Spill Baby Spill
BP leaks, the taxpayer pays. Can't you hear the queer silence of the conservative media these days?
Speaking as a libertarian, the incompetent fools that allowed this accident to happen should be held to the cost involved here. British Petroleum and whichever engineering firm designed the platform have a lot to account for, and the fact that the people of the USA are footing the bill for this bill is a travesty. That being said, the ban on offshore drilling is every bit as silly as the increased security in airports after 9/11. Also, the fact that BP probably isn't going to be charged for wrongdoing suggests that the industry won't take this as a catalyst for increased safety measures on existing offshore rigs. Once again, everyone is able to avoid responsibility, except for taxpayers.
The only reason for the silence from the conservative media is that there is very little conservative media in general. Conservatives are very angry about this ban. Exclusively watching CNN or NPR, as you apparently do, however, would lead you to believe otherwise.
It's not like this hasn't happened before. Like at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixtoc_I guess who ended up footing the bill and being snuffed when they asked for some compensation.