Why This Conservative Supports the Corn Ethanol Program

I have some serious disagreements with President Bush. As a Texan, I have a right to be critical. I voted for the man 4 times. I’ve felt that the gent fell into a trap at some point. In essence he morphed into a typical, liberal Globalist, placing too high a value on world opinion. Constantly pandering, trying to win global approval. A bleeding heart for the so-called “emerging nations”. That being said I must give him credit for something that he has done for our Nation. Something that he is probably totally unaware that he did. His decision that “could” greatly benefit the living standard of present and future generations here in the U.S. One, he refused to support the Kyoto Protocol which held the U.S. to much higher emissions standards than that of other nations. But most of all he deserves credit for a prime component of his alternative plan being the Corn Ethanol Program. When President Bush leaves office next January, he’ll be leaving us a golden opportunity. That is if we have a thread of common sense left amongst us and will reach out and seize it. If not we can’t indulge in that most popular of activities - “blame Bush”. That lost opportunity will rest upon our own shoulders.

The U.S. was harshly criticized for not signing off on Kyoto and for our alleged excessive greenhouse gas emissions. So our President, wanting to get along, met our accusers more than half way with his alternative plan which included requiring our vehicles to burn a mixture of gasoline and ethanol, a biofuel that can be produced from living plants. It just so happens that the number one crop in the U.S. happens to be corn which is also very suitable for making ethanol . Corn is what we grow the best. Not palm oil! And we make the best Corn Mash Whiskey, too. Which is, in essence, what we’re going to use to power our vehicles down the road now, at least partially. Meaning the price of whiskey will go up, too. Another sacrifice! So we have all the technology and know-how in place, you see? And corn ethanol is much less expensive to produce than other cellulosic ethanol’s produced from various weeds. Nor has the technology for that been perfected. So if we have to do this, then corn is the way to go. Corn ethanol, that’s our way of doing something for the global environment as the rest of the world has been harping on us to do. This should be the end of the story, right? Now maybe the world will shut their complaining, whining pie holes, correct? Wrong.

You see, the ethanol program has had some, shall we say, unexpected consequences. Yes, the price of corn has almost tripled just in the last few years. From around $2. per bushel, now up to around $6. per bushel. Why? Because of the demand brought on by the ethanol program. Ha! Our farmers, after decades of being in the red, are now solidly in the black. And did you know that, according to the Farm Bureau, only 1% of U.S. farms are corporate owned, by the way? Add to that the increased demand for corn exports. A somewhat rosy picture for our family farms as the U.S. is, by far, the largest exporter of corn in the world. And the U.S. Farmer is not the only beneficiary. How about the American taxpayer? Due to farmers opting out of government subsidies because its more profitable to grow, we taxpayers will also benefit. And grain exports help our nagging trade deficit that seems to never end: ( link )

So there you have it. Look what the ethanol program has done for the U.S.! Just in this short time. This is a boon for the U.S. agri-economy, short and long term. Now do you understand why there is so much resistance to those wanting to end it? And there is also resistance to the ethanol program, itself. Much of that resistance is coming from outside the U.S. Many of these same petulant international org’s that were yapping at our heel’s over excessive greenhouse gas emissions are on our case, again, because of high grain prices. They claim we’re starving the poor of the world. Do not be fooled by this insidious propaganda. The real reason for the complaints? The world knows that they dealt the cards and they’ve dealt themselves a pair of deuces and given the U.S. a full house. They don’t like paying higher prices for the food that they must have. Many nations can’t grow the food that they need and they hate the fact that they are dependent on the U.S. They know they’ve done this to themselves which really puts a scowl on their face. Yes, you guessed it, the same nations that continuously vote against us in the UN. And most of all the world hates, with a passion, to see the U.S. prosper. They are envious and want to see us in a continual economic downturn. And to have to be beholden to us for their food, its almost too much for them to bear. Especially having to pay such a premium price for it. And they’ll never admit to the fact that they and their continuous nagging at the U.S. over greenhouse gas emissions is the reason for the premium grain/food prices. They’ll continue to blame the U.S. and call us greedy. We must ignore them and grow as much grain as we can. We must research and invest in sophisticated, long term grain storage facilities. At first the world will balk but they’ll find a way to pay our price. We should not budge on our price and we should make no apologies as we’re “simply doing our part, as the world requested, for the global environment”.

