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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
White House to announce opposition to Keystone pipeline project
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 8:40 AM
NIKI2
Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...
Quote:The Obama administration will likely announce its opposition to the controversial Keystone pipeline project as early as today, according to a Democratic source briefed on the matter.
Quote:The Canadian oil industry, with the strong backing of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, wants to build a pipeline to move crude oil from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico. The firms involved have asked the U.S. State Department to approve this project, even as they’ve told Canadian government officials how the pipeline can be used to add at least $4 billion to the U.S. fuel bill. U.S. farmers, who spent $12.4 billion on fuel in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, could see expenses rise to $15 billion or higher in 2012 or 2013 if the pipeline goes through. http://michiganmessenger.com/47263/expert-keystone-pipeline-to-increase-midwest-gas-prices as to jobs:Quote:According to the Republican leadership and other proponents of the pipeline, it is expected to create 20,000 jobs in construction and supplier industries. There have been questions raised about this number by the State Department, which must approve the pipeline, and other analysts. It seems that this 20,000 number refers to "job years," not jobs. This means that if a construction worker is employed for two years working on the pipeline, it would count as holding two jobs in the 20,000 jobs number. The number of jobs created at a point in time would likely be closer to half of this figure, perhaps less than 10,000. It's also likely that many of these jobs will go to Canadians. This is good for them, but beside the point if the goal is to create jobs for people in the United States. But even 10,000 jobs would be better than nothing, the question is how much better? Without some context the public is not well-positioned to assess the economic argument for the pipeline. One basis of comparison is the economy's normal rate of job creation. Back in the late 1990s the economy created three million jobs a year for four years. At this pace, the jobs created by Keystone Pipeline would be equal to about 30 hours of job creation. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Keystone-Jobs-Versus-Compe-by-Dean-Baker-120103-928.html. The Keystone XL Pipeline may negatively impact Nebraska’s water supply and lead to environmental destruction. 2. I question that the Keystone XL Pipeline will result in the creation of long-term jobs for the state. 3. Our research does not support the claim that the Keystone XL Pipeline will lead to greater energy independence. 4. Reasonable public officials have realized the potentially negative ramifications associated with building the Keystone XL Pipeline over the Ogallala Aquifer. http://www.waunetanebraska.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3401:keystone-xl-pipeline-bad-for-nebraska&catid=53:guest-columns&Itemid=66Those aren't as good as the more comprehensive facts I found before, but they touch on some of the points. The debate is being staged as creation of jobs versus environmental concerns. There are environmental concerns (especially Ogallala), but that's not the real debate. There are many reasons the Keystone project will increase profits for Canadian company, but harm America.
Quote:According to the Republican leadership and other proponents of the pipeline, it is expected to create 20,000 jobs in construction and supplier industries. There have been questions raised about this number by the State Department, which must approve the pipeline, and other analysts. It seems that this 20,000 number refers to "job years," not jobs. This means that if a construction worker is employed for two years working on the pipeline, it would count as holding two jobs in the 20,000 jobs number. The number of jobs created at a point in time would likely be closer to half of this figure, perhaps less than 10,000. It's also likely that many of these jobs will go to Canadians. This is good for them, but beside the point if the goal is to create jobs for people in the United States. But even 10,000 jobs would be better than nothing, the question is how much better? Without some context the public is not well-positioned to assess the economic argument for the pipeline. One basis of comparison is the economy's normal rate of job creation. Back in the late 1990s the economy created three million jobs a year for four years. At this pace, the jobs created by Keystone Pipeline would be equal to about 30 hours of job creation. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Keystone-Jobs-Versus-Compe-by-Dean-Baker-120103-928.html. The Keystone XL Pipeline may negatively impact Nebraska’s water supply and lead to environmental destruction. 2. I question that the Keystone XL Pipeline will result in the creation of long-term jobs for the state. 3. Our research does not support the claim that the Keystone XL Pipeline will lead to greater energy independence. 4. Reasonable public officials have realized the potentially negative ramifications associated with building the Keystone XL Pipeline over the Ogallala Aquifer. http://www.waunetanebraska.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3401:keystone-xl-pipeline-bad-for-nebraska&catid=53:guest-columns&Itemid=66
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 10:00 AM
AURAPTOR
America loves a winner!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 10:53 AM
BYTEMITE
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:16 AM
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:22 AM
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:31 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Bytemite: I don't know what this "Solyndra" thing is.
