I’m back like the oil prices! Took some time off from posting because lets face it, national politics has been a mess for the past few years and I have had little desire to follow the madness. But who received the newsflash alert on their iPhone this morning Donald Trump will be nominating a supreme court justice in the near future? SMH.
Anyways, there is great news in the world, oil prices seem to be going back to their Pre-2014 numbers. Will we see $100+ per barrel like before? Why? How did we go from $100+ to $40 to $70. Lets talk oil trends and geopolitical climates that directly impact these numbers and us in my next post.
Let me preface this post by saying I have faith in our country and our democratic process. Our next president will be a person who is qualified to do the job. The foundation of our great country lies on the shoulders of law and order, which ensures it never falls into the hands of an ignorant, arrogant, pompous hateful clown.
Take a wild guess as to who the bozo is? Nevertheless, the presidential candidate shall remain nameless.
Many of my friends know I love politics and one of the questions I get the most is: Have you heard what this clown just said? Did you hear what he did? Yes, I saw the headlines on our lobby’s TV as I came in to work. I choose not to care about what he does or says. The minute I try to analyze the ignorant rhetoric is a minute that I lose trying to better myself. Ultimately, I think that’s all he’s trying to do, create a circus out of our democratic process and so far we are giving him the platform to do it.
I personally do not care what he or his supporters say about Mexicans, because he is wrong. If someone said to me Jocelyn your people are all drug dealers, I wouldn’t take offense to that because we are not. I would have to value his opinion to take it and guess what I do not and that is never gonna happen.
To go further, in my humble opinion as a Mexican-American would I go to a rally of a candidate I loathe and protest?NO. Why? This will only reaffirm his negative generalizations. In no way can you fight ignorance with violence. Not to mention that those irrational decisions could go viral and would only give him ammo for his case.
I ignore the enraged newsfeed post, the news commentary about the rallies, the heated responses. Some naysayers believe that I am wrong that you need to create awareness around the issue. But if you are repeating ignorance to refute it, you still repeat it. As we say in the PR industry there is no such thing as bad publicity and he’s laughing all the way to the front of the polls and into your 6 o’clock news.
To the people who disagree with me feel free to dissent in the comments box below or better yet I invite you to start a blog and share your thoughts and ideas with the world.
However, I believe we have power to stop exacerbating his ignorance by drowning his hate in silence. I know it might feel like a train-wreck and you cannot look away but you can! You can turn that TV off when he comes on, and the media will drop him from the news churning pedestal he is on. Less TV coverage equals less outreach. Less outreach means less ignorance is disseminated. We involuntarily give stupidity importance with a response. In my experience, silence is deafening.
Check out Gina Rodriguez’s refreshing response to criticism about not being “Latina” enough.The award winning actress and graduate of NYU responded to the critics in a recent interview. I commend Gina for being confident in her definition of being Latina.
I also thank her for shedding light on an experience that many latinos face in America. Often plagued by this feeling of not belonging, that we are not from here, but not from there either. And if we choose to embrace our culture it’s too much and if we don’t then we are not enough.
We come to a crossroads and there are three possible decisions we can make. The first is to assimilate and immerse yourself in the new culture and forget about the old customs. The second is to reject and seclude yourself from the new culture evading new customs in order to retain the culture instilled in you by the mother country. The last is the hybrid mode. This avenue allows Latinos the benefits of multicultural perspectives. Out of the three options, we must be the ones to choose. Not the critics. The power is in our hands to pick what works best for our lifestyles.
My experience differs in many ways from Gina’s story mostly because I grew up in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is incredibly diverse and generally welcoming of new cultures. These circumstances have led me down the road of hybridization.
One story comes to mind as I begin to fully understand my identity and the experiences that have shaped it. I told my dad once I was Mexican and in a split second he corrected me and said “You’re Mexican-American.” I look back and now I understand his response. He and my mother worked incredibly hard for me and my brother. They wanted us to enjoy the privileges afforded to us by the United States. Ones that Mexico could never give to them.
