American Elephants

White House website.  Big headline: “WE CAN’T WAIT ON CONGRESS: THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW:  The American Jobs Act.”

Statement by the President on the State Department’s Keystone XL Pipeline Announcement.  November 10, 2011

I support the State Department’s announcement today regarding the need to seek  additional information about the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal.  Because this permit decision could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment, and because a number of concerns have been raised through a public process, we should take the time to ensure that all questions  are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood.  The final decision should be guided by an open, transparent process that is  informed by the best available science and the voices of the American people.  At the same time, my administration will build on the unprecedented progress  we’ve made towards strengthening our nation’s energy security, from responsibly  expanding domestic oil and gas production to nearly doubling the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks, to continued progress in the development of a clean energy economy.

Press conference: Press Secretary Jay Carney responds to questions from the Associated Press

“I don’t want to get ahead of the State Department.  It’s their obligation, responsibility to make announcements about processes.  So I think if you direct your attention over there, you’ll find what you need.”

This whole thing could not be more embarrassing.  What a load of distasteful effluent. State Department says the project looks fine, it has been thoroughly vetted and has a clean bill of health, We’ll make a decision soon.  Green Loonies: Stop the pipeline, dirty oil and all that. Health, environment.  Occupy people:  Kill the pipeline. Kill the Banks. Kill Capitalism. White House: The President will make the decision.  White House: It’s the State Department’s decision after we figure out some way to delay it.

The President is caught between several rocks and hard places on this one. His number one priority is getting reelected — and he has no accomplishments to run on. He has tripled the deficit left by the Bush administration about which he complained endlessly. The biggest, most enormous problem he faces is an unemployment rate over 9 percent. So he kills more jobs.

Those folks without jobs have run out of unemployment benefits, are expanding the use of food stamps and the safety net. The president wants another stimulus.  The first $820 billion stimulus was wasted. Sheer waste. But, we are told, this president does not change his mind. He wants another stimulus, which he calls the American Jobs Act, to pump more money into the economy.

Obama hopes to campaign on a “do-nothing Congress” that wouldn’t pass his jobs bill.  Yet no president has a more outstanding record as a killer of jobs. The Energy Department, the EPA, Interior, Agriculture and every regulatory body in government has destroyed confidence, loaded costs and regulations on those who might have hired workers, created jobs in China, and threatened business with unnecessary laws while increasing the size of government exponentially — which increases the cost of government.

The Keystone XL Pipeline has been thoroughly vetted by every applicable regulatory agency for safety, environmental effects, engineering,  and received a clean bill of health.  TransCanada offers 13,000 union construction jobs, and an estimated 118,000 spin-off jobs. “Because this permit decision could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment, and because a number of concerns have been raised, blah, blah, blah. ”  This isn’t even good spinning! “All questions properly addressed and all potential impacts properly understood.”

If he approves the pipeline he has 13,000 happy union construction workers, but a lot of angry environmentalists.  The 118,000 jobless who might have had a job won’t get angry because they don’t know where the jobs will be or what they will be, and if they can pretend they’re looking for another route, then the unemployed really won’t know where the jobs might be.  Besides the unions will vote for him anyway.

Meanwhile, blame the Congressional Republicans for not passing his jobs bill, which he knew they wouldn’t pass before he proposed it, because they aren’t going to go for another wasteful stimulus.  Also meanwhile, Democrats on the SuperCommittee charged with reducing the deficit can’t find anything to reduce — every bit of the swollen, obscene, wasteful federal budget is just really, really, necessary. They would rather blame it on the Republicans who don’t want to raise any taxes when the economy is so fragile.

Why would anyone want to give this economically illiterate administration more money to waste?