What else is there to do in Florida?

That was the best night of those senior citizens lives.

FTFA: "The money allowed seven area tourism bureaus to try promotions they could never have afforded otherwise, and it has propelled the Panhandle's visitor counts to record numbers this year following a disastrous season right after the spill."

So what's the big issue?

Ok.

Had a blast!

This was one of the biggest clusterfarks ever. I know all of all sorts of businesses that were cut checks for no good reason, it was ridiculous. But whatever, BP is an evil oil company so who cares, right?

Dr. Manhattan: FTFA: "The money allowed seven area tourism bureaus to try promotions they could never have afforded otherwise, and it has propelled the Panhandle's visitor counts to record numbers this year following a disastrous season right after the spill."

So what's the big issue?

Because 1) Socialism 2) Big Oil is always right.

....most deserving of what, exactly? Because I have some ideas if there's any money left over, and I think the film rights would pay for itself.

Good thing the government is always there to protect wealthy companies from their victims. They didn't have time to set up a wrist slapping agency for oil spills, like they do for Wall Street, but the bogus "recovery fund" worked out just as well.

/it's all one gigantic criminal enterprise

Another interesting factoid. If you follow the money trail, BP owns the "conservation" society that has single handily destroyed much of the fishing industry in Florida. In turn there are now less commercial fishermen to have to pay off next time there is a big spill.

Free money biatches!!!

You give a 20 year old $10k for no good reason, what do you expect he's going to do with it? Invest it? Hells no, 24"s on the Caprice!

BP trifecta in play?

*reads article*

The money was used for highly successful tourism promotions.

/hey, that sounds exactly like what the money was supposed to be used for

While tourism may have temporarily increased, I doubt most of these events would have increased it. Most of the things described seemed to be for locals.

Also, why is it that so many people who get money of this nature (whether it be from a corporation or the government) spend it on stupid crap. Also, why is that idiots always somehow end up being in charge of large sums of money?

CSB time:

It reminds me of something my mom told me a year or two ago. She's been a higher up in higher education for 30 years and she's also been writing grants for 40 years. A woman came to her one day and said, the government gave me a $12 million grant to spend on whatever I want for the black communities in Chicago. The woman was at least smart enough to go to my mom and ask her advice on how to spend the money (not what to spend it on specifically, but how to go about distributing it essentially). However, this woman had no credentials as far as knowing how to allocate funds of this nature. She didn't run a business or anything, she had never received a grant before, in fact we have no idea how she got this grant. As far as we could tell she was just a black woman who was concerned about the black communities in Chicago and wanted to do something to improve them. I'm not saying the woman was an idiot by any means, but the people who gave her the money were. This just baffles me.

Who's terrible idea was it to have BP sponsor those current ads for gulf-coast tourism? Now there's a feel-good campaign: "We f*cked up your coastline, but it's all good now. BP"

20/20: Who's terrible idea was it to have BP sponsor those current ads for gulf-coast tourism? Now there's a feel-good campaign: "We f*cked up your coastline, but it's all good now. BP"

I like how there's a "Paid for by our friends at BP" bump at the end of the ads that linger just a bit too long. Just long enough to get to you to look up and see if there's something wrong with the TV and instead get a face full of that green and yellow flower thing.

SDRR: This was one of the biggest clusterfarks ever. I know all of all sorts of businesses that were cut checks for no good reason, it was ridiculous. But whatever, BP is an evil oil company so who cares, right?

You are *not* kidding. I can think of at least a dozen 20-somethings who got $10k+ because they washed dishes or some other menial temp work the summer before. They never even tried looking for work again, but BP's reps cut checks like kids in a candy store, encouraging these lazy farks and their self-entitled bullshiat.

20/20: "We f*cked up your coastline, but it's all good now. BP"

It is not all good. There is a layer of crude oil buried a couple feet into our white-sand beaches. It may look pretty on top, but the ecosystem is forever polluted.

D-D-D-Dave: SDRR: This was one of the biggest clusterfarks ever. I know all of all sorts of businesses that were cut checks for no good reason, it was ridiculous. But whatever, BP is an evil oil company so who cares, right?

You are *not* kidding. I can think of at least a dozen 20-somethings who got $10k+ because they washed dishes or some other menial temp work the summer before. They never even tried looking for work again, but BP's reps cut checks like kids in a candy store, encouraging these lazy farks and their self-entitled bullshiat.

HA, I am not going into a lot of detail because it is really none of my business, but that is chump change compared to some of the "relief" I know about. Since I grew up on the water (fishing / crabbing) and in the seafood business (before it was regulated out of existence in SW FL) I love the Gulf. Specifically, the food that comes out of it. I hope that the spill has not damaged some of the very fragile ecosystems where some of my favorite food comes from, but it will be years before we know that for sure. I think BP figured let's throw as much money around as quickly as possible and pretend this didn't happen so if real long term damage is discovered later, we will be off the hook.

SDRR: HA, I am not going into a lot of detail because it is really none of my business, but that is chump change compared to some of the "relief" I know about.

I don't doubt it, but these chumps didn't deserve a dime.