Here is a way to contain the oil, and it is relatively inexpensive.
Make a mile or so long tube out of flexible plastic or waterproof fabric that is about 8 feet in diameter, with thin steel rings every 10 feet or so, tied to the inside of it to prevent it from collapsing. Then simply lower one end over the leaking oil, and the oil will float up the tube to the surface to be collected. And the flexibility of the tube should prevent gas hydrates from collecting significantly in the tube.

I'm a conservative, and I think that we should be careful to protect the environment, but I do think that we should be allowed to drill new wells in the Gulf.

And here is an idea to stop the leak: insert a small pipe that is covered with a strong waterproof cloth 'balloon' into the lowest leak, and inflate it with air (some water too, so not so much air is needed) so that it pushes tightly against the inside of the oil well pipe - below the leak. What do you think?

The government needs to CUT SPENDING on things that do not create many jobs, or significantly stimulate the economy. Government healthcare is a bad idea anyway, but a horrible idea at this time! Same thing for additional spending on the environment.

One area that should be cut is education. Yes, cut. Simply throwing more money at a bad system will not fix it. My proposal: offer a tax credit of $100 per child (for up to three children) per year to those who homeschool their children, and a tax credit of $500 per child (for up to three children) per year for three years, to parents who start homeschooling for the first time. (After three years, reduce the credit to $100/yr.) $500 per child would be a bargain for the government. So as more parents schooled their child(ren) at home, public education spending could be cut. Children who are educated at home are known to do better academically than those sent through the government system. Of course, the children would be tested every year to make sure they passed a minimum standard.