Nice opinion piece at cnn.com from South Dakota US Senator John Thune on what the new Republican Majority in the Senate will bring to Washington. Mainly forward momentum for the first time in years:
The new Republican majority will get right to work on job-creating legislation, starting with legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which the President’s own State Department has admitted will support more than 42,000 jobs during construction. Keystone XL enjoys bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, and I hope the President will finally sign off on this job-creating project.
Republicans will also take up two other bipartisan jobs measures that were stuck in the Democrat-led Senate for far too long. We are committed to repealing the job-killing Obamacare medical device tax, a tax on life-saving medical devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps. This tax has already eliminated thousands of jobs in the medical device industry, and it’s on track to eliminate thousands more if it isn’t repealed. Given the economic stagnation of the past six years, the last thing our economy needs is a tax that is eliminating thousands of jobs.
Republicans will also work to repeal the Obamacare provision that changed the definition of full-time employment from 40 hours a week to 30 hours. This provision has forced countless businesses to cut back on hiring or reduce workers’ hours and wages, which has meant fewer jobs and opportunities for American workers. Eliminating this provision has bipartisan support, and Republicans look forward to taking it up this year.
Raise the gas tax, just like the “conservatives” in Pierre.
Thune is talking about raising the federal gas tax.
Gas Tax: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/01/04/john-thune-puts-gas-tax-hike-on-the-table-for-gop-senate/
Thune acts like he’s willing to accept amnesty.
Amnesty: http://hotair.com/archives/2015/01/05/john-thune-were-not-going-to-shut-down-homeland-security-in-february-over-executive-amnesty/
Push me,
How you got that out of Thune’s statement is beyond me.
i guess thune’s actual words and meaning weren’t helpful enough for some people.
“President’s own State Department has admitted will support more than 42,000 jobs during construction.”
———————————————
“the State Department report carefully says the spending during the construction period “would support a combined total of approximately 42,100 average annual jobs.” It’s not really “42,000 new jobs,” as Barrasso expressed it. In fact, as we noted, some of those jobs have already been completed in anticipation of the project.”—http://tinyurl.com/kl5j3mc
What are the benefits of the pipeline to the U.S.?
The State Department report adds an important bit of context — this represents just 0.02 percent of annual economic activity across the nation. Indeed, even the 42,000 figure, inflated though it may be, does not seem very large when compared to the 321,000 jobs added to the economy just in November.