Anger rising as Gulf spill claims process drags

Anger rising as Gulf spill claims process drags

www.msnbc.msn.com

Citizens, regional lawmakers, D.C. question administrator's methods, fairness in disbursing $20 billion

President Barack Obama vowed during a White House speech last June that the $20 billion he helped coax out of BP for an oil spill compensation fund would take care of victims "as quickly, as fairly and as transparently as possible."

Eight months later, that's not how things look to many people along the Gulf Coast.

Tens of thousands of fishermen, oyster shuckers, business owners, hotel operators and hairdressers still await payment. Many others whose claims have been tur

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Kind of a predictable turn of events.

We all knew that $20 billion dollars wasn't going to go far, but maybe we didn't expect it to go this slowly with so many snags? These poor people are hitting a bureaucratic wall at its finest.

So far, nearly 490,000 claims have been filed, and roughly half have been turned down. The fund has handed out $3.4 billion to 169,000 claimants. Nearly all the money dispensed so far has been in the form of either emergency payments for short-term losses or one-time checks handed out in exchange for a promise not to sue.

Yet they're still saying this?

Feinberg recently said he believes the Gulf of Mexico should largely recover from BP's oil spill by the end of next year, and he doesn't think the entire $20 billion will be needed to compensate victims. Only half of that should suffice, he said.

Seems like they're being very careful, but eight months is a very long for people who have suffered losses. Makes a person almost wonder if the money's really there or has been misappropriated.

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P.S. Is the BP Oil Spill forum gone? I couldn't seem to find it on the Forums page, or I would have posted this there. Thanks.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


How long before the people of the Gulf start to rise up? 20 billion set aside for the job and suddenly the Fed decides 10 billion will do. Where did the other half go? To save those too big to fail. Bailed on the backs of those too small to matter.
Wisconsin had its crowds. Colorado is calling for people in the streets on Tuesday, Feb.22. Is the Gulf in line?

reply to post by SimplyGord

Sounds like they don't have or never got the money.

Wow. Hadn't heard about Colorado. Did you make a thread?

And you're right, if this keeps up the people owed this money may be next.

reply to post by ~Lucidity


I saw a news article where Colorado unions are telling their people to get out on Feb. 22 to inform the state that they will not accept the kind of treatment Wisconsin is giving its people. Did not post. Just wait to see.
Almost every government project goes way over budget. Curious that they figure to pull this one off at half the price
Now if they could only make the same thing happen with foreign wars, for example. In and out in no time with minimum effort and at a 50% saving.

so basically a 20b fund is now down to 6b = 14b already gone

where did 14b go already? PRICELESS,, lol

guess we see if Egypt people have more balls or maybe they just care more for each other,, wow 14b gone already,,now what about all these dead birds that we see, and all the dead fish that we see,, i know that the oil is gone because i cant see it so if i could see what was killing everything could i get the other 6b for not sueing??
Oh and the part about it being over this time next year ya got that right! after all 6b dont go as far as it used too.