Keystone Pipeline: It's WE who should get into the oil business!

Oil, lots of oil..."of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Obama announced today that he will reject the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline.

Instead, I propose that Obama introduce a bill countering the Republicans plan, and have congress appropriate the funds needed to build an oil refinery across the border in Montana on federal land, and build a much shorter and safer pipeline....avoiding the underwater aqueducts.

As it was proposed by the Republicans, the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would carry the dirtiest oil on the planet from the Canadian tar sands across our country to ports and refineries along the Texas Gulf coast. From there it could be exported anywhere in the world.

If we do it my way, we (the government) can refine Canada's oil and sell it for profit to the oil companies (and on the commodities market) to those who will actually take delivery of the oil (such as the airline industry).

According to an analysis performed by the U.S. State Department, the project could provide almost 6,000 temporary construction jobs, and could be done with local hires.

Cornell University's Global Labor Institute did its own evaluation, concluding that the project would employ between 2,500 and 4,650 construction workers.

TransCanada, the Canadian pipeline company that wants to build the pipeline, has said it would create "hundreds" of permanent jobs. That's what TransCanada's vice president for pipelines, Robert Jones, told CNN a few weeks ago.

But with my plan, we'd also hire lots people to build and run our oil refineries...for permanent jobs.

Our military uses a vast amount of oil, and could take delivery at cost (instead of with the added profits to big oil and OPEC).

Unlike in Alaska, where the oil companies pay people royalties, we can use the revenue to help offset the cost of all our social programs such as TANF, food stamps, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security...and for nothing else.

It would be the next best thing to actually nationalizing the oil industry, but instead, we could become their competitors, driving down the price for our own use.

This would eliminate the corruption and speculation by the big banks such as Goldman Sachs (and lobbyists) and reduce revenues to big oil. They don't pay any taxes at all, but are raking in billions in profits and STILL get taxpayer subsidies!

Canada is touting their oil supply into the trillions of barrels of oil...enough to last us 100 years. Why move Canada's oil all the way across the country to the Gulf of Mexico to Exxon-Mobil's refineries, just to have it sold for THEIR profit to China?

What? You don't like Montana? OK, then build the refineries closer to the Mississippi River or the Great Lakes for better access to our waterways (instead of using the Strait of Hormuz half-way around the world). The jet stream can carry any emissions from the refineries into less populated areas over the Arctic Circle, and can fall over the North Atlantic. It's a lot better than the emissions coming from the Gulf Coast and falling over our major cities along the East Coast.

And my plan would also mean a lot less oil profits for "countries that don't like us very much."

Before you start picking my plan to pieces, realize that this is just a simple and general proposal, I'll let the experts work out all the details and logistics.

The funding for this massive "public works project" can be done with the billions of dollars the government will collect by letting the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of the year. And also by amending the tax code so that ALL of an individual's personal income (capital gains, dividends, annuities, trust funds, carried interest, estates, etc.) is taxed as ordinary income, based the current income tax brackets.

This is very DO-ABLE my friends! Let's invest in ourselves, our work force, our economy, our national interests, and our future.

Let's stiff John Boehner and all his pals in BIG OIL, and build our own pipeline and refineries!

Please pass on my proposal to everyone you know who has any common sense.

Thanks,

Bud Meyers

To all the readers at Wall Street Journal To all ye who have so little faith in "government", allow me to remind you...we ARE the government, and we fund the government with our federal income taxes. So what do we get for our BIG GOVERNMENT -- that grew in population by 100 million people over the last 40 years -- besides just food stamps? Just in defense spending alone (est. $650 billion a year, every year) we research and develop technologies that you won't even be aware of for another 30 years. When it eventually becomes obsolete, we give it away to corporations to profit from by selling us trinkets such as iPhones.  Where do you think the internet, computers, cell phones, GPS, and HDTV came from? Nuclear fission and fusion was developed by "government". Our space program got us to the moon and Mars because of "government". Stealth technology came from "government". Government funded the Hoover Dam, TVA, and our highway system. Government subsidized BIG OIL when it was still a new industry (and for some reason, we still subsidize BIG OIL ). We fund the Department of Energy (which is budgeted for our entire nuclear arsenal).  My father worked all his life in government (Navy and Air Force). Our defense industry is funded by government (with our tax dollars), so why can't we ("government") use some of those tax dollars to fund a lousy oil refinery? There's no need for the readers at the Wall Street Journal to get angry, I was just asking.  Could we improve the efficiency and quality of "government" with less spending -- by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse? Sure, it the politicians really wanted to. But they'd rather cut government services to us instead, and continue to take money from BIG OIL to get themselves re-elected. Government is the largest employer in the U.S. - Also read: Crony Capitalism vs. Free Markets