Orphans Of The Corn: Stop The Massacre
by johnsblogs42 ~ April 29th, 2008. Filed under: Creating Prosperity, Educating All Ages, Formula of Change, Natural Resources, Uncategorized.
Just a few days ago I gave my rant about biofuels, and included an article by Arnaud de Borchgrave. As it looks, neither Arnaud’s or my article were far off track. Actually, they were pretty dead on. That Biofuels were of particular fault in the economic and humanitarian crisis being felt around the world.
As it looks, the failed mandate by Congress to eventually replace fossil fuels with biofuels such as ethanol, are causing problems the world over. It’s hit such a point that the World Bank has called on the G7 to increase emergency food assistance as 33 countries around the world are facing civil unrest due to high food prices and shortages.
And the way it’s coming out, the proponents of biofuels are to blame. Period. Elizabeth Stuart, a spokesman for the Oxfam anti-poverty group has said, “’Half of the increase in the demand for major food crops was due to the move to biofuels,’ she said. ‘These have dubious environment benefits, and by driving up prices, are crippling the lives of the poor. … The [World] Bank, with other international institutions and the G7, must come up with a joint plan to tackle this crisis.’”
Even the U.N.’s Right To Food independent expert Jean Ziegler has called for the five year moratorium on biofuel production to come to a halt as the growing practice of converting food crops into biofuels is “a crime against humanity.” I normally don’t put much stock in the U.N. But when it involves humanitarian problems, I at least lend ear to it. Then make my decisions.
Not only is it the subsidization of corn (and other food staples such as wheat, sugarcane, rice, etc.,) to be used for biofuels that’s hurting the poverty stricken areas. But the increased fuel and energy costs to simply deliver it has added to the burden. Lawrence Kudlow (a former Reagan economic advisor) has said, “…The continued decline in the value of the dollar … has permitted the global commodities boom (energy and corn) to leak into higher U.S. inflation. Bulging commodity costs have depressed the profits of non-financial domestic businesses…”
All this goes to show a few things; First is, there’s NOTHING that the government can’t screw up. Second is, these are all things that government could have prevented by not getting involved, from the ethanol mandate to increasing the money supply. Thirdly, less (smaller) government allows for less interference. And lastly, it proves yet again the government which governs least, governs the best.
Article info provided by GetLiberty.org, RealClearPolitics.com, LiveScience.com and the WashingtonTimes.com.
http://hoopyfrooddude.blogspot.com/2008/04/orphans-of-corn-stop-massacre.html
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April 30th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Great post John, The great Ag buyout is happening all over again. Remember when corn, and wheat was planted fence row to fence row? How did that work out for the family farm? I think this is the last great grab for silencing the farmer and stealing their life savings and farms right from under them. Remember E. W. Everson’s famous quote? “First the Farmer, then The taxpayer” It is honestly a crying shame that we see history repeating itself over again.
Beware American Farmer, they are selling you a handful of beans!
~Teddy Bear