CHILDREN OF THE CORN REVISISTED

I hate to say I told you so, but I TOLD YOU SO! Back in November 2007 I posted an article about the boondoggle and scam that is the ethanol program and how it presented a potential danger to our food supply. Well, the danger has already materialized.

In this country and around the world, food prices are skyrocketing and shortages have begun to appear on food shelves. Even in the United States, a staple like rice has started to be rationed by some major retailers.One of the causes of the price hikes and shortages is the ever-increasing price of oil. The second reason is the rush to produce biofuels. It is not too difficult to see why we have escalating food prices for basic commodities. It takes 400 pounds of corn to produce 25 gallons of ethanol. Right now, 30% of our corn is being used, not for food, but for ethanol production.Tons of corn that would be going to feed people is now being diverted away from the market. As a result, the law of supply and demand kicks in and prices go up. And because corn prices are so high, farmers are devoting more acreage to growing corn, causing the supply of other crops like wheat and soybeans to decrease, which in turn makes their prices increase. Senator John McCain called our ethanol program "highway robbery perpetrated on the American public by Congress."

Ethanol is a dubious alternative fuel for many reasons: It is expensive to produce; it costs more per gallon than gasoline; it gives less gas mileage than gasoline; it produces less horsepower than gasoline. In addition, we now know it is reeking havoc with our food supply.

This all boils down to one basic question. Do we want to raise crops to feed human beings, or do we want to raise crops to put in the gas tanks of our cars? Human deprivation and starvation is a mighty high price to pay for fuel.