Only a few short weeks ago, a wee-wee'd up Barack Obama called a joint session of congress, told them that he had a plan for creating jobs, and demanded loudly (and repeatedly) that they "pass it now!"
Which is why it's more than a little jaw-dropping that this same president has taken a look at a plan to create thousands of new high-paying jobs which wouldn't cost taxpayers a penny...and decided to "pass on it now."
The Keystone XL project would build a pipeline to bring oil to the United States from lovable, maple-syrup distilling, beaver-pelt wearing Canada instead of sending our oil money to the "Death to America" lunatics in the Middle East... thereby giving us more of that "energy independence" that Mr. Obama usually can't shut up about, while creating jobs out the wazoo.
But despite the president's usual dedication to "the fierce urgency of now," he's decided to postpone a decision on the pipeline until after the next election...for fear of losing the votes of environmentalists who are terrified of long pipes for reasons only their Freudian psychoanalysts can understand.
And he's softened the blow by implying that Americans really wouldn't be up to the job of building the pipeline anyway...recently referring to us as soft, lazy, and lacking in the will and imagination to tackle "big jobs."
Unfortunately, Canada can't afford to wait to sell their oil...and so they're preparing to sell it to China instead. Which will be disastrous for the environment that Mr. Obama claims to be so concerned about...and probably disastrous for the United States since China is devoting a lot of their energy use these days to building up their military.
But the job of the president is to make tough decisions, and Obama has decided that his re-election is far more important than jobs, energy, or national security.
And unsurprisingly, he didn't find it a tough decision at all.
While controversial, the president's decision is not altogether unpopular.
BONUS: THIRD DEGREE BERNIE - CLARIFICATION
Bernie is trying to walk back his keister-kissing debate pronouncement about Hillary's email scandal, now saying that it's absolutely appropriate for her to be investigated. So just what was he trying to say...?
20 comments:
When Barack Obama was running for re-elction, he flew to Cushing OK for a photo op to take credit for the portion of the Keystone XL pipeline he had basically no control over:
"Now, right now, a company called TransCanada has applied to build a new pipeline to speed more oil from Cushing to state-of-the-art refineries down on the Gulf Coast. And today, I'm directing my administration to cut through the red tape, break through the bureaucratic hurdles, and make this project a priority, to go ahead and get it done."
How is it possible that libtards cannot see that Øbeelzebub is hell-bent on destroying this country? Furthermore, by sending manufacturing jobs and now oil to China, which has no pollution regulations, he will also be highly responsible for the destruction of the entire planet's ecosystem.
This poor excuse for a man is evil incarnate.
Typical narcissist. He sees the world only as it relates to himself. He cares nothing about the country he's sworn to protect. Where was all the vetting I see the Republican candidates subjected to when this monster was running for president?
@Mike aka Proof- I remember that photo-op very well. In fact, I did a cartoon about it at the time. I wonder how many other people remember this charade?
@Geoff King- I have liberal friends who are absolutely crowing about the Keystone XL "victory," absolutely certain that Barry just forestalled Armageddon. These aren't "stupid" people in the classical sense; they're intelligent people who have made the ideological choice to remain ignorant. It's not a mindset I can understand.
@Judi King- You're right, Barry's deliberations surely never went farther than considering how a decision would affect him.
And the subject of vetting GOP Presidential candidates is almost sadly hilarious when compared with the media's intense non-interest in finding out who Obama was. Forget about digging for dirt - they didn't even read the man's autobiographies which were replete with references to his distaste for white people, his attraction to campus radicals, his love of Islam, and his ability to hide his true nature from others.
This latest act of treason just reinforces the knowledge that o'buzzard is a liar, a cheat, a no-give-a-damn about anything except destroying not only our (not his) country but Europe as well. And he's doing a good job of it. I only hope and pray that we survive this (fill in your own expletive).
never mind that hauling the crude by rail is more expensive, more risky to the towns they pass through, and more eco-damaging... Warren Buffet controls most of the rail / rolling stock used to move it...
Tell the Canadians that they are out of luck. The place they want OBUTHEAD to put the pipeline is so crowded from other folks there was barely room left for his head!
