The solution to the spill is, in its simplest terms, a two-fold operation. Step one is to stop the flow and step two is to clean the mess. Step one is being handled by the engineers who have developed the potential solutions. Step two could be handled months ago (we are now in day 65 of the spill) by employing simple skimmers to go clean the oil. But we aren’t doing that for fear they might be needed somewhere else. As US Senator George LeMieux (FL-R) has quipped “that’s like not sending the fire department to your burning house because they might need to respond to another fire.”

The US has over 2000 oil skimmers available for use, yet as of today only 20 of them are being used in the Gulf. There are skimmer boat operations on the west coast of Florida that have yet to be called by the administration. I think there’s a reason for this: the solution looks a lot like hard work.

As has been demonstrated by Obama’s economist and others at the top of his administration, these academics believe that you can think your way out of a problem. It’s as though they are waiting for a brilliant idea to emerge and clean it all up in one fell swoop. In the mean time, wildlife and local economies are dying every day.

Obama’s economics team believed they could think their way out the economy by providing a stimulus package that has largely failed to this point, most notably in Florida with unemployment over 10%.

Rather than releasing all of the regulations that hinder job growth they are considering another round of “stimulus.” Similarly, instead of employing the skimmers immediately Obama seems to be content to play golf and wait for a brilliant idea to fall out of the sky.

The time has come to stop with the slogans and platitudes and to put on a pair of overalls and get to work. It’s time to employ all of the skimmers. Now. We need to do this before it is too late and Florida loses its most precious resource.

-Jason Brodeur