In a time of long-term high unemployment, the Obama administration could create more than 20,000 jobs simply by allowing the construction of an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.
The Keystone XL pipeline project has wide-ranging support, from Republican lawmakers to labor unions. But to satisfy his environmental extremist allies, the president put off a decision on the pipeline until 2013.
In response, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would pave the way for construction of the pipeline, as well as extend payroll tax relief for 160 million Americans. Republicans would pay for the short-term loss of government revenue caused by the payroll tax cut by freezing federal workers' pay and finding other cuts in the bloated federal budget.
But the Democrat-run Senate vowed to block the legislation, and the president said he would veto it even if it got through the Senate. Instead of cutting excessive federal spending, Democrats insist that wealthier Americans -- who already pay a disproportionately high share of taxes -- pay even higher taxes to fund the payroll tax cut. And like the president, they side with environmental activists in opposing the job-creating Keystone pipeline.
Those tactics may promote class enmity, but they scarcely promote the job creation that America needs.