Not a surprise. They've been sitting on this "shovel ready" project for 7 years. And with the COP21 eco-spoils conference coming up in a few weeks, Obama wanted a sacrifice to drop off at the alter of carbon-correctness to offset the shale boom that absolutely nobody outside of ordinary consumers is happy about. Keystone didn't "serve the national interest", according to Obama, because as we all know, Progressives have little use for energy and jobs produced by the private sector. (They'd much rather waste taxpayer money on multi-billion dollar boondoggles that actually spew more carbon than they save)
Never mind that even the EPA admits that the pipeline would actually reduce carbon emissions, because if Canada can't sell their tar sand oil to us via a pipeline, they'll just load it on trains and send it to China. And we all know just how concerned the Chinese are about carbon emissions, much less simple air pollution.
If nothing else, this is a prime example of what the Democrats really think about "jobs" and "infrastructure". Both are worthwhile to them only if they are under direct government control. If not, then they will do everything they can to resist them.
@Mike aka Proof, simply the gulf between saying what one has to in order to get elected and what one does once he's got the power. No different from what Hillary says in 2015 versus what she said all through the '90s up until a few years ago.
The point where America has become irredeemable? When Progressives are free to say what they really intend before they are elected. Judging from the socialist rhetoric displayed by the Democratic front runners, I think we're almost there.
Good job, Barry! Now we won't have all those huge, bazillion gallon oil spills like the Trans-Alaska pipeline has. Oh wait....
@Pete (Detroit),
We won't need to haul oil by truck and train. We are all going to buy electric cars that have zero emissions (well... if you don't count the coal fired power plants where the electricity actually comes from)! Or we can all put giant ass, eagle killing windmills in our back yards to power our cars. And we'll buy those overpriced electric cars and giant assed, eagle killing windmills with all the tons of money we all have because the economy is so great!
I'm sure glad Barry is getting our priorities right instead of wasting time and money on some minor war with that JV team over in Syria and Iraq.
Stilton: Hope it's okay to give you this promo on my blog site. If not, I'll delete.
http://mjhawkeye.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-bamster-says-no-to-keystone-pipeline.html
Speaking of the President and "climate change":
President Obama joins Facebook, addresses climate change in first post
"President Barack Obama joined Facebook on Monday and said he wanted his account to be "a place where we can have real conversations," diving right in with his first post on climate change. In that post, Obama took Facebook users on a walk through his back yard at the White House and calling on Americans in a video "to preserve this beautiful planet of ours."
Somehow, I doubt many "real conversations" will be taking place. For example, what kind of "conversation" could I expect after pointing out the disjunction between a desire "to preserve this beautiful planet of ours" and flying the worlds most expensive private jet around to play golf between lectures on conspicuous consumption?
Sorry Obama, I only "friend" people I actually know and respect.
Dohbama and the Dumbocrats are against keystone because of Tom Steyer's millions.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/04/the-epic-hypocrisy-of-tom-steyer.php
@Fred Ciampi- I have no doubt whatsoever that Obama's "long game" is to wreck our economy and standing in the world, and destroying our energy policy (and energy infrastructure) is a very efficient way for him to advance that goal.
@Pete(Detroit)- Right you are. Obama's decision is worse for the country and worse for the environment. But he believes that it's better for him on the world stage. That's not a small thing; he basically shafted the unions on this deal so it's clear that he's "campaigning" for his next job and expects it to be at the international level. God help us all.
@Dave Messenger- It might fit with enough lube...
@John the Econ- Barry couldn't make the case that the pipeline wasn't good for the country, the economy, or workers...so he declared that it wasn't good enough and the Left is lapping it up.
Regarding your comment to @Mike aka Proof, you're right - the Dems at least had the courtesy to lie about their real goals in the past. The fact that they don't have to anymore is indicative of how far we've fallen.
@Colby Muenster- I read a piece about Bill Nye ("The Imaginary Science" Guy) yesterday and about had an aneurysm. He was mostly talking about how climate change skeptics need to be excluded from future discussions, but he also enthused that wind power is now almost as cheap per killowatt hour as that produced by fossil fuel - and that it could easily be cheaper than fossil fuel soon! So what is the great technical innovation that will accomplish this miracle? He says we should raise taxes on fossil fuels until wind is cheaper. Voila!
By the way, there is currently no feasible way to produce enough electricity using wind to make a dent in our nation's energy needs. Does that make me a Nye deniar?
@mjloehner- It's more than "okay" to do such links to your blog, it's much appreciated!
