Last week the State Department released a report which said in part that the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline would create 42,100 jobs and that it would not significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Now if you remember the Super Bowl Sunday Bill O’ Reilly interview with the president, he corrected that 42K figure, saying that those jobs would exist during the few years the pipeline was being built and that afterwards there would only about 50 permanent employees.
Actually that was one of the few answers that Obama gave which was correct. However, this is the same president who keeps on saying we should extend unemployment insurance for 13 weeks because it would be a stimulus to the economy. Those people who get unemployment checks, the argument goes, will spend their money on food, gasoline, and other household expenses, which in turn puts money in the pockets of retailers, and on ad infinitum, making the world go round.
But that’s precisely what the 42K jobs will do, except with one important difference: They will also provide the sense of personal pride and accomplishment that come from having put in an honest day’s work.
While the recession is officially over, most families will tell you that they don’t really feel that the economy is growing. The Keystone Pipeline is a multi-year stimulus to the economy that won’t cost the government a dime.
Perhaps that’s why according to Pew Research, almost two thirds of American support the building of the pipeline.
The only thing holding it back is President Obama.
Howard Portnoy contributed to this report.
