Roskam’s effort for more jobs is weak

I received a newsletter from my U.S. congressman, Peter Roskam (6th District), all about the unfortunate one-year anniversary of delaying the Keystone XL pipeline permit. This is just a distraction, a red herring, a smoke screen for the very real damage the House majority is doing to the American economy.

Peter Roskam doesn’t seem to care at all about our environment or the health of the American people. Tar sands from Alberta, Canada, traveling through the pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico will damage both. Even if he doesn’t believe 97 percent of the scientists who say climate change is caused by what we humans do, he must admit that fossil fuels are worse for the environment than sustainable, renewable forms of energy (solar and wind).

The congressman’s claim that 20,000 jobs will be created by the pipeline is an exaggeration. Possibly 2,000 permanent jobs might be gained, but at what cost? Actions speak louder than words, and if Congressman Roskam were serious about job creation, he would be putting more effort into a jobs bill, or repealing sequestration, or improving (not repealing) the Affordable Care Act, or getting his fellow Republicans to stop their threats to shut down the government. But, he isn’t doing any of those things, so he just doesn’t care about his constituents or his country.

Diane Niesman

Wheaton