"Anthony Ferrante" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:43:20 -0400, George Cebulka >
> wrote:
>
>>Mark Thorson wrote:
>>> More bad news caused by U.S. ethanol policy:
>>>
>>> http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/radio...,5552138.story
>>>
>>> Ethanol is a net energy consumer, not a green
>>> replacement for oil. Ethanol policy is driven
>>> by corrupt politicians in the pocket of
>>> agribusiness. Higher prices are a nuisance
>>> to Americans, but they're killing Mexican
>>> peasants, where corn is a staple food.
>>
>>
>>And this surprises you how?
>
> I just hope I live long enough to see an alternative fuel source come
> into being. I thought initially that maybe there was hope with
> Ethanol, but that does not seem to be the case. And with gas soaring,
> I don't know what most people will do. Sure, they will raise it to $4
> a gallon and then come down to $3.50 and there it will stay and people
> will think they are getting a bargain because it decreased fifty
> cents. I think we are going to see a lot of people riding bikes this
> spring/summer. And paying more for groceries.


Corn is but one source for ethanol. There are many, many more wys to
produce it. Anything that can be fermented produces ethanol. The reason
they chose corn was purely an agribusiness political ploy. Why not wheat?
Because wheat has always had a lucrative world market while corn less so.
Corn was always a junk crop because the market price was soft so that si why
production went mostly to livestock feed and sweetener. Agribusiness wanted
higher prices. The price of a bushel of corn has quadrupled as a result.
and thanks to NAFTA Mexico no longer subsidzes corn prices so the average
Mexican is going without a vital food and the farmers are all coming north
just to survive.

Paul