Growing up in a Spanish speaking household my first language was you guessed it, Spanish. I had a hard time learning English after that. Yes I have an accent, Salma Hayek does too and she’s not doing so bad. I grew up vacationing with my grandparents in Zacatecas, Mexico. The happiest I’ve ever been was sitting with my Abuelito Carlos and my Abuelita Cornelia on the front porch of their home watching the sun go down over the sierra and forgetting about all the problems and stressors in the US. Till this day I have yet to see a prettier sunset or feel a calmer breeze. My father also taught us how to ride horses at a young age, he is a Charro (Mexican Cowboy) and yes I can throw a mean Lasso. I still buy marshmallow arcoiris cookies from mexico because they are my favorite and yes on occasion I take them to work. The cookies are always a hit at the office. Those memories fill me with a sense of pride in my Mexican heritage.
I love my vibrant Mexican culture but I also know that the US has given me comfort. I realize my parents sacrificed everything to move to a country where there is hope and freedom to prosper. My family has excelled because of the opportunities the United States of America has offered. For that I’m immensely proud to be an American.
I adopt a hybrid multicultural identity. I don’t value one culture over the other and I will never let anyone shame me for being who I am. Very much like Gina Rodriguez, I am confident and firm in my definition of being Mexican – American but most importantly I respect others decisions in defining who they are. What’s your definition?
As lawmakers deliberate on the Kerry/Obama Iran Nuclear Deal, millennials seem to be uninterested by the headlines in the media. Is it because we don’t care or is the problem too convoluted for our fast paced intellects. Sadly, I am no different. With no particular frame of reference on Iran, other than the US has a very poor track record in the Middle East. I had no recollection of talks about Iran in our history or social science classes, or maybe I was absent that day. (Highly unlikely) I delved deeper into the matter and learned that our diplomatic political relations have weathered many volatile disasters resulting in resentment and like the title of the new Taylor Swift song some bad blood.
July 10, 2015
But why so much shade? OIL. Conflicts can be traced back to the late 1940’s, when the democratic country of Iran was trying to renegotiate their oil business deal and their interest in the Anglo- Persian Oil Company. The Iranian government believed splitting the profits 50/50 with Britain was no longer a viable, fair business deal in the eyes of the Iranian people. Political unrest ensued and citizens pressured the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq to Nationalize the Anglo- Persian Oil Company resulting in a crippling economic sanctions for Iran and a worldwide embargo on Iranian oil imposed by Britain along with the US. (Brittanica) As a result their economy took a nosedive.
Considering the cold war was brewing internationally every country between Russia and the US was a chess piece, and Iran was not the exception. The US feared severe economic sanctions would turn Iran into a communist Soviet Union ally. In 1953, the CIA helped Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into supreme power as the new king of Iran. (Scholastic) The king was a devout and thankful western ally who helped Iranian oil flow and began the first oil consortium. New companies were allowed to do business freely in Iran. The Anglo- Persian Oil Company became British Petroleum or BP. Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Exxon, and Mobil all now have interest in the region. However, all power corrupts absolutely.
In 1979, amid religious criticism of an over westernization of Iran, allegations of corruption, years of autocratic rule and questionable activities by the Savak. (Secret Iranian Police) Successful riots crippled the largest cities in Iran. Many rallied for the Shīʿite leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. (Brittanica) Fearing death the Shah fled in exile. Khomeini assumed control over Iran by promising its citizens an end to the catering of western interest and the beginning of an Islamic Theocratic State. (Iran Chamber of Society)
The Shah miraculously lands on US soil while Iranian citizens condemn his American asylum. As retaliation, weeks later radical students storm the US embassy in Tehran, Iran and take 60 American citizens hostage. Demanding the Shah be extradited back to Iran to pay for his crimes against the Iranian citizens. President Carter did not want to negotiate with terrorist, so he created economic sanctions for the country and backed a failed rescue mission. 444 days later the hostages were freed, a few minutes into President Reagan’s first term as President. Needless to say, Iran has a sour taste in their mouth when it comes to America.
Fast Forward to 2015: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, United States and Iran are in talks to curb any possibility of nuclear weapons production in Iran. While Iran would like all economic sanctions to be lifted in hopes of growing their economy. Below is a Vox video that explains the key points in the current agreement. The video highlights the major concessions Iran has made. However, for those concessions Iran will receive an estimated 100 billion dollars in frozen assets from lifting the economic sanctions according to NPR. To use their money as they wish. This is the clause American legislators are hesitant about. Currently, the agreement is between minimizing the possible creation of nuclear weapons in Iran and handing over bags of money to a country that is not quite fond of us.
