for downplaying the size and severity of the oil spill that has killed wildlife, ruined beaches and devastated communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Hayward said the gushing oil is tiny next to the amount of water in the gulf, admitted that BP wasn’t prepared to handle the catastrophe, and whined that he wants his life back.
Bloomberg, who built his own large company from scratch, often shows sympathy for business leaders who are embattled by bad news and pilloried in the press.
He has defended Con Edison after the 2006 Queens blackout and the 2009 Queens house explosion that killed a woman - both of which were later found to have been caused by Con Ed negligence.
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Read Comments (22) — Post Yours »
1
Jun 11, 2010 at 01:47 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
The mayor is looking towards life after Mayor .
2
Jun 11, 2010 at 01:58 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
Oh so no sense of taking responsibility. Neither did I throw down those cigarette buds in the front of my house, so why the ticket?
3
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:02 PM formally Says:Report as Inappropriate
sorry charlie,
he makes the big money when things go right even thought he was not the guy who did the stuff that made the company profits rise. So when things go wrong he has to take the hit.
what is fair is fair.
maybe if he shared his huge bonus with the little guys when things go right I can agree with bloommy but alas that did not and does not happen
4
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:22 PM Ok I agree but... Says:Report as Inappropriate
Plug the darn hole already!!!!
5
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:34 PM ShatzMatz Says:Report as Inappropriate
if you push BP to the wall they would invoke the legal loopholes that limit their liability and tell everyone to go fly a kite. they would pass the blame on the other companies involved.
they are at least man enough to stand up and take responsibility. give them a break.
6
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:39 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
Bloomberg knows very well that BP messed up. They made bad decisions that might reach the level of criminal. These decisions were made with the intent of cutting costs regardless of risk and danger.
I think hayward ha sgot to go simply for his wheining that he wants his life back. That is not the leadership behavior he is paid for.
7
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:42 PM joey Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ if you push BP to the wall they would invoke the legal loopholes that limit their liability and tell everyone to go fly a kite. they would pass the blame on the other companies involved.
they are at least man enough to stand up and take responsibility. give them a break. ”
#5 - you can't tell a country like the US to go fly a kite. BP would be crushed if they tried that. Obama would legislate them out of every last penny they have.
8
Jun 11, 2010 at 02:56 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
Follow the money trail. Most likely he has quite a few bucks sunk in BP shares.
9
Jun 11, 2010 at 03:01 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ #5 - you can't tell a country like the US to go fly a kite. BP would be crushed if they tried that. Obama would legislate them out of every last penny they have. ”
the rules allowing offshore drilling had a stop limit beyond which BP would not have to pay. Part would be paid by an industry shared fund.
BP might have taken full responsibility by saying they would do so.
10
Jun 11, 2010 at 03:07 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
The mayor is right. Accidents happen that in hindsight could have been prevented and could also be the result of negligence. Yet people are negligent far more often than we care to admit and most of the time catasrophe's don't occur. People should temper their criticism with a little bit of humility.
11
Jun 11, 2010 at 05:02 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ The mayor is looking towards life after Mayor . ”
You are an am'haoretz. He can buy BP with all the money has. He is not some two dime politician trying to line up political favors in return for a job after he leaves office.
12
Jun 11, 2010 at 05:27 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ The mayor is right. Accidents happen that in hindsight could have been prevented and could also be the result of negligence. Yet people are negligent far more often than we care to admit and most of the time catasrophe's don't occur. People should temper their criticism with a little bit of humility. ”
This was not an accident. BP was well aware of the potential for failure of the rig, and chose not to take the precautionary measures that a responsible company should. An accident is not negligence, they are two very different things. When a person crashes into you on a road because they were talking on their phone, that is no accident. Having said that, there is an enormous difference between a person being negligent on the road and a giant corporation being negligent regarding a rig they are profiting from, the end result of which is an uncontrollable oil geyser that destroys an entire ecosystem and hundreds of thousands of peoples livelihoods. Temper criticism? On the contrary; people should be outraged at the irresponsibility on display and hold BP's feet to the fire, if only to ensure that future such incidents don't occur.
