You know things have turned really sour when even your mainstream press starts to notice a story that's been running for the past couple of years: biofools and Global Warming...and food shortages. According to the Church of AlGore, we could all "fight" Global Warming" by converting food to fuel; thus reducing our dependence upon petro and rendering it completely unneccessary for America to tap its huge reserves. This would also have the effect of somehow "fighting" Global Warming.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Showdown at the GW Corral: Global Warming stopped all by itself and the planet entered a cooling phase. And the folks who pushed turning food into fuel are suddenly being exposed as the ignorant jerks that they are. Food prices have skyrocketed, causing widespread unrest.
Still, some idiots push for more control:
Last week, French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier warned E.U. officials against "too much trust in the free market."
"We must not leave the vital issue of feeding people," he said, "to the mercy of market laws and international speculation."
Yo, Michel - your governmental interference in the free market is exactly what caused the problems in the first place.
This year, at least a fifth and perhaps a quarter of the U.S. corn crop will be fed to ethanol plants. As food and fuel fuse, it has presented a boon to American farmers after years of stable prices. But it has also helped spark the broader food-price shock.
"If you didn't have ethanol, you would not have the prices we have today," said Bruce Babcock, a professor of economics and the director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University. "It doesn't mean it's the sole driver. Prices would be higher than we saw earlier in this decade because world grain supplies are tighter now than earlier in the decade. But we've introduced a new demand into the market."
Actually, no. We haven't. Government has. They're supposed to be (in America at least) "Of the people, by the people, and for the people".
Oregon governor Teddy Kulongoski never got the memo. Neither did Portland City Commisssioner Randy. It's not their job to dictate fuel components, but they took it on anyway. Because they're so much smarter than you are.
