Huey P has nothing to do with Louisiana anymore. Hell – we didn’t even get a share of these revenues until after Katrina and Congressman Bobby Jindal was the guy that drove the effort for us to get them.

You can argue whatever you want – but the people of Louisiana have more right to those revenues than the people of California do.

Oh but – whatever – it’s just law, hell.

Period.

So Barney Frank either gets to spend this money – or Rick Perry or Bobby Jindal do.

No brainer to me.

If you want to change the law to make it where the oil companies pay no revenues to the Feds or the State – but keep it all to themselves – I think most of us would be behind you on that.

But that is not what this thread is about.

The only thing I’ll concede to you here is whether or not Texas should get the revenues or Louisiana. If none of the oil or the support for harvesting it is associated with Louisiana – then we shouldn’t get the dough. However – I’m willing to bet we’ll play a major role in all that.

I’m not sure you really understand the oil industry down here. Many of the rigs pump their oil directly ashore via miles of pipeline on the ocean floor. Many do use tankers to haul it ashore. All of the rigs require helicopter support – and crews to man the rigs. Additionally – they require support ships to haul in supplies and crews. Divers, unmanned vehicles, etc.

Those aren’t coming from Cuba.

But in any case – these revenues aren’t just “invented” from whole cloth. Either the Federal Government gets the money or the State gets the money. Judging by the way the Feds have been wasting money – I’d say the State is a better steward of that cash – especially with a Republican Governor and Congress.

And I’d also say that I don’t think California should get one penny of the revenues – since they refuse to expand oil drilling off their own coast – another reason for it to stay local.

One of the problems I have with RonPaul™ and your ilk is that it’s all just blather. Paul has been a member of Congress for 20+ years and he hasn’t managed to get one other CongressCritter to join with him on a single issue. Nor has he (or you in the above thread) offered anything even remotely resembling a strategy to do anything other than make noise.

You folks are a total waste of time, energy and money. Now, zip up and run along. Oh, and nice tooth.

Nobody has an unlimited right to drill, even on their own property. If Farmer Jones wants to drill an oil well on his South 40, even if he has clear title to the land, he is obliged to obtain a drilling permit from the state regulatory body. This is to ensure some measure of environmental protection so that he doesn’t contaminate his neighbors’ groundwater. In most jurisdictions he has to conform to minimum spacing requirements because the state has an interest in ensuring that mineral ownership laws are respected and unnecessarry wells aren’t being drilled. The state is also entitled to severance taxes (see above) from any oil and gas he sells, even though he owns it 100%.

Oil resources are to be conserved and managed and developed in an orderly and environmentally responsible manner. Government has a legitimate oversight role in the process.

Your way was tried up until the 1920s or so & it didn’t work out so hot:

Must be some new Saturday night ritual going on.

I knew I should have grabbed some popcorn…

In the case of the Gulf, the US bought the territory from France, remember that Jefferson guy you were referring to. That territory was chattel to the US government, just like you buying a lot for future development. First it was all military districts, then territories, then states. The states’ territorial control goes out to three or, usually, twelve miles. Beyond that, the territory belongs to the US government out to treaty lines, usually 200 miles. In that zone between the states’ sovereignty and the territorial limit of the US, the property is the common wealth of the US; it belongs to all of us, fool. Were it not for the blood and treasure expended by the US in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War, even the Spanish American War, it would belong to some other country. Thus, the US claims it, owns it, leases it, and derives revenue from it. The only question here is whether it shares that revenue with Louisiana because LA has to deal with the impact of the infrastructure support of developing the field.

Now some of us actually know something about both government and the oil industry. Those of you who don’t should perhaps choose another subject to argue about.

The point you tried to make, was that the gov’t gets a piece of the action from the get-go, because of common wealth of the nation. Again, that’s fine. That’s the law.

What I’m really asking is: Does government have this power legitimately? Do all things flow from government or are there things which are unalienable – such as property, that we willingly assign to government for safeguard and management? (Yes, we do).

Then, doesn’t it behoove use to occasionally review how well the government is safeguarding our wealth, and take action if necessary?

I think you were wrapped up in the process that you understand and know so well, that you missed my point about that very process being in need of scrutiny.

Now you can call me more names if that makes you feel better.

I didn’t say if you found something on MY or someone else’s land, it was yours. When an explorer discovers something, it is theirs. I was pointing out that, current treaties aside, BP did the work and the profit from that work should be theirs first. That’s all.

Geez.

It really doesn’t matter whether anybody bans you, now it would be an act of kindness. You are only going be engaged on slow weekends, otherwise you’ve pretty well Hinz Rule’d yourself.

Nobody insulted you, they just pointed out the facts.

Again, Richard, you are choosing to not debate the philosophy, only the applied law as it stands. That’s fine. But it doesn’t address my point at all. I’m happy to agree to not discuss it, just because you guys don’t want to. All one had to say was that. The insults about my heritage, location, political affiliation were not necessary. But I’m sure they were fun for Achance, Vlad. I hope they enjoyed beating up on me, big men that they are.