Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Fuel or folly? Ethanol and the law of unintended consequences
SFGATE ^ | Wednesday, April 2, 2008 | Cinnamon Stillwell

Posted on 04/05/2008 8:46:00 AM PDT by Dan Evans

In the pantheon of well-intentioned governmental policies gone awry, massive ethanol biofuel production may go down as one of the biggest blunders in history. An unholy alliance of environmentalists, agribusiness, biofuel corporations and politicians has been touting ethanol as the cure to all our environmental ills, when in fact it may be doing more harm than good. An array of unintended consequences is wreaking havoc on the economy, food production and, perhaps most ironically, the environment.

In the United States, ethanol is the primary focus and, as a result, corn growers and ethanol producers are subsidized heavily by the government

But it turns out that the use of food for fuel is wrought with difficulties. Corn, or some derivative thereof, is a common ingredient in a variety of packaged food products. So it's only natural that, as it becomes a rarer commodity due to the conflicting demands of biofuel production, the prices of those products will go up. The prices of food products containing barley and wheat are also on the rise as farmers switch to growing subsidized corn crops. During a time of economic instability, the last thing Americans need is higher prices at the grocery store, but that's exactly what they're getting.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: biofuels; energy; ethanol
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-56 next last

1 posted on 04/05/2008 8:46:01 AM PDT by Dan Evans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans

Biofuels have become such a disaster the greens are now disavowing that they had anything to do with it.


2 posted on 04/05/2008 8:48:22 AM PDT by Dan Evans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans

You realize that people don’t care. Greenies say that starvation and high food prices are tall tales told by deniers.

Maybe mass starvation is a means their ends.


3 posted on 04/05/2008 8:49:41 AM PDT by Mike Darancette (Obama: America is the greatest country on the earth, Help me bring change.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
There is NO “law” of unintended consequences. - the phrase must have been uttered by a time traveler or something...
4 posted on 04/05/2008 8:50:27 AM PDT by GOPJ (The new Wall Street game: Privatize profits and socialize losses.Freeper Mad_Tom_Rackham)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans

Duh, alert.

Of course we will pretty soon get all the closet Freeper socialists blasting Big Oil chiming in.

Sad.

We need to drill, mine, and fiss. The only solution this side of a full blown economic depression to get energy prices properly aligned.


5 posted on 04/05/2008 8:50:44 AM PDT by Sunnyflorida (Drill in the Gulf of Mexico/Anwar & we can join OPEC!!! || Write in Thomas Sowell for President.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans; TenthAmendmentChampion; Horusra; CygnusXI; Fiddlstix; Defendingliberty; WL-law; ...
 


Global Warming Scam News & Views

6 posted on 04/05/2008 8:52:38 AM PDT by steelyourfaith
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mike Darancette
You realize that people don’t care. Greenies say that starvation and high food prices are tall tales told by deniers.

Absolutely. No matter what we do they will find an objection. We have to stop talking to them and just do what is right. There can be no dialog with people who want to destroy the economy simply because they can.

7 posted on 04/05/2008 8:57:09 AM PDT by Dan Evans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans

Doesn’t the federal government usually cause recessions and even the Great Depression? Smoot-Halley comes to mind.

That’s because the morons we elect have no clue about economics and can be relied upon to do exactly the wrong thing when the typical capitalist system booms and busts occur. The Socialists running for office would have this same government in charge of the economy, proving that they always make the cure worse than the disease.


8 posted on 04/05/2008 8:57:57 AM PDT by kittymyrib
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sunnyflorida
We need to drill, mine, and fiss.

Damn right!

What's fiss?

9 posted on 04/05/2008 8:59:36 AM PDT by Dan Evans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
Let me see, who was it that made a major issue about us being "addicted to oil?"

And who has done Zip, Zero, Nada to forcefully push (like he did for amnesty) for exploration and drilling--including caving to his moronic brother in Florida over drilling off the coast of same?

And who was it that signed one of the worst bills during his administration--and that's going some, considering other whoppers such as No Child Left Behind, Prescription Drum, CFL Lightbulb Mandate, etc., etc.

God, is it January yet????

PS Yes, I voted for him twice. Well actually once and once against John "The Snake" Kerry.

getusedtoit

"That's right, y'all I'm a "Compassionate Conservative" and those who were fooled into thinking aw was the real deal, well tee hee, better luck with Juan McCain.

10 posted on 04/05/2008 9:01:15 AM PDT by Conservative Vermont Vet ((One of ONLY 37 Conservatives in the People's Republic of Vermont. Socialists and Progressives All))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
IH”fiss” is a reference to nuclear power.
11 posted on 04/05/2008 9:02:39 AM PDT by Truth29
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans; thackney; Dog Gone; Grampa Dave; Ernest_at_the_Beach; BOBTHENAILER

Have you ever been fissed off? (you’ll find it in the thread)


12 posted on 04/05/2008 9:03:57 AM PDT by SierraWasp (Out of the dung of adversity, spring the seeds of opportunity! America will always be exceptional!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mike Darancette
Maybe mass starvation is a means their ends.

"Zero Population Growth"?

13 posted on 04/05/2008 9:09:57 AM PDT by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Mike Darancette
"Maybe mass starvation is a means their ends."

Well, given that the far left environmental movement views people as a threat to the planet and wants either a lower population or none at all, you thought is plausible.

14 posted on 04/05/2008 9:26:19 AM PDT by Truth29
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Sunnyflorida
We need to drill, mine, and fiss.

Obambi says he will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material.

That's what he said.

15 posted on 04/05/2008 9:37:00 AM PDT by freespirited (Misery loves company. That's why liberals were created.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
In the pantheon of well-intentioned governmental leftist policies gone awry . . .

There, fixed it.

16 posted on 04/05/2008 9:43:47 AM PDT by Hoodat (Bull Moose Party Member)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
Fuel or Folly?

Complete unadulterated, uneconomic and underreported FOLLY!

17 posted on 04/05/2008 9:50:03 AM PDT by TCats (The Clintons Are Not Just Wrong - They Are Certifiable AND Dangerous! See my Page)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans

Fission


18 posted on 04/05/2008 9:52:00 AM PDT by Sunnyflorida (Drill in the Gulf of Mexico/Anwar & we can join OPEC!!! || Write in Thomas Sowell for President.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Dan Evans
The motto among both Democrats and Republicans on this issue seems to be "If it sounds good, push it," and a gullible public — seduced by climate change hysteria and a "Going Green!" advertising onslaught — is buying into it.

While the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, and in particular the dependence upon foreign sources thereof, is laudable, future avenues must be considered more carefully. As the looming ethanol disaster has demonstrated, yet again, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Get over it, fossil fuels is a boon to mankind. We need to keep on drilling further and deeper in order to fuel our ever expanding economy.

I am invested/investing in Schlumberger, Transocean, Noble, Diamond Offshore Drilling, National Oil Well Varco, etc.


19 posted on 04/05/2008 10:03:01 AM PDT by Donald Rumsfeld Fan ("Sincerity is everything. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made." Groucho Marx)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Conservative Vermont Vet

Man, I agree. The things we liked about GW McCain is weak on and the things we did not like about GW, McCain is a disaster on. At least GW was not a socialist like McCain.


20 posted on 04/05/2008 10:06:41 AM PDT by Sunnyflorida (Drill in the Gulf of Mexico/Anwar & we can join OPEC!!! || Write in Thomas Sowell for President.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-56 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson