Why Does My Food Cost So Much?

Blame ethanol.  Actually, blame the idiots who are pushing idiotic ethanol mandates on us.  In this country, ethanol is made from corn.  However, corn is also a staple grain in our food supply.  So, the mandates result in a higher demand for corn.  The higher demand results in higher prices.  Higher corn prices mean that more land is being used for corn production as farmers react to the market.  More land being put into corn production results in less land being used for wheat, soy, and other staple crops.  As a result, the cost of those crops also goes up.  Since corn and soy are used for feed, this means that the cost of raising cattle, chickens, ducks, etc. goes way up.  It has gotten so bad that Maple Leaf Farms has been forced to close a local processing plant because the increased cost of feed makes raising the ducks cost more than they can get back selling the ducks.  It is not stated in the linked article, but in another article (which I could not find on-line), a spokesman for the company directly blames our government's idiotic ethanol policies.

So, our stupid obsession with trying to use our food for fuel is obviously causing pain for food producers and their employees.  It is also resulting in a disproportionate amount of pain for this countries poorer people, for whom food is already a huge part of their budget.  To make matters worse, ethanol does nothing to make our fuel cheaper or cleaner.  Furthermore,  when the fuel consumption, and related pollution, associated with full production cycle of ethanol is factored in, using ethanol for fuel may even have a negative environmental impact when compared to petroleum.

All of this pain, and who actually gains from this?  Some farmers.  Farmers who are growing grains for cash obviously like the higher prices.  However, farmers who have to buy those grains to feed livestock are not exactly enjoying this.  Mostly, the only people who gain here are companies like ADM and BP.  The rest of us just suffer.

What Comes Around Goes Around...

Given that Eliot Spitzer has built his whole career by ruining other peoples lives for his own political gain, mostly through the over-prosecution of generally minor regulatory violations, it sure is nice to see his career finally being destroyed.

Egosurfing...

While I was egosurging the other day, I ran across a post I made over ten years ago. Thankfully, time has pretty much proven what I said to be correct.

I guess there isn't really much of a point to this other than to point out when you say something on the internet, it is quite possible that whatever you say may last a while, so be careful what you say boys and girls. Make sure you mean it, and use a little discretion. After all, what you say may hang around for quite some time, whether you intend it to or not...

The Party of Indecision

The presidential primaries this time around have just been weird. Here are just couple of random short thoughts that I have on the Democratic race.

1. The race has come down to essentially the two least qualified people in the field.
2. Neither candidate can get a solid lead built up. It seems that as soon as one candidate starts to emerge, the other candidate starts to get more votes.

Item #1 supports my theory that the bulk of voters, especially the bulk of liberal voters, are vapid idiots who are more impressed with style than they are with substance. This is especially true of Obama supporters, who is all style, but has not put forth the least bit of substance yet.

It is also wort noting that this vapid idiocy is not limited to just liberals. It also explains how Republicans ended up with McCain instead of Thompson or Romney. It also explains why Ron Paul has actual live followers.

I have no idea what is going on with item #2. The way this is supposed to work is that some candidate gains momentum, that momentum builds and snowballs, and by now, everyone is standing behind a single candidate. Perhaps it is just a combination of the candidates being light on substance and some weird tendency to not back a front-runner.

Lesbian Vampire Death Sex

This is just sick and wrong, it was also too odd to not share.

Killing a girl with a brick is wrong. Getting sexually excited because of it, and then making out over the dying body is sick. Having no remorse for your actions and no respect for the sanctity of human life is pathetic. What is truly sick and wrong though is that the sentence is only