Survival of the specie has always depended on the strong surviving while the weak perish, but only for the last how many billion years?
Modern wise man apparently has decided that government intervention is necessary to put nature in balance. The debate is now before us... who will win. I know the answer, breed more foolish people. Grant... On Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 11:21 AM, dave walton <walton.d...@gmail.com> wrote: > Do you let the free market allocate resources to the people willing to pay > the most, or do you let the government step in and control who gets what > and at what price? It might keep you from a good night's sleep to know that > our selfish lifestyle would be the direct cause of suffering and death in > other parts of the world, but wait - it already is. > > On Sunday, December 9, 2012, G Mann wrote: > > > Valid point. In fact, there is currently a looming shortage of all grains > > worldwide. Russia, and the Balkan states for example have had more than > two > > years of drought and low production. Rice is going short in the Pacific > rim > > for this years production. Famine is just around every corner you look. > > > > People are starving, or about to starve, and we are turning edible corn > > into untaxed whisky to burn in our cars. Can anyone say "irresponsible" > > loud enough? Let me just adjust the "feel good, save the planet" volume > > control... ahhhh.... there, I can hardly hear the cry of starving > > children.. much better. > > > > Grant... > > > > On Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 10:39 AM, OK Don <okd...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Also with the return (at least it feels like it here) of the dust bowl, > > > that excess capacity might not be so "excess" as it seems. We might > need > > to > > > eat that corn, what little is produced during the droughts. > > > > > > On Sun, Dec 9, 2012 at 11:14 AM, dave walton <walton.d...@gmail.com> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Assuming the current political environment that gives us relatively > > cheap > > > > oil will continue ad infinitum is naive. > > > > Failure to prepare alternatives would be irresponsible. > > > > > > > > On Sunday, December 9, 2012, Rich Thomas wrote: > > > > > > > > > The US is poised to become a net energy exporter and reserves now > > > exceed > > > > > the ME. With Canada, N America is awash in oil. Using corn for > fuel > > > is > > > > > somewhat nonsensical. > > > > > > > > > > --R > > > > > On 12/9/12 10:33 AM, Dave Walton wrote: > > > > > > > > > > The infrastructure is already in place to produce, store, > distribute > > > and > > > > > process corn. Given the millions of gallons of fuel we use per day > it > > > is > > > > > currently the only alternative to oil we could possibly fall back > on > > in > > > > > short notice if we had to. > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 9, 2012, at 9:19 AM, Mitch Haley <m...@voyager.net> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Read this in another forum. > > > > > Any comments? Loren? > > > > > > > > > > Mitch. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.fatwallet.com/**forums/finance/1239047/**m17370463/#m17370463 > > > > < > http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/finance/1239047/m17370463/#m17370463> > > > > > > > > > > Corn ethanol wasn't really a scam, at least not originally. You > have > > to > > > > > understand how it began. > > > > > > > > > > During the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, the U.S. suffered > crop > > > > > failures. So on top of the economic woes, food prices skyrocketed. > > The > > > > > country vowed never again, and began subsidizing food production. > > This > > > > > insured that every year there was an oversupply of food, and (by > > paying > > > > > farmers not to plant crops) there was excess food production > capacity > > > > which > > > > > we could "turn on" to make up for shortfalls if it looked like a > > > natural > > > > > disaster might cause a shortage. This meant that every year, the > U.S. > > > had > > > > > more corn than it needed (the #1 crop in the U.S.). When supply > > exceeds > > > > > demand, prices fall. To prevent corn farmers from going bankrupt > and > > > > > jeopardizing production, the government began buying corn at a > floor > > > > price > > > > > which was above market price. Corn farmers could thus be guaranteed > > > > they'd > > > > > receive $x/bushel and plan around that price to stay in business, > > even > > > if > > > > > left to its own devices the market would've set a lower price. > > > > > > > > > > That's the rationale between the two biggest crop subsidies. How > does > > > > this > > > > > relate to ethanol? Well, since the government was buying all that > > corn, > > > > > that meant after all Americans had eaten their fill of corn, there > > was > > > > > still a lot left over. They had to figure out ways to use that > extra > > > > corn. > > > > > The first obvious use was feed for cattle. Then someone figured out > > you > > > > > could convert it into fructose as a cane sugar substitute (and thus > > > high > > > > > fructose corn syrup was born). A lot of it is also given away as > > > foreign > > > > > aid. > > > > > > > > > > But there was still a bunch left over. During the Arab oil embargo > in > > > the > > > > > 1970s, someone in the government looked at all that extra corn and > > > asked > > > > > themselves, "I wonder if there's some way to convert it into fuel > for > > > > > cars?" And thus was born corn ethanol. Corn wasn't > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
