The National Guard and the BP Oil Spill

President Obama has mobilized seventeen thousand members of the National Guard to help with the oil spill clean up. Since many of these people have civilian jobs, there will be businesses which suffer hardship and inconvenience as employees depart, for an indeterminate time, and return with little notice.

The United States Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA) protects employees from adverse personnel actions when they are called to active duty. The Act also entitles them to be re-employed when their period of active duty ends. The exercise of these rights inevitably involves costs that are borne by businesses. That is, however, an acceptable price to pay to ensure the proper treatment of those who serve our nation in the armed forces. The President should, however, take care not to activate the National Guard when there is an alternative.

What special skills are required to clean up oily beaches? If specialized skills are required, do these members of the National Guard possess them? Why not offer these jobs to those who are currently unemployed? Surely there are many who would welcome the ability to earn their own living again - even if for a limited time - rather than existing on a government handout.

If there is paid work available but the unemployed don't want to do it, stop wasting taxpayer money on them. Worse, to take members of the National Guard away from their jobs, while there are others available to do the work of oil spill clean up, is idiocy.

How else to describe this than just another exercise in government mismanagement and incompetence?

Enough said.