BP, you're not impressing me

BP Says Limits on Drilling Imperil Oil Spill Payouts
NYT - 9/2/10

BP, you are doing a horrible job convincing me that I should give any shits about whether or not you're able to stay in business after you pay for the damages caused by the oil spill.

“If we are unable to keep those fields going, that is going to have a substantial impact on our cash flow,” said David Nagle, BP’s executive vice president for BP America, in an interview. That, he added, “makes it harder for us to fund things, fund these programs.”

Makes it harder for YOU?!?!?!?!?! This oil spill has damaged (if not totally ended) the livelihoods of many thousands of people, and you're whining about having to work harder?!?!?!?!?! You're a multi-billion dollar global corporation run by people with various impressive post-graduate degrees - if the only revenue-generating business strategy you can think of is to do more of the thing that caused you to have to make these payments in the first place...well, I kinda think you deserve to go out of business.

This is the kind of monkey business that makes me able to understand why so many people think corporations are pure evil. BP - a major disaster happened on a piece of your property during an operation that produces a large percentage of your income. You chose to invest in this type of risky activity, you chose Transocean and Halliburton as your business partners in this venture. If they are to blame for any of this, it should be your responsibility to collect moneys from them. If you're having a hard time staying in business and coming up with the funds you'll need to pay for the damages caused by this flaw in your business operations, then either go out of business or figure out other ways to make money.

I'm no business student, so obviously I could be totally off the mark here. However, I like to think I have a pretty good understanding of basic business & economics. And the more I learn about corporations (and the effects some of them have had on things like local economies and the health of our environment and citizens), the less I'm able to accept the seemingly illogical support the government keeps providing to companies who mess up in major ways.

I keep thinking about what would happen to, for example, a restaurant in my neighborhood that had a fire caused by a faulty piece of equipment they owned. And that fire resulted in, not only the destruction of that business operation, but also damages to surrounding buildings. Now, if the business has fire insurance, I'm sure it would lessen the blow. But, regardless, if the damages incurred by the fire cost them everything they had, and they couldn't start over for whatever reason, they'll be gone...and another business will fill the space in which they used to operate before the disaster. It's the circle of capitalism...and it moves us all.

So, if there's an actual, logical, answer to why BP should be treated differently, please tell me.