Snow in The Keystone State

Snowjob in Pennsylvania

Hershey, PA

January 27, 2015

Well, most of us on the East Coast dodged a bullet as the winter storm named Juno at least spared Philadelphia and New York on its way to pounding Boston and Rhode Island. However, a week earlier Pennsylvania got a serious snow job in the form of John Boehner and the recent Republican’t retreat in Hershey, PA, the first joint GOP House and Senate retreat in 10 years. Spoiler alert: they decided they really don’t like Obama.

When asked at the retreat, House Speaker John Boehner wouldn't say if he believes the overwhelming scientific consensus that humans contribute to climate change. The Ohio Republican’t told reporters, "Certainly we've had changes in our climate. I'll let the scientists debate the sources in their opinion of that change. But I think the real question is that every proposal we see out of the administration with regard to climate change means killing American jobs." Not surprisingly this is utter nonsense, which is Boehner’s forte. Boehner of course is alluding to the environmental-disaster-in-waiting rebranded by Republican’ts as the “Keystone Jobs Bill.” 

Fighting the effects of climate change provides for approximately infinitely more jobs than the climate killing Keystone XL Poopline, which is expected to provide 35 permanent jobs. Speaking of poop, Boehner continued, "The American people are still asking the question: where are the jobs? Jobs and the economy are still the number one issue in the country. And I just don't understand why every proposal that comes out of this administration is just going to kill thousands and thousands of more American jobs." Boehner’s lack of understanding on this issue alone could fill the XL with dirty crude for decades. And just for the record, though still pretty crappy for the average American, both the jobs and economic situations are the best they’ve been since Bush’s Great Recession. 

Terrapin American and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-XL) was also asked if he believes in climate change science and at least had the courtesy to not answer. It also appears that McConnell has finally given up trying to make Obama a one-term president.

Republican’ts are obsessed with Keystone XL as one of their signature jobs bills and, when oil prices are high, like to imply that it would mean cheap oil flowing free in America. Last Tuesday they voted down two Democratic amendments aimed at providing at least some advantage to actual Americans from a pipeline designed to primarily benefit Canadian oil companies and China, and quite possibly definitely a considerable number of our elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) who owe their victories at the polls to promises of shoving this pipeline through. 

From the Natural Resources Defense Council, “By skipping over refineries and U.S. consumers in the Midwest, tar sands producers will be able to send Canadian crude to the Gulf Coast refineries in tax-free Foreign Trade Zones, where it can be refined and then sold to international buyers—at a higher profit to Big Oil.” While at the same time leaking untold amounts of filthy, unrecoverable tar sands all over the Midwest. I guess that’s where all the Keystone XL jobs are - sopping up tar sands by hand with paper towels, which is how the oil companies actually clean up oil spills. With paper towels. I kid you not.

Exxon’s Keystone XL clean-up efforts in Arkansas included the use of paper towels

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey's amendment to the Keystone bill would have prohibited oil shipped through the pipeline from being exported. After all, they keep telling us the XL will keep gas prices low here at home. Markey’s amendment was killed by a 57 to 42 vote. Minnesota Sen. Al Franken's amendment would have required that the pipeline be built with American steel. Buy American! It was killed by a 53 to 46 vote. 

Exxon Hates Your Children 

I. Mangrey (not exactly) snowed in, reporting.