Ethanol

Stupidity abounds at:
http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11342&Itemid=2

“Commodity agriculture is acre-based. It requires acres, grain elevators, fuels, and chemicals. A Casey's and a bar are what is left in many rural towns. But a human community requires churches, schools, health clinics, and civic organizations that are all people-based, and "modern agriculture" has no place for them. Most of the subsidies end up in more seeds, chemicals, and machinery from the same companies that these farms sell their crops to. A sort of company town with its token currency.”

Yes, and many of these “rural towns” also have a courthouse and at least one school. Ya wanna save some money? Look to government consolidation for savings.

Next:
“In addition to this economy of loss, we are seeing soil loss and degradation as a result of harsh farming practices encouraged by federal crop subsidies. We are seeing corn fertilizer and corn pesticides in our drinking waters.”

Please cite your sources providing this “information”.
I alledge that harsh stupidity is polluting our sources of information. And I can lead you directly to a citation:
http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11342&Itemid=42

Next:
“Then you have the federal subsidies - presently 51 cents per gallon - to blenders of ethanol. The third head of the monster is all the tax dollars the Iowa Department of Economic Development is handing out to build the ethanol plants. The fourth head is the one that makes ethanol blends cheaper at the gas station: state subsidies to ethanol retailers.”

Again:
Please cite your sources of these allegations. Last time I checked the federal subsidy for ethanol production totaled 50 cents per gallon of ethanol. Included in this figure (of 50 cents per gallon) was the factor of existing crop subsidies. Sorry bud, you don’t get to count the same subsidy twice, at least if your aim is to provide truthful information. Then again, maybe the truth holds no interest for you. And that 50 cents is per gallon of ethanol, *not* per gallon of E10. Do the math.
And while we’re on the subject of subsidies…..ever heard of the oil depletion allowance?

Then we come to the IDED; Eliminate this department. IDED needs to be killed. Government has no business in handing out favor dollars to those they deem to be worthy. Especially since that money represents income that has been confiscated from the taxpayers.

Next:
“Think how better we could spend those millions of dollars in subsidies toward revitalizing our rural communities. And now the multinational grain merchants want the taxpayers to pay for an ethanol pump at every gas station. A pump that, to me, signifies the monster is winning. A pump that really reflects the soil-eroding, nitrate-leaking, money-losing, community-ruining "farm" policies of the past 50 years.”

OK, so you are saying that “we could spend those millions of dollars…toward revitalizing our rural communities”. Damn, once again that socialistic mentality absorbs light like a black hole.
It goes back to the confiscation of tax dollars by government so that those dollars can be spent more wisely by the bureaucratic system of government. Again, God forbid that the people are left in charge of spending their own money. We’re just too stupid doncha know.

The old idiocy continues;
“I have not even mentioned that by some analyses, ethanol is a net energy loser. Even by promoters' most optimistic analysis, it barely makes enough energy to make up for all the fossil energy burned to produce it. (See sidebar.) Meanwhile farmers pay for high fuel and energy costs on the farm!”

Damn. How many times has this author been hit by the stupid stick?
Simply google “ethanol energy conversion” and then read the UNBIASED research studies.
The “studies” conducted or funded by greenpeace, the Union of concerned “scientists” or the sierra club.
Try reading studies published by oh…say universities? I hear they be some mighty smart folks around them places of higher learning.
Finally;
“Now imagine if only $1 million per year of that $173 million crop subsidy for the eight-county area were invested in strengthening the local and regional food economy.”

Once again, please provide details of exactly how this $1,000,000 per year should be spent. Maybe by subsidizing your aunt’s organic farming operation?

Mr. Enshayan’s article continues with more stupid concerning our “wasteful driving habit” and “corn weed killers”. Well you be the judge, because he is certainly acting as one.
Apparently he deems himself as the master of defining a wasteful driving habit. Gee…maybe I should ask permission from him before being allowed to travel? FIA.
Corn weed killers….heh. I’ll bet this asshat skipped his agronomy classes but was still given a passing grade because of……who he is.
Read it all at:
http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11342&Itemid=42