I recently commented somewhere about how ill conceived and crazy idea the Keystone Pipeline is. I subsequently received a scathing response from a union pipe liner. He accused me and the Democrats of throwing him under the bus. He maintains that just like a carpenter he goes from pipeline to pipeline. That's fine and I hope he's making a fine living. But running a ridiculous ugly monstrosity through the length and breadth of our nation so he can make a few bucks is just plain selfish.
He is the response I sent him:
Brother I am NOT throwing you under the bus. I am a Democrat, the party of Unions, remember? I totally am on your side and support you and your Union brotherhood 110%. But this stupid idea, the Keystone pipeline, is only an illustration of how easily our government can be purchased. This is a terrible idea, and if you searched your heart, you’d admit it’s true. And keep in mind the Republicans have one main mission: to dissolve Unions. Because they want you to have no power. And they want to eliminate Unemployment Insurance because they want you to have recourse. And then you are scared. And powerless. And at their mercy. And you will gladly work for $9 an hour.
The very real problem is that when anyone is elected to Congress, the very first week in office they need to start raising $10,000 a week to get elected again. And so, they agree to take money from oil companies and agree to represent their interests. We don’t need this ugly monstrosity running through our country. You wanna know what the alternate plan is? To run it through theirs! Let ‘em!
Hopefully you are working 5 days a week for a living wage. But brother, never agree with those that want to hurt you. You deserve better. We don’t need this ugly, awful pipeline that would run across 1,100 wetlands. And believe it or not pipelines are not infallible. You don’t need it. You don’t want to have to explain and apologize to your adult grandchildren that “it was a job.” Let Canada ruin their own country.
I’ve said enough. I don’t know if you’ll ever even see this. But if you do, let me leave you with a final thought. Canada is entirely energy independent. They import no oil. It is not about where the oil comes from, it’s about who gets control of it. Canada is totally energy independent. They pay as much at the pump as we do. See? None of this Canadian Oil was coming to the US anyway, so what the?…… I know it was a gig. But sometimes you have to put the good of the whole, over your interests.
Have a good life, brother.
I don't know if he ever got this message or not. But it always bewilders me at how easily some people will sell out just to make a few bucks. He's probably working 40 plus hours a week at over $40 an hour. So, he should just do those jobs and not worry about the one that got away.
