Were it not for a caller to the Herman Cain radio show this morning spilling the beans on Warren Buffett’s railroad, vis-a-vie the XL pipeline, this story would have remained buried. It’s about BNSF Railway, a railroad transportation company wholly owned by Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway.

BNSF figures to be the major player in petroleum shipments from the Bakken fields in North Dakota to the Texas refineries. In other words, the XL pipeline route. And to ship east to Philadelphia refineries and west to refineries in California, Oregon and Washington.

Warren Buffett is a big Obama contributor and supporter. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But when you see Obama doing everything he can to not sign on to the XL pipeline, and last week the environmental lobby along with Robert Kennedy Jr. tying themselves to The White House fence in protest to the XL pipeline, you can see the forces at work. The only special interest group that supports Obama but wants the XL pipeline is Big Labor. Why? Because it means jobs.

So Obama has a tough call (money or jobs) to make. You have your quid pro quo to Warren Buffett and the environmental lobby on one hand, and creating hundreds of thousands of high-paying union jobs on the other. The latter would also strengthen our energy security in the long-term, cut oil dependency on the Middle East and Venezuela, will contribute to making the United States an oil producer instead of an oil purchaser, and would lower energy costs. Oil producers say shipping crude by pipeline in North Dakota adds up to $1.50 to its cost, compared to $2 or more a barrel for rail shipments. Also tied to the oil costs are food cost.

To the oil companies, it doesn’t matter one bit how the crude they produce is transported. It does matter to the folks that have to buy it. The lower the cost of transportation, the lower the cost of energy. The lower the cost of energy, the lower the cost of food, fuel, heating. The poor would benefit more from lower prices on food and energy than those eeevil one percenters would. Opening the Keystone XL pipeline should be a no-brainer. But  Obama won re-election. He doesn’t have to act like he cares for the poor or middle-class anymore.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, at least here on The Lunch Counter, let’s see if the media ever catches up and calls out Obama on being beholden to his favorite lobbyists/contributors as they are quick to say, “on the backs of the poor.”

Links: Buffett Railroad Sees Crude Cargo Climbing 40%  |  BNSF Railway  |  Warren Buffett cleans up after Keystone XL  |  No Keystone XL? Big Oil will just take the train   |  BNSF expands Bakken rail ability from N.Dakota, Montana

Contrary to the administration’s storyline, the economy is not creating jobs. We’re still short millions of jobs from when he took over, and that’s after all the so-called stimulus spending. What little economic growth there is, is happening in spite of Obama’s stimulus spending, takeovers, and Czars. Not because of them. And is the reason the economy hasn’t already shown good signs of recovery. He is depressing what is a strong economy eager to be set free.

The administration, with a little help from the media, is attempting to redefine progress. Let’s look at where we are: 8.2% unemployment is the new 5.2%.  The new norm.  That 8.2% is nothing to be alarmed about.  No problem.  And $5/gallon gasoline, that’s the new $3.  Not $4.  Remember when $4 was hit, everybody went crazy?  No, now $5 gasoline, “Hey, it’s the new the norm! It’s not as much as they’re paying in Europe.  You should feel lucky.”

Then there’s the oil head-fake, lie. The oil ‘subsidies’ which are not really subsidies but current tax law, are the same production and manufacturing incentives that all companies enjoy, whether they make cars or gasoline.

Yet, the Divider-in-Cheif continues to demagogue the entire industry, urging Congress to “stand with the American people” by voting to end subsidies to oil companies. Funny thing happened last week. The Democrat-controlled Senate stood with Big Oil and voted 51-47 against the bill. And how does the media report it? CBS’s  Bill Plante frames it like this . . . “GOP blocks Obama’s bid to end oil subsidies.”

From The White House, on the same day the Senate killed his bullying initiative to raise taxes on the oil industry, President Obama said . . .

“Right now, the biggest oil companies are raking in record profits. On top of these record profits, oil companies are also getting billions a year in taxpayer subsidies.”

Here’s a fact. The biggest oil companies will likely always earn record profits in terms of dollars. Not in terms of profit margin. When what you produce runs the economies of the world, and there is an endless demand for it coming from China, India, and other developing countries, the dollar amounts will consistently hit ‘record highs’ on a monthly, if not annual basis. If they don’t, then it will be because of no economic growth. Sure makes it easy for a politician to demagogue, doesn’t it?

Acting as though he was leading the charge to end crony capitalism when he was candidate Obama, President Obama climbs in bed with George Soros and Brazil. It’s just a bit dishonest for Obama to fund oil drilling and exploration in Brazil, then pledging to be their major customer, for oil that he refuses to get here.

Links: Higher gas prices cause less public anger this time  |  Obama says US to be major purchaser of Brazilian oil  |  The New Normal: Trickle-Down Poverty

While everyone else is feeling the pain at the pump, President Obama is having trouble feeling your pain. In a most amazing turnaround from an economical and political standpoint, high gas prices are now a good thing.

Watch the transformation in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qKdScVerrBU

Steven Chu is Energy Secretary because he and Obama are soul brothers in the concept of sacrificing the economy with high gas prices so as to (in their liberal minds) force development of alternative energy sources. Chu is the same Energy Secretary that wants you to paint the roof of your house a reflective white, ostensibly to change climate change. Not sure if there is any racial implication in that. Anything is possible with this administration.

Raising ‘taxes’ on the poor is part of the plan. See The Poor Tax, and how Obama screws the poor while saying he has their back. Backside is more accurate. Of course, the media doesn’t see it that way.