13
Jun 11, 2010 at 05:54 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Follow the money trail. Most likely he has quite a few bucks sunk in BP shares. ”
That's a good one. And Mike Bloomberg is so wrong on this one as well [as on tickets and many other issues]. I always knew I was a bigger environmentalist than Mike. I would classify him as a business environmentalist; if there's money in being green, he will go for it. (e.g. charging $8.00 tax to ride in Midtown to "lower pollution") If it is in his way, he will temporarily cease being concerned for the environment.
14
Jun 11, 2010 at 06:06 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Follow the money trail. Most likely he has quite a few bucks sunk in BP shares. ”
You are a fool . You think that the people who manage his money are still holding BP shares? think again .This Company is doomed .The potential liabilities it faces, won't be known for dacades to come .
15
Jun 11, 2010 at 06:11 PM Charlie Hall Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ the rules allowing offshore drilling had a stop limit beyond which BP would not have to pay. Part would be paid by an industry shared fund.
BP might have taken full responsibility by saying they would do so. ”
The rules that limit liability for ACTUAL DAMAGES amount to corporate welfare and should be repealed. Hopefully BP will do the right thing and pay in full as it said it will do.
16
Jun 11, 2010 at 06:19 PM omaba Says:Report as Inappropriate
thanks mike blumberg for the line. some people think jimmie carter was not a goods president....that is an atrroshius error....i admires him
17
Jun 11, 2010 at 06:50 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ if you push BP to the wall they would invoke the legal loopholes that limit their liability and tell everyone to go fly a kite. they would pass the blame on the other companies involved.
they are at least man enough to stand up and take responsibility. give them a break. ”
If you invite foreign companies to do business inthe US, you should treat them with respect . There is no reason to treat them as criminals .Remember Union Carbide in India .It practically detroyed them as as business. Do we want to do that .?
18
Jun 11, 2010 at 06:51 PM Unfair Analogy! Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ sorry charlie,
he makes the big money when things go right even thought he was not the guy who did the stuff that made the company profits rise. So when things go wrong he has to take the hit.
what is fair is fair.
maybe if he shared his huge bonus with the little guys when things go right I can agree with bloommy but alas that did not and does not happen ”
These are not analogous situations. I would agree with you if the disaster were financial, based on poor business decisions....for instance if they poorly hedged oil prices or interest rates, poor cash management or overly increasing salaries. But that is not the case here; Bloomberg is right because this is an unforseen disaster. They may have been unprepared, but realistically they would have been under-prepared no matter what. This is the largest oil disaster in oil industry history.
19
Jun 12, 2010 at 09:43 PM PMO Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ These are not analogous situations. I would agree with you if the disaster were financial, based on poor business decisions....for instance if they poorly hedged oil prices or interest rates, poor cash management or overly increasing salaries. But that is not the case here; Bloomberg is right because this is an unforseen disaster. They may have been unprepared, but realistically they would have been under-prepared no matter what. This is the largest oil disaster in oil industry history. ”
Your argument does not hold water. If I KNOW that it is a long-time proven fact that packing the well with concrete is safe, and can hold for 15 years, then that is what I should do. When someone comes along and says "We can do this much cheaper by packing it with seawater", and you agree even though it's never been done at this depth and has only been done a few times in shallow water, it is your fault. It is not an "unforeseen disaster", it was a GAMBLE that YOU knowingly CHOSE to take and you lost. Being unprepared for the disaster is only half the issue. The other half was using cheap, unproven methods for packing the well in order to save a few hundred thousand dollars.
20
Jun 12, 2010 at 10:55 PM Bulldog Says:Report as Inappropriate
It just shows how out of touch this mayor really is. All the Chassidic people who read this website should be ashamed of yourselves when you voted for this man. Remember John Lindsay!? Seem familiar!? All his billions and I for one, am not impressed in the least!
21
Jun 13, 2010 at 12:35 AM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
The unmitigated Chutzpah of Bloomberg, defending BP. How about him having the same gefeel for the NYC citizens and workers?
22
Jun 13, 2010 at 02:46 AM Government Should Help Says:Report as Inappropriate
Why isn't government helping the cleanup instead of standing by and demanding answers?!