@John the Econ- It's been a long day today, so allow me to cut to the chase: screw Obama and screw social media. I am so freaking sick of hearing "news" reports about the "tweets" from heads of state. It seems like nobody can understand anything longer than a fortune cookie anymore.
@Thomas- Absolutely. Following the money pretty much tells everything.
"He was mostly talking about how climate change skeptics need to be excluded from future discussions, but he also enthused that wind power is now almost as cheap per killowatt hour as that produced by fossil fuel - and that it could easily be cheaper than fossil fuel soon! So what is the great technical innovation that will accomplish this miracle? He says we should raise taxes on fossil fuels until wind is cheaper. Voila!"
Bill Nye, The Imaginary Science Guy. I will be stealing that, btw.
For the better part of a decade, people have been pushing me to do regular blog. I resist doing so, mainly because I really don't need another non-revenue-generating activity in my daily life, and those who do write successful ones dedicate more hours to it that most people realize. (As soon as @Stilton shows a profit, I'll reconsider)
Either way, ideas do float across my mind at times, and one of those ideas is a blog written from the perspective of a "transparent Progressive"; viewpoints distilled by decades of watching and interacting with many of these people so clued in that they don't have any free ones left. They'll advocate "open boarders" while segregating their own kids in exclusive private schools. They'll celebrate their moral superiority by buying taxpayer-subsidized $100,000 electric cars that only the very wealthy can justify. They'll jet off to exotic locales and then feign worry about their impact on those places.
Tom Steyer would be a good case in point. Another billionaire with tinges of guilt about his wealth. So to buy absolution from his billionaire peers, he latches onto "global warming" as a cause.
Interestingly, you'll notice that the consequences of the kinds of policies he advocates will have little effect on his personal comfort or well-being. Being "rich" means not having to worry much if the price of heating or cooling his home doubles or triples or quadruples. He won't go hungry is the price of food does the same. As for the "poor", he'll advocate for more policies that subsidize their already sorry plight. So who's left to take the hit? The middle class. If the price of gasoline goes up to $10-a-gallon, it's okay with him. Just means that there will be less traffic on the freeway in the way of his limo as he heads towards the airport to attend another junket in the name of the planet.
And then there's Bill Nye, The Imaginary Science Guy who'd become a celebrity on the warm-monger circuit. He feels free to say silly untruths like "wind energy is just as cheap as fossil fuel" while declaring that anyone who is skeptical of his utterances be excluded from the debate. I have no doubt that he's been well rewarded for his phony science; more so that he would have been had he stuck with the real stuff.
Either way, I'm hopeful that the middle class is figuring this out. They're the real target. The better part of a decade of Obamanomics has been absorbing the lower end into the government-dependent lower class. A whole generation of college kids suckered into taking out the better part of a trillion dollars of student loans now finds themselves virtual slaves. Obama says he'll fix it by adjusting their payments to a "manageable" portion of their "discretionary" income, and will forgive it after 25 years. (Less if you're willing to become a minion for the bureaucracy) A slave for only 25 years! Thanks Obama!
And then there's the "climate change" agenda. For the middle class, what's left of your income after you pay your student loans and your health insurance will go to pay various carbon taxes, which will ultimately do nothing to reduce either carbon the the temperature. Nobody will be able to afford vacations or SUVs anymore after that. Success!
And you'll be a slave. And you'll no longer have a choice, unless you're Tom Steyer.
"It seems like nobody can understand anything longer than a fortune cookie anymore."
Ah! Fortune cookies. Brings back memories of Stan Freburg visiting a fortune cookie factory. Absolutely hilarious.
Ya gotta laugh at something or you will go crazy.
Happy Birthday Marines
10 Nov 1775
and all who support us
God Bless
I like burnie the sandman. I put his thoughts on loop and suffer fits of narcolepsy almost immediately.
@John the Econ- While I'd personally love to read a blog you wrote, there's much to be said for having a life instead. Especially if the Koch brothers don't have your "direct deposit" bank information.
You're absolutely right that it's the middle class taking it in the teeth from liberal policies. The rich do fine, the poor get additional subsidies, and the middle class bleeds the money. Because according to Saul Alinsky, that's the part of the country that needs to be decimated so that rebuilding from the rubble can begin.
I haven't seen Bill Nye's alleged "data" on the declining cost of wind power, but I'm betting it doesn't include the huge tax subsidies underwriting pretty much every wind farm. And where is PETA while these giant, inefficient Cuisinarts are shredding eagles and other birds in mid-air?
