Democrats and Business

BP is clearly at fault with respect to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The political universe, however, is consumed by the attacks - for little more than short term partisan advantage - currently being made on the company by President Obama and many other members of the Democratic Party. When the oil spill problem is over, the punishment can begin but, until then, these criticisms are counterproductive.

All of which simply reinforce some of the contradictory attitudes of Democrats:

• they love jobs but hate employers.
• they love businesses but hate owners who become rich because their businesses are successful.
• they love small business for creating jobs but ignore the fact that small businesses fail at much higher rates than large businesses.
• they love small businesses for creating jobs but hate them because they can not afford to provide uneconomic levels of pay and benefits.

BP has proven that a small government zero regulation policy, as favored by many Republicans - particularly the Tea Party and Libertarian movements, is a disaster waiting to happen. A more positive attitude, however, on the part of Democrats, towards businesses, owners, and executives, would improve our nation's economic prospects significantly.