Given both countries track record, I do not fault them for being distrusting of one another. Expert negotiators have said that in order to win you must have power over the other party involved. So if the US was Taylor Swift and Iran was Katy Perry, I am not sure who has more leverage at this point but I am quite certain there is a lot of bad blood.
I have the most incredible urge to put pen to paper about the upcoming presidential campaigns, or should I say fingers to keyboard. Nearly holding my communication studies degree, I have picked up some tools that help me analyze political rhetoric thoroughly and with a different critical lens. I’m also a huge history buff and political junkie, so this is my bread and butter. As we speak potential candidates are setting their stage for the next few years in hopes of winning our vote in 2016. Let’s talk about the candidates and break through the political rhetoric.
Readers, in order to dissect the material critically we must first understand to listen to how a candidate says something instead of what they are saying. Majority of what a they say is to persuade the voter to believe he/she is the right candidate, in order to garner the audiences vote. They will tell you everything you want to hear! So we must analyze their political standings and personal background which is more telling than anything a politicians says. Focus on the symbols and meanings that they pull upon to convey their message.
In an effort to shorten the post we will briefly be speaking about the serious candidates: Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, and Jeb Bush.
Ladies first… JK I’m a feminist. She will be analyzed first because she was the first in announcing an official presidential bid.
Hillary Clinton
Tag Line: “Ready for Hillary”
Accomplishments: Hillary has amassed an expansive amount of political experience in her lifetime. She started as a corporate lawyer and has advised the likes of Arkansas’s Walmart and other huge companies. Served as U.S. Senator for 8 years. (Chicago Tribune) Giving her more tenure as senator than Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and our president, Barack Obama. Later, Hillary was tapped to become Secretary of State by her former opponent and served close to 4 years trying to restore U.S. relationships with other countries until she stepped down to run for president for a second time. (Biography.com)
Fun Fact: We share the same birth day – October, 26.
Viewpoints:
Against No Child Left Behind.
Obamacare: Keep it. Strengthen it. Tout it.
Immigration: President should waive deportation for some immigrants. Give undocumented residents a path to legal status.
Women’s Rights: “Women’s rights are human rights” speech, and her fight for equal pay and breaking the glass ceiling in corporate America. (pbs.org)
Her father had a textile business in a suburb of Chicago and her mother was a homemaker.(biography.com)
Weaknesses: Benghazi attacks, E-mail debacle, gender bias and public opinion on her authenticity.
Marco Rubio:
In my humble opinion his delivery could have been better.
Tag line: “A New American Century”
Accomplishments: Holds a legal degree from the University of Miami. Began his career in the West Miami City Commission Department in 1998. Then moved on to become a representative in their house of representatives in 1999. Later, Rubio became the first Cuban American to be the House Speaker in Florida. That experience gave him a platform for his senate bid in 2009 and has been active in the US Senate since. (Biography.com) Serving on several committees:
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation;
Foreign Relations;
Intelligence;
Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Viewpoints:
Fervent Pro- Lifer
Immigration Reform: Rubio was a part of the bipartisan immigration committee that created a strong immigration bill then later changed his sponsorship to a more conservative “secure the border” stance.
Obamacare: Was a cosponsor in a bill to repeal the 2011 healthcare reform law
Does not want to create a relationship with Cuba
Does not believe that there is scientific evidence of global warming
Rubio’s parents were Cuban immigrants who came to America in the late 1950’s.
Weaknesses: Revelations about his parents coming to America before Fidel Castro’s oppressive regime, and not after it like he had previously stated in his book. As a congressman in Florida, he charged a hundred thousand dollars of personal expenses to a states GOP credit card. Critics say he has a naïve altruistic point of view, with little political action. Light foreign affairs experience. The viral awkward sip of water in his state of the union rebuttal speech in 2013.
John Ellis Bush aka Jeb Bush
Not officially running… yet.