College debt is another scandal. Never have so many owed so much for so little. I think the entire institution needs to be rethought and brought in line with the realities of our global realities. Among those is the fact that nearly any job which can be performed at a computer will eventually be performed by someone in India or China. Another fact is that the world doesn't need more liberal arts majors who go on to specialize in "women's studies" or "racial grievance studies."
We sure as hell don't need to make this kind of nonsensical education "free" by simply passing the huge cost on to middle class taxpayers. Rather, we should make college "free" by really making it free (or close to it) by making it available online to those self-motivated enough to stick with it. I've mentioned before that Apple University already offers a host of college courses online for free, and I think it's a good start.
It's also time for us to get serious about proposing trade schools as an alternative to college, so we can someday see a generation of graduates who can actually get jobs.
One last note: you mention that owing to the climate change agenda, people soon won't be able to afford to take vacations because of the carbon taxes. Related to that, I'm still trying to find a health insurance policy to replace the one that was just discontinued because of Obamacare. The replacement policies available to me also assure that my vacationing days are over: almost none of them give medical coverage for anything that happens to my wife or myself if we're out of state. Think about that: I can drop $20k for a policy in Texas, but if I'm in Oklahoma visiting my daughter and have a heart attack, I'm uninsured. Thanks, Obama.
@Boligat- I'm an old (emphasis on old) radio man and love Stan Freberg.
@REM1875- FINALLY some good news here! Happy Birthday to the Marines! Our deepest gratitude to all who have served, past and present.
@ "Free" Education - IIRC MIT has EVERY course they offer avail on line for free.
Getting credit for the exams? That might be a different story...
@Stilton, I don't get where Bill Nye is getting is data either beyond pulling it out of his ass; he's either ignorant or simply lying to support the agenda. The unfortunate reality is that "renewables", even under the best-case scenarios will ultimately cost more than the existing fossil-fueled grid. This is because most of the cost of power delivery isn't in the power, but in the delivery. Not only do we need to maintain the grid as it exists, but we now need to expand it in order to get the power from where the sun and wind are to where people need it. The sun and wind are "free", but the expanded and increasingly complex grid is not. For generations now, the green folk have been selling the fantasy that solar and wind are, in fact "free". That ignorant or intentional misrepresentation is now hurting them. It's not the first time this has happened. Back in the '50s, the future of nuclear power was advertised as to be "too cheap to meter". How did that work out? Same problem.
The problem is that the more Nye and his ilk misrepresent the realities of deploying renewables, the more they hurt them by increasing the gulf between what people expect and what is realistically and economically possible. A well-earned lack of trust is what is killing what is possible.
Education: I agree. We're stuck in a >100-year-old paradigm that has been failing for generations now. Pretty much everyone agrees that "public education" in the K through high school realm has been failing for generations. So why does anyone think that absorbing our universities into that realm will result in anything better? It's no less insane that believing that absorbing everyone into "single payer" health care will be any better than it the VA currently is for our veterans. In the end, the NEA will absorb college professors, and then they're control everything. Can't wait.
It's just another example of my expectation that the next "class war" isn't going to be the "rich" versus the "poor". (As we've already pointed out, the Democrats already own them) The new class war is going to be political elites and government employees against everyone who isn't; The new serfdom.
Trade schools: If I had a kids today who didn't have the obvious aptitude to be an engineer of some sort, I'd send them to a trade school. Your average plumber, welder, or mechanic today has much better prospects and pay than the over-credentialed navel-gazing pajama boys that academia is pumping out today at the cost of 6 figures.
ObamaCare: You know I feel for you, share and understand your frustration and anger. Recently I've been seeing all these spin pieces from the acolytes of Obama about how great ObamaCare is for people and how well it's doing, when the reality is the exact opposite. As we've been saying here from the beginning, ObamaCare is only being successful in the sense that it's achieving it's primary unspoken goal of destroying what is left of private insurance and care. Just this morning, I saw a TV ad for ObamaCare touting plans "as cheap as $24 a month". Who the **** gets that rate? And how much of the 5-figures I am paying goes to subsidize that? And what worthless phony coverage do they get?
Besides, you shouldn't be travelling anyway. It's bad for the environment. As I said, serfdom is the ultimate goal, and it sounds like you are well on your way.
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