Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/271933
It may be the most overhyped controversy of the past few years: to build or not to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Those in favor of the pro- posed 1,700-mile pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast to transport oil from the Alberta tar sands have sometimes exag - gerated the project's potential for economic development, and particularly new jobs. Those who oppose the proj - ect have exaggerated its poten- tial impact on the environment. The pipeline has become a symbol for both sides in an ide- ological clash over the future course of energy development, and thus a delicate dilemma for the Obama administration. And yet the federal deci - sion on whether to approve the pipeline isn't supposed to be about politics. It's supposed to be based on the relevant facts, which in recent months have tilted heavily in favor of con - struction. This is especially the case after a State Department report in January concluded that building the pipeline would not materially boost carbon emissions because the oil would find its way to market no mat - ter what. Fortunately, it appears the Obama administration finally may be poised to make a deci - sion. At a meeting recently with the nation's governors, Pres- ident Obama reportedly indi- cated that a federal decision on the pipeline would occur within a few months. It's about time. The pipeline represents neither energy sal - vation nor environmental di- saster, but on balance is worth building. Fortunately, the dispute has never been purely partisan. Ken Salazar, the former inte - rior secretary and Democratic senator, came out in favor of the project last month. And 17 Democratic senators, including Colorado's Michael Bennet, en - dorsed construction in a vote one year ago. If Keystone is not built and the oil is moved to refiner - ies by other means, green- house emissions are likely to be even greater, according to the State Department assess- ment. Maybe environmentalists should ponder that before join- ing the next anti-Keystone pro- test. This editorial was originally pub- lished Tuesday in the Denver Post. Editorial Build the Keystone XL pipeline Cartoonist's take There's a reason why Ameri- can men drive big pickup trucks: Women dig them. According to The Washington Free Beacon, a new poll by Insure found that women think attrac - tive men are likely to be driving a pickup truck. The survey asked 2,000 men and women what type, brand and color of vehicle is driven by the "most fetching members of the oppo - site sex." Ladies reported that desirable men are more likely to be driving, specifically, a black Ford truck — not a minivan or hybrid. It would appear that the truck, which was once a purely utilitar - ian vehicle used by farmers and workmen, now lends cachet to many modern males, who make their living in a service economy and wouldn't know the first thing about getting their hands dirty. Many younger men now pur - chase trucks, then, as that is their only hope to model them- selves after their fathers and grandfathers, who likely pro- vided for their families by work- ing "manly" jobs that required brawn, craftsmanship and guts. Guys like John Wayne and Steve McQueen represented my father's era — tough guys who were men of action, not words. But which celebrities represent the modern era? Johnny Depp? Leonardo DiCaprio? McQueen could whip them both at the same time with both his arms tied behind his back. That's why suburban men buy trucks. A truck is a beauti - ful thing. It is simple and useful — like our dads and granddads were. Trucks are tough, sturdy and re - liable. Sure, they get poor mile- age and the ride is bumpy, but when the weather gets bad or you need to tow, haul or pull something, there is no better ve - hicle. A suburban man can live vicar- iously through a truck. He sees himself cutting and hauling wood on autumn days. He dreams of pulling strangers' vehicles out of ruts along country roads. He ex - pects to become a hunter one day and drive deep into the woods — across brooks and over rocks — in search of a big buck. It doesn't matter that he will never do any of these things. One of my suburban friends paid $50,000 for his truck. Its low gears and big tires are de - signed for the roughest terrain, but he would never take it into the woods. "I don't want to scratch it," he told me. I can see the utility in owning a big 4x4 truck, but don't have one. A few years ago, I moved back to a house I own in the country, where many men still work with their hands and know how to fix just about anything. Well, while I was working in the yard last summer, my wheel - barrow got a flat. I loaded it into my sedan and drove it up the hill to my neighbor's house. He has lots of tools and he and his friends work on trucks. When they saw me hauling a wheelbar - row with a flat tire in a mid-sized foreign car, I think they were more embarrassed than I was. It didn't help that I am the only driver of a four-dour Jap - anese sports car that has a gun rack in the rear window. In any event, it all makes sense that women associate at - tractive men with black Ford trucks. What is more tradition- ally American than a Ford? Maybe I will get one soon. Then I can dream of Satur- days when I'll rise early and drive to the diner. I'll wear a Cat- erpillar ballcap and eat three eggs sunny side up. I won't talk to anyone, because I'll have little to say. Then I'll drive to the land - scape center, order three yards of mulch and haul it home. If I can stomach putting mulch into a $50,000 vehicle. Tom Purcell is a humor columnist. Column Men, your