Quote: Obama's Solyndra scandal reeks of the Chicago Way Those of us from Chicago know exactly what the Solyndra scandal smells like. And It doesn't smell fresh and green. September 18, 2011|John Kass The Solyndra scandal cost at least a half-billion public dollars. It is plaguing President Barack Obama. And it's being billed as a Washington story. But back in Obama's political hometown, those of us familiar with the Chicago Way can see something else in Solyndra — something that the Washington crowd calls "optics." In fact, it's not just a Washington saga — it has all the elements of a Chicago City Hall story, except with more zeros. ***The FBI is investigating what happened with Solyndra, a solar panel company that got a $535 million government-backed loan with the help of the Obama White House over the objections of federal budget analysts. *** Obama and Vice President Joe Biden got a nice photo op. They got to make speeches about being "green." But then Solyndra went bankrupt. Americans lost jobs. Taxpayers got stuck with the bill. And members of Congress are now in high dudgeon and making speeches. Federal investigators want to know what role political fundraising played in the guarantee of the questionable loan. Washington bureaucrats warned the deal was lousy. And White House spokesmen flail desperately, like weakened victims in a cheesy vampire movie. So forget optics. What about smell? It smells bad, and it's going to smell worse. Or, did you really believe it when the White House mouthpieces — who are also Chicago City Hall mouthpieces — promised they were bringing a new kind of politics to Washington? This is not a new kind of politics. It's the old kind. The Chicago kind. And now the Tribune Washington Bureau has reported that the U.S. Department of Energy employee who helped monitor the Solyndra loan guarantee was one of Obama's top fundraisers. Fundraising? Contracts? Imagine that. Steve Spinner was the Obama administration official in charge of handing out billions and billions of tax dollars to "green" energy deals. According to the Tribune story, Spinner the other day invited Obama's national political finance committee to a meeting in Chicago. The name of the Obama fundraising initiative? "Technology for Obama." The idea of the Obama fundraisers getting together, talking "green," and perhaps offering taxpayer loan guarantees to insider businesses in the interest of helping the environment — it all seems rather fresh. Like a mountain meadow. Until you realize it's the same old politics, the same kind practiced in Washington and Chicago and anywhere else where appetites are satisfied by politicians. When the government picks winners and losers, who's the loser? Just look in the mirror, hold that thought, and tell me later. Republicans are hoping to hang this around Obama's political neck, and they're doing a good job of it now because his approval ratings are low and the jobless numbers are abysmal and the Democrats are in full killer-rabbit panic. But there have been Republican national scandals, too, and they're always ridiculously and depressingly similar. At least in Illinois our scandals are quite ecumenical, with Republicans eager to help Democrats steal whatever they can grab. In Solyndra, like any proper City Hall political scandal, there are similar archetypes. There are the guys who count. The guys who bring the cash. They count because they do the counting. They have leverage. They're always there at the fundraisers. And so they're the ones who are allowed to gorge at the public trough.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:44 AM
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:57 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Bytemite: Hmm. I would agree, that does sound crooked. It's a shame we won't ever know who was behind the company in question, whether it was Obama's attempt to look good on environmentalism, if it was crony politics that fell through, or if that was a front group for another company that was also trying to look environmentally friendly.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 12:14 PM
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 6:17 PM
PIRATENEWS
John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!
Thursday, January 19, 2012 5:14 AM
CAVETROLL
Thursday, January 19, 2012 8:32 AM
Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:23 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: Byte: Excellent, you have a good grasp of the issue. Solyndra was a mess people like Rap will bring up until the cows come home, just like all the other outdated or stuff proven wrong he grasps at. It was bad; hopefully it will be investigated eventually, tho' like with so many other things, probably not. I could make cracks about all the crony, semi-legal and downright illegal things Republican administrations have pulled, but why bother?
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