Highest Bidder?

Why the pipeline? Why now? One question that needs answering is just who will benefit from building the XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf. According to various sources, the initial idea was to build the pipeline across Canada to ports on the Canadian west coast. That plan was scrapped mostly because of environmental concerns on the part of Canadians. So, if the pipeline is an environmental hazard for Canada, let’s build it through the United States, instead? That makes sense if US Legislators are more susceptible to political scoundrely than their Canadian counterparts. The last time I checked, the Canadian dollars was worth a little less than the US dollar so bribing (excuse me, contributing to) a Canadian should cost a little less than bribing an American legislator. Now the talking heads will say that oil independence is the primary motivator for the pipeline, offshore drilling, and other actions designed to support the oil lobby. What these talking heads fail to mention is the amount of oil and refined oil products that is being exported FROM the United States. At a time when there are high gasoline prices and oil companies are making record profits no one seems to mention or even care that there are excess supplies of gasoline, for instance that are exported from American refineries. In stead of these excess supplies resulting in lower prices, there are no excess supplies because they are being exported and sold elsewhere. Oil from Alaska, instead of reducing the need to import oil from the Middle East, is exported and sold to Japan and other Asian buyers. So, that brings us back to the original question...will the American people ever discover why the big puch for the pipeline? When the oil starts flowing from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, onto what ships will that oil go, and to what country will it be sold. One thing of which you can be certain, it will not reduce the costs of gasoline to the American consumer. There is no political profit in doing that. The American consumer will not use any of the savings derived from the larger supplies to donate to their favorite politician.