Casino BP Claims

OK, Guys and Girls, here's whats new.  The Sun Herald made our BP-GCCF situation headline news today.  Good.  Even better, the online site has over 200 "Comments" following the article.  Very interesting reading, and very good to see such amazing interest.  There have been calls to "organize".  Seems to me that it would be even more powerful if everyone would individually write or call any of those who might be able to help.  We've included emails for some of these people on previous posts.  Here's a new one:  Amy Weiss, who's public affairs firm represents Feinberg.  She was quoted in today's paper with some pretty nonsensical stuff.  "It's an issue of proof of damage." and "...casinos depend less on the beach and Gulf than some other industries do."  Wow.  Really?  How much proof of damage are the servers, cooks, and dishwashers in New Orleans submitting to be compensated up to $25,000?  Credit the Mississippi Business Journal in Jackson for reporting that.  Looks like the Business Journal picked up the story from the Sun Herald.  We can all thank Anita Lee, Mary Perez, and Stan Tiner of our local paper for making this front page news.

Here's most of my email to Amy Weiss:

   

"Amy,  PLEASE read this personally.  We are hard-working, self-reliant people in Mississippi.  We have filed fewer BP claims than any other state in our region.  Yet we are being denied at a statistically abhorrent rate.  Our four Gulf Coast states have all been damaged economically, and our economies are all interrelated.  Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana's resolved claims are running at single digit percentage denial.  Today's figures show Mississippi claims being denied at over 30%. 

Today's newspaper piece quoted "...proof of damage." and  "...casinos depend less on the beach and Gulf than other industries do."  The Mississippi Business Journal reports that servers, cooks, and dishwashers in New Orleans are being compensated, and with no beaches at all.  Of course, we are all equally dependent on our beautiful Gulf.  Our main industry here is hospitality and tourism.  Guests come here for the great combination of beaches, fishing, golf, and casinos.  If you will please read the headline piece, and maybe check the GCCF website, you will see that many, many claims being paid have nothing directly to do with the beach or the Gulf.  The point here is that we have all been damaged economically.

BP has committed a certain amount of compensation to help rebuild all of our economies.  Let's look for ways to get this thing moving forward.  Any money that comes in to perhaps thousands of households on our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast will directly be spread across thousands of service and retail businesses who have been hurting for some time.

HELP!   ---(signature)..." 

Oh, yeah, her address...

Amy Weiss, Principal, Point Blank Public Affairs, http://www.pointblankpa.com/

Amy@PointBlankPA.com

5309 Cushing Place, N W

Washington, DC  20016

office:  202-203-0448

fax:     202-237-2692