Accomplishments: Florida governor from 1999 to 2007 served a full 8 year term. In his tenure “Jeb cut taxes by some $19 billion.” (Wall Street Journal) He also added 1.32 million jobs for Floridians and he is recognized for growing Florida’s gdp to an all-time high 7.2 percent compared to a US gdp rate of 5.8 percent. Jeb left office with a 64 percent approval rating and an accumulated 9.8 million in cash reserves for the incoming Florida government. (Des Moines Register)
Viewpoints:
Ended affirmative action in Florida
Education: Advocates common core and school vouchers for private school tuition
Pro- Life Advocate
Champions Immigration Reform: Supported licenses for undocumented individuals in Florida, as well as in state tuition for undocumented students. He has later said “You have to deal with this issue (Immigration). You can’t ignore it. And so, a path to citizenship, which I would support.” (Business Insider)
Fun Fact: His wife is Mexican from Leon, Guanajuato. Spanish speaker.
Weaknesses: Family history, weak support from his party for his immigration reform stance, signed the stand your ground law.
Readers, this is just a brief description of just a few candidates. It is to early to tell who will be victorious but if this is an indication of what is to come, it will be a great race!
As you may all know the Keystone Pipeline XL project was vetoed by President Obama earlier this week. Why? If the state department has reported the project would create 3,900 full time construction jobs, not to mention the 30,000 jobs created through indirect economic stimulus. (Economist) But within hours Senator Mitch McConnell republican majority leader said they would have the decision overridden by next week. That is unlikely, unless they persuade the four senate votes they are short to overturn the veto.
Away from that bill and in a different corner. The immigration issue has finally risen to the top of President Obama’s agenda. However, that was not the case for the republican led congress and senate. After much deliberation and negotiation congress has failed to find a solution to the problem. With no other option left, President Obama enacted executive action introducing (DAPA) Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents. DAPA would allow a non-citizens, already in this country, temporary authorization to stay and issue work permits to these individuals. He also expanded protection for (DACA) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals who have been in this country continuously since January 1, 2010.
The lack of congressional action forced President Obama to create a temporary fix. But now that executive order is stuck in a Texas court. Reuters reports that “U.S. District Judge in Brownsville, Texas issued a temporary court order on Monday stopping Obama’s executive actions that bypassed a gridlocked Congress.” 26 states brought forth a lawsuit calling into question the constitutionality of the actions. The judge has said “The states have sufficient cause to challenge.” The executive order has been slammed with an injunction and is at a standstill. However, President Obama will not go down without a fight and said the Department of Justice was going to repeal the injunction. Needless to say, this is the beginning of a legal battle for the executive branch.
Congress has been strongly rallying for the expansion of the keystone pipeline to the point of salivating for the past 5 months, and President Obama has been pressuring congress for comprehensive immigration reform for the past 2 years. Clearly, if President Obama is struggling to execute his agenda, then why should congress get what it wants? Revenge is a dish best served cold and our President has just forced congress into shelving their dream job creating pipeline.
Before I can explain the USW Strike, let’s talk about the basics. The oil and gas industry is broken down into three steps. Upstream which as you can imagine is the process of recovering crude oil from below the earth’s surface. Midstream involves transporting that product by train, truck, pipeline or boat to production sites. Lastly, downstream is the refining at the production sites (refineries) to supply people’s oil needs.
Once petroleum (crude oil) is extracted from the earth, it is transported to a refinery to be put through a refining process. Raw crude oil goes through different units and is heated at different temperatures to create different outputs.This process creates Petroleum Gas (Propane, Butane), Gasoline, Kerosene/Jet Fuel, Heating Oil, Diesel, Lubricating oil and Asphalt which is bottom of the barrel material. (Image below)
Refining process
Most of California’s refineries lie around the coast primarily close to the Port of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay, this facilitates the entrance of incoming crude from other states and countries. However, a few refineries are located in central California in order to process the product extracted from the central basin. The idea is to have a refinery as close as possible to an incoming source of crude oil.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, California has 18 operable refineries while its surrounding neighboring states pale in comparison. Oregon and Arizona have none and Nevada has 1 small operable refinery, which means other states heavily rely on California’s refineries for most of their oil needs.
