Should BP Be Barred From Future Federal Contracts or Oil Leases?

	Yes Jerry Bowyer Chief Economist, Benchmark Financial Network Not mainly because of the screw up in the Gulf, but because of the bigger screw up of trading with the enemy in Iran.
	No Kellyanne Conway CEO and President the polling company™ That punishment would not fit the crime until we understand the circumstances of what happened, who knew what when, and what actions have been taken.
	No David P. Goldman Senior Editor First Things If BP is liable for damages, it should be sued. If it committed criminal acts, it should be prosecuted. BP is a corporation, nonetheless, and should be entitled to do legitimate business.
	Yes David Goodfriend Lawyer Yes, but first things first: raise the statutory liability cap above the meaninglessly small level it is today to make sure that (a) BP has to pay for this mess, and (b) every other oil company is on notice that they had better invest appropriately in safety precautions.
	No Jim LaCamp Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Focus, RBC Wealth Management Co-Host, Opening Bell Radio Show, Biz Radio Network The courts can decide the damages to BP, not the government. If they violated specific laws/safety standards, there should be legal recourse and penalties. Barring them would simply be political posturing. It's not a free-market solution; it would be a mercantilist solution.
	No Donald L. Luskin Chief Investment Officer, Trend Macrolytics LLC Instead, the incompetent federal government should be barred from regulating the oil industry or anything else.
	No Daniel J. Mitchell Senior Fellow Cato Institute BP already is losing billions of dollars because of this unfortunate accident. Any ban on federal contracts or oil leases would be a senseless penalty on a firm that has learned a very important bottom-line lesson on the importance of safety.
	No Steve Moore Sr. Economics Writer, The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board This was a completely unforeseen accident that does not appear to be based on any negligence on the part of BP. We need more, not fewer, companies engaged in drilling to keep energy prices low.
	Yes Peter Navarro Business Professor University of California, Irvine At least until it pays for all costs of the spill, including all economic damages.
	No James Pethokoukis Money & Politics Columnist Reuters Such a move would be a terrible precedent as to the treatment of US companies overseas. It might also be illegal under the World Trade Organization. While protectionism might not be the intent, it would certainly be the result.
	Yes Robert Reich Former Labor Secretary Professor of Public Policy, UC Berkeley Yes, until it proves it has taken sufficient measures to prevent another disaster.
	Yes Mark Walsh Political Strategist and Campaign Innovator The statements of their CEO and US Chief are shameless. The company should not be given US government money through a contract.