Will We Punish BP? and the Fate of Cap and Trade

[Christopher Hayes]

Hey all:

I've got a new Capitolism column out in this week's issue. It's about BP:

"A punitive society is not the best kind of society: there's a real virtue in forgiveness, in second chances. But for years we've been applying Rand Paul's "accidents happen" principle to those at the top while heaping blame, scorn and draconian punishment on those at the bottom. Punitive damages are capped for corporations, while punitive policies proliferate for citizens."

http://www.thenation.com/article/bp-beyond-punishment

Also, we've got a new episode of The Breakdown up in which I interview Mother Jones' Kate Sheppard about the fate of cap and trade in the senate.

http://www.thenation.com/audio/breakdown-will-congress-limit-carbon-emissions

Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer.

-c