First off the first three months of the year are turnaround season at a refinery. Turnarounds diminish the output of refineries because units have to be shutdown for important planned multi-million dollar maintenance and inspection. In the first quarter of the year their is less demand on oil. Management targets the downtime to do crucial maintenance projects because it is the least expensive. Refineries are able to assess the process equipment in depth which would have been impossible had the unit been fully operational. After the plants integrity is evaluated, necessary piping and equipment is then replaced. Usually, turnarounds happen in order to ensure top performance before the transition into producing the summer blends. Ideally the turnaround should be as fast as possible without forfeiting safety and should only take a couple months depending on the integrity of the units. As you can imagine the need for skilled labor in a refinery turnaround is at its highest because the company wants to minimize the time the unit is down. At any given moment a refinery is also susceptible to an UNSCHEDULED shutdown of any other unit, which can also decrease the amount of petroleum processed in that period. The worst situation for a refinery would be for the shutdown of feeder unit in the middle of a turnaround of another unit.
Secondly, In between all of that the United Steelworkers (USW) Strike is in full swing. The union represents workers in refineries and petrochemical plants across the US. The work at a refinery is incredibly tough and management stresses efficiency and safety. USW who represents 30,000 workers across America, is asking for better pay, safer work conditions, and agreements on overtime and benefits. Three weeks into their strike about 6,000 skilled workers are picketing outside 11 refineries. Refineries across the US are operating with less skilled staff at the most important time of the year.
6,000 workers might not seem like a lot but this kind of work is not like bagging groceries. Working at a refinery takes knowledge and understanding of the complex process of chemically refining crude oil. As it is a turnaround has additional risks associated to it, but adding labor personnel who lack knowledge or experience is very detrimental to the projects safety and timeline.
As of February 2, the Tesoro Martinez Refinery which processes 166,000 barrels of crude oil per day is completely down due to the scheduled turnaround maintenance and the shortage of labor because of the strike. The California Consumer Watchdog Organization has submitted a request to the Attorney General‘s office, formally asking for an investigation into any wrongdoing in Tesoro’s decision to shutdown the whole refinery. According to Consumer watchdog “They ask that she investigate immediately the reasons for this unnecessary decision in order to rule out a concerted refinery effort to drive up the price of gasoline in California.” However, given the turnaround maintenance and the USW strike, the speculation of foul play on behalf of the Texas based Tesoro Corporation seems farfetched.
The USW Strike and the heavy turnaround season is impacting California and the whole southwest more than any other region of the United States. A clear reflection of the repercussions are visible in the higher price we pay at the pump in comparison to other Americans. The link below shows the average price per gallon of gasoline by geographical region.
The price of crude oil fell to less than $50 per barrel today! For perspective, last summer it was stable and well over $100 per barrel. If the barrel of crude depreciates the price of gasoline, kerosene and other byproducts derived from this precious commodity will also plummet. Hence, the cheap gas prices at the pump. But who is behind this situation…
The main players to focus on are The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela as well as the nonaffiliated countries Russia and the United States.
At the moment there is too much crude oil available in the market. The rule of supply and demand applies and the natural economic response is to cut supply and wait until demand catches up. However, it seems that some OPEC countries are not adhering to this rule and are flooding the market with cheap prices on crude, but the ramifications of their actions effect the economic stability of the world.
In smaller terms we can imagine in a flea market and every salesman is selling a similar product. One salesman will set the price and if the customer walks to the other side of the market another salesman has a cheaper price. But then the first salesman says “I’ll sell mine at a lower price so customers come back.” This is happening multiple times over but in a global scale.
The dominating Saudi Arabia has refused to cut its production and has no intention in raising its prices, even saying that they would not mind dipping into “750 billion dollars stashed in foreign reserves” But it is speculated that low price of crude oil is not just accidental but premeditated in order to force American Shale Oil out of business and to cripple the Russian economy. (Reuters)
Effects on Russia: While Putin has yet to acknowledge a crisis, economist believe Russia is on the brink of a recession because almost half of the countries budget relies on the exportation of oil, not to mention the sanctions of the west straining their incoming cash flow. Many citizens have already said they are bracing themselves for a loss of governmental services and limited state budgets this year. Russia seems to have been pushed into rough economic times.
Effects on America: The federal government prohibits the exporting of crude oil, as a consequence the damage is far less but still very detrimental. At a time when shale oil (generic form of crude oil) was becoming popular and a good second option for some companies. Now, it is struggling to stay in the game as shale oil could only be competitive when the price of a crude barrel was above $85. Essentially, that is how you bleed out the other salesman. The damage of a low barrel price also effects our country indirectly. If the oil and energy sector stocks fall, then the economy starts feeling the instability as we have already been noticing.