love life needs a pickup (truck) Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. It doesn't matter what it looks like. I was suppose to get it delivered but never received it so now I will not be get- ting it again. Your delivery of the news paper is poor and service is also poor. Douglas Hamilton: Facebook comment about the Daily News redesign Wow this just goes to show how people are going nutty in our little town....When is the violence and drugs going to stop? What happened to a good old fashion fist fight? Leannette Brown: Facebook comment on a brief about a stabbing in Red Bluff Friday night Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor Editorial Board How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151 ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FaCEBook.CoM/ rBDaILYnEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @rEDBLuFFnEWS ryan teague Beckwith Digital First Media We're about to enter the third stage of the Obama presidency and it may not be as bad as you think. Here's a look at the three stages of the Obama pres - idency. Stage 1: Triumph Mood: Democratic trium- phalism. With Democrats in control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, they set out to reshape federal law in major ways. High points: The stim - ulus act changed federal policy on everything from education to energy. The health care law ended bans on preexisting conditions in exchange for requir - ing most Americans to buy insurance while reshap- ing the health care sys- tem in ways big and small. A reform law shifted Wall Street practices and cre- ated the Consumer Finan- cial Protection Bureau. Troubled Detroit auto companies were bailed out. The FDA was given the power to regulate to - bacco. Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined the Supreme Court. The Don't Ask Don't Tell policy barring openly gay service members was repealed. Obama began winding down the U.S. military presence in Iraq but sent more troops to Afghani - stan. An arms treaty with Russia was ratified. Low points: The stimu- lus act helped, but it failed to pull the U.S. out of reces- sion. A major bill address- ing climate change passed the House but stalled in the Senate. The tea party movement began as a reac - tion to health care reform. Despite a campaign prom- ise, Obama was unable to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Little prog- ress was made in the Is- raeli-Palestinian conflict, and the U.S. was unable to bolster the Green Move- ment in Iran in any sub- stantive way. Stage 2: Stalemate Mood: Stalemate. Af- ter winning control of the House, Republicans blocked any further Demo- cratic achievements. Facing re-election, Obama scaled back his ambitions in 2012, while Congress did the same in 2014. High points: Millions of Americans were covered by private insurance or a Medicaid expansion un - der the 2010 health care law. Obama became the first president to support gay marriage. The White House allowed marijuana legalization efforts to pro - ceed in Washington and Colorado. Osama bin Laden was killed by special forces. The last U.S. troops left Iraq. The U.S. military as - sisted revolutionaries in Libya. A crisis over chem- ical weapons in Syria was resolved basically by ac- cident. The U.S. reestab- lished relations with Myan- mar (Burma). Low points: The troubled launch of the federal health care exchange led to fewer people signing up for insur - ance. Former contractor Edward Snowden revealed troubling details about the National Security Agency's electronic surveillance pro - grams. An attempt to ex- pand background checks on gun sales failed in the Sen- ate. Fights over the debt limit, fiscal cliff, seques- tration and a government shutdown hurt the econ- omy. Climate change went unaddressed in Congress. An attack on a U.S. diplo- matic mission in Benghazi, Libya, left several dead. The U.S. was unable to sub- stantially shape the "Arab Spring" movement in many Muslim countries. Russia appeared ready to invade Ukraine despite U.S. pro - tests. Stage 3: Compromise? Mood: Compromise? If Republicans take the Sen- ate, they will work with the House to send a raft of con- servative bills to the pres- ident. He'll veto much of it, but he and Republicans may also find areas of com- promise. Possible high points: Just as President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform af - ter vetoing earlier Repub- lican efforts, Obama and congressional Republicans could eventually agree on legislation reforming the tax code or stabilizing the long-term finances of Social Security. If Republicans de - cide to drop attempts to re- peal the health care law outright, they could work with Obama to tinker with the law. Republicans could also pass immigration re - form that grants undocu- mented immigrants some kind of legal status but not full citizenship. Possible low points: Con - gressional Republicans will likely continue to favor out- right repeal of the health care law to making work- able changes, while immi- gration reform will be a tough sell for many rank- and-file Republican law- makers. In a worst-case scenario, Republicans and Obama could end up at log- gerheads over the budget, the debt ceiling or some other proxy fight, caus- ing yet another shutdown or fiscal crisis. It is pretty much guaranteed that Con- gress will continue to ig- nore issues like climate change, unemployment and gun violence. Column The next phase of the Obama presidency may actually go better than you would think Tom Purcell OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, march 5, 2014 » MORE AT FaCEBook.CoM/rBDaILYnEWS AND TWITTEr.CoM/rEDBLuFFnEWS a6