It is projected that by 2012-13 the world population will reach 7 billion. Fact: these folks will have to eat. These same maligned higher grain prices will, in fact, lure the American entrepreneur back to the land. Getting on with the task of filling the horn of plenty. The increased production of food will be sorely needed in the decades to come. And like big oil of today, BIG FOOD will be villainized. You can bet on it. Its already starting to happen. Get over it. The worlds belly is full due, in large part, to the hard work of the U.S. farmer.

We also have an obligation to our future generations here in the U.S. to hand off to them a vigorous, vibrant and thriving economy so that they can continue the same, or better, level of lifestyle than what we have enjoyed. We owe them that much. They are our children and grandchildren, for God’s sake! Do we want them to suffer in some 3rd world level economy? A super-heated agri-business sector will be a major piece of that legacy pie chart in insuring a prosperous future for them.

Whether President Bush is aware of what he has done or not, isn’t important. But he’s left us a treasure chest full of gold and jewels. If we couple this agriculture boon with the $700 billion dollars that would be funneled back into our “own” economy from domestic oil drilling, well we could see economic prosperity such as has never been seen before in our Nations history. You see, there is plenty of room for outlandish optimism for our Nation. That is if the politicians that “we” elect don’t blow it. Darvin Dowdy [visit my site to see this essay complete w/all the essential hyperlinks: http://streetlevel.blogtownhall.com]

As long as you don’t mind inflation, water depletion, food riots, death by starvation, and the destruction of the Amazon rain forest to grow crops that corn displaced, I guess ethanol is great idea!

I really dislike corporate welfare - even more than I dislike welfare for people.

Also, is the federal government permitted to subsidize corn under Article 1 Section 8?

The government in general should disavow farm subsidies. We should support a basic crop that could support the United States in a time of war, but absolutely nothing more. I went to school in North Dakota and dated a farm girl for a while. Its absolutely amazing what people “grow” when they have a big government check roll in every month.

To what extent, if any, can spending on roads, bridges and similar infrastructure be viewed as a subsidy to the automobile industry, and by extension the oil industry?

Similarly, to what extent, if indeed any, can the costs of defending Middle Eastern oil be considered a subsidy to the oil industry?

If you agree that those costs qualify as subsidies, then how, and to what extent, are these same industries complying with "free market" principles with which the ethanol industry does not comply?

Liberal idealogy at its best.

“We have to do something” and “We are trying to do our best”.

Biggest problem? It is our money involved here.

If companies like Archer Daniels Midland wish to invest in these schemes, let them do it with their own money.

Same thing on T.Boones’ windmill merry-go-round.

And did you know that, according to the Farm Bureau, only 1% of U.S. farms are corporate owned, by the way?

I wonder what percentage of farm land is corporate-owned?

...the minor inefficiencies of the corn ethanol program, which I don’t deny, will be offset by the massive amounts of currency we’ll bring in from grain sales abroad. 7 billion people have to eat and they’ll pay our price. This income will help sustain our next generation. And this “is” the free market working. The world’s harping at us over our alleged green house gas emissions brought this on. It wasn’t our idea. The world created this “market force”. You know, those people who vote against us over 98% of the time at the UN? They don’t deserve to have our grain products at bargain basement prices. We’ve been running a trade deficit since as long as I can remember. We are being slowly bled out, economically. We can’t continue in that direction. This higher price of grain products will help reverse that trend. The Corn Ethanol Program must remain. DD

Also, love all the pithy comments. Especially got a big guffaw out of the graphics. I actually liked getting zapped by the “Zot” and his ray-gun. Like Chris Matthews, it sent a tingly feeling up my leg. Ha! Is that normal? Or could that’ve been caused by the Kool-Aid? Darvin Dowdy

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