Not far from Portland, Oregon an ethanol plant is being built which will convert corn into gasoline. There is a rail yard being constructed to accomodate all the container cars that will soon be carrying corn from all over the country to this plant. The farmers are happy. The environmentalists are happy. Unfortunately not everybody is happy. People are rioting in Egypt and in Africa because of the rising cost of food. People in Haiti are eating dirt! Yes, dirt! Why? Because food is becoming too expensive and if you only earn two dollars a day the cost is quickly out of reach with any bit of inflation. So to fight the hunger pains vendors mix clay, salt and some shortening or cooking oil together to make mud cookies that dry in the sun. They sell for about a nickel apiece. Has anybody here eaten dirt before?
People are starving to death around the world and we want to turn our food into gasoline? I have read it takes one gallon of gasoline to produce 1.3 gallons of ethanol. Also if every bit of food grown in this country was converted to biofuel it would only supply 10% of our gasoline needs! Is it really worth it? Yet we go on, willing to wreak unbearable suffering on the poorest people on the planet and starve them and their children because we are hell bent on stopping global warming! I guess one way to stop global warming is by making food so expensive that half the world starves to death thus reducing their carbon footprint.
Where is the common sense? Where is the compassion? I for one believe it is immoral to convert food into gasoline when people are starving and eating dirt for dinner. Remember that fact the next time you fill up your tank with ethanol.
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