With Russia’s estimated breakeven point being 98 dollars per barrel you can clearly see the cool kid has used oil as a powerful weapon. So next time you pump gas at $2.70 a gallon thank Saudi Arabia.
Around this time of year everyone reflects on what has passed and makes hopes for the year to come. As we wrap up 2014 and reflect on the highs and lows that this year has brought us, we can never forget the best is yet to come!
An excerpt from one of my favorite poems Loose Women by Sandra Cisneros, says “They say I’m… Fire and Brimstone…not necessarily but I like the compliment.” I learned that duality because I have two people who have taught me to be fire and brimstone, I have derived from my grandmothers the importance of passion and the ambition to achieve whatever I set my mind to. I had the opportunity of not only having one strong, hardworking, barrier-breaking, incredibly honest grandmother but TWO! So in a way I consider my personality a representation of their teachings combined.
Sadly, one of my lows happened earlier this year, I lost one of my grandmothers. I felt a little lost and sad. I would never hear her laugh again. She was born and spent all her life in a small town named Huanusco, Zacatecas. I was mostly going to miss her spoiling me. She was the kind of grandmother that would have the errand boy change the grocery delivery, when we were in town. When her American born grand kids (Me and my brother) visited she would make us pancakes for breakfast. I guess she never wanted us to miss what we were used to here in the states. She could have made us a typical Mexican breakfast and we would have ate it just as well but she loved doing special things for us. Or when I was on vacation, God forbid anyone woke me up early and not let me sleep in, they would have a big problem with her. Those are just some memories that I cherish. Letting go is probably the hardest thing a person can do but the memories are the things that live forever in our hearts.
One of my all-time highs this year was going to the Luke Bryan concert with my brother on my birthday, October 26. That sounds uneventful but one of the reasons I scored the tickets in the first place was because I received a gift card and in total I paid $50 for 2 tickets. We tailgated before the concert which is crazy for an LA area concert. Then we got to our seats and saw the opening act, Lee Brice, one of my favorite country artist. Later we were gifted (because it was my birthday) pit wristbands and enjoyed the Luke Bryan serenade from like 3 ft. away. That night I felt very lucky.
As we look forward to a new year and reflect on this 2014, it is important to learn from the hardships and mistakes, but know that 2015 will be what you make of it! Maneuver around the lows as much as possible and enjoy all the new highs!
First of all there is a fully functioning international pipeline already in place, called the Keystone Pipeline, that runs 590,000 barrels per day from Alberta, Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma transporting Canadian Sand Bitumen Crude Oil to be refined and supplied to the Midwest. This part of the project was granted a presidential permit and started operations in June of 2010.
The proposed expansion is the much debated “Keystone Pipeline XL.” This is an additional pipeline that would connect Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska supplying an extra 510,000 barrels for a total of 1.1 million barrels per day. (Picture 1 illustrates the various phases)
Many who oppose this project say that the Canadian crude oil with high levels of bitumen is bad for the environment, but some of it is already coming in anyway. Researchers have also discovered that it is comparable to California crude and creates the same outcome when refined properly.
Others say they oppose the expansion because “ the threat of a leak would be detrimental to the local environment.” My question for those people is “how do you think crude oil is transported throughout the US currently?” Through pipes in the ground, some a mere 20 feet under residential homes. Is that not as bad as the keystone pipeline? At least these are new pipes equipped with pressure checking sensors and automatic shut off valves unlike the former. (Picture 2 is the current network of underground pipelines running through the US)
Politically: The expansion of the “Keystone Pipeline XL” is up for presidential permit approval. Since this keeps falling off the Presidential agenda, a new Republican Senate and House is hoping to make it happen. But let’s not forget about President Obama’s sarcastic skit on The Colbert Report where he said “I still have the veto and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Bottom line: Why do we need an extra 1.1 million barrels of Canadian crude per day coming into the US? When there is plenty of California crude, Texan crude, and shale oil in the Dakotas. There is so much crude that the trading price keeps dropping. Nevertheless, crude oil is coming into this country by pipeline, by train or by boat but it’s coming in. Some say the pipeline is the best option. But this issue is no longer about crude oil, this debate is fueled by personal interest and the power struggle between an aggressive congress and a president standing his ground.
The Pink Order 