Posts Tagged ‘ethanol’

Corny Is As Corny Does

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Why does anyone think the US is serious about climate change and global warming?

Ethanol requires more energy, and hence contributes more to global warming, to produce a gallon of ethanol than it does to produce a gallon of gasoline.

But it is a great subsidy resource for corn farmers and the Senators who represent them.

The obvious solution to reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels is a stiff tax on carbon. Until that happens, there’s no economic viability in alternative energy development. And it’s never going to happen.

So, while it’s lovely that the world’s biggest polluter has decided to acknowledge the climate change problem, it’s a lot tougher to do anything meaningful about it. Americans aren’t into sacrifice of any kind these days.

Gorilla thinks: “The corn is as high as a pie in the sky!”

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“Subsidized With Pride In The USA”

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Ridiculous ideas don’t always originate with ex-generals, but then again few ex-generals lately have had a more ridiculous idea than Wesley Clark.

Clark proposes that American gas stations provide country of origin information for the fuels they sell.

“Most Americans don’t want their paychecks going to Venezuela and other regimes that don’t agree with and support the U.S,” said retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, who co-chairs Growth Energy, the (ethanol) industry group behind the push.

Gorilla gushes: “Professor Marvel would be so proud of Wes! Patriotic Americans want our paychecks going to pay sky high subsidies to millionaire corn farmers in Iowa and billionaire sugar producers in Florida!!!”

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A Quarrela De Brazil

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Chuck Grassley, last seen defending the free market monopoly of health insurers in Iowa, is now protecting the heavily subsidized ($853 million in 2006) corn farmers of Iowa from Brazilian ethanol competition.

He does this by putting a hold on the US Ambassador-designate to Brazil’s nomination, apparently because of remarks suggesting that the tariff on Brazilian ethanol one day might be repealed.

Gorilla says: “In this age of cannot do bipartisanship, at least you can count on Republicans to defend home grown socialism right up to the water’s edge!”

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