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Ethanol as a fuel is the latest in a series of con-jobs.
* You will get 25-35% low fuel economy.
A: What a deal pay more get less! Who can argue with that?
>That's just a number. It's dollars per mile that counts.
A: Yes, it is. This morning as every morning I pass the local Farmer's
COOP and E85 was selling for 3.019 per gallon, E10 at 3.049, and regular at 3.089.
* You will help create more smog in the summer.
Huh? In the Midwest we're all buying 10% ethanol in the summer to *reduce* smog creating emissions.
A: Actually, I am in Iowa, a Midwest state, which by the way receives about the most farm subsidies in the US. And I and a lot of other people do not use corn syrup gas as we like to call it. And yes it does reduce some emissions, but raises others so it is a net gain. You may note that the usage of ethanol in the Midwest is a MANDATE by legislators. 'Follow the money' and you will see that the ethanol lobby and ADM pay big bucks to people running for office. No small coincidence!
*You will help raise the cost of food.
>Using old technology, yes. The promise of ethanol burning vehicles is that ethanol can (and will) be produced from non-edible sources, like grass and sawdust.
A: As you state 'the promise', but now as with the saw grass is only a promise as there is not real economic production with that as of yet. Sawdust, cellulose and farm 'waste' is being used on a limited scale, but at best will only provide limited replacement of gasoline as a fuel source. We are a country do not have an over abundance of sawdust and farm waste.
*The price difference of regular/premium vs. e85 does not make up for the mileage loss.
>That's only true because of the $500 billion subsidy given to the oil and gas industry. It's called the US Defense Department, which the last time I looked was being used exclusively to maintain access to Mideast oil resources. Add that cost to the price of imported crude oil and then tell me about the price difference.
A: Actually, the Billions being wasted in wars in the Middle East are not to maintain access to oil, but rather to lock in major Oil Corporation's exclusive access to that oil. Removing the local ownership of the oil resources from the countries to the oil corporations. Sadly one of the reasons our troops are being shot and blown up. A lot of the citizens are not happy to have THEIR national asset turned over to foreign control.
I for one think we need defense not an empire expedition force that we now seem to love so much.
*The promotion of Ethanol is a congressional/business subsidy scam. Nothing more.
>Yeah, that's why Brazil is 100% ethanol. That's why Sweden subsidizes the purchase of ethanol fueled vehicles.
A: Brazil does promote ethanol, one of the reasons being that we tariff their sugar so it is not sold easily in the US. The Caribbean is the same boat. We tariff them also. Last year Brazil imported ethanol as they could not make enough. Now they worry about dependence on foreign ethanol. What a turn of events. They also are now recognizing that their poor citizens are scorch earthing the rainforest so that they can raise more sugar cane. Sadly a great loss for their nation and the world in general.
As for Sweden they have an overabundance of trees and see this as their way to slow down the oil dependence. They are one of the civilized social nations of the world that actually manages their resources rather than exploits them.
May I suggest some good source reading material:
Ethanol Facts (Using pro-ethanol statistics)
http://zfacts.com/p/60.html
Farm Subsidy Database (by state, county, individual) OH MY!
http://www.ewg.org/farm/index.php?key=nosign
Farm Subsidy payments by state, county, individual (OH MY!)
http://www.ewg.org/farm/index.php?key=nosign
posted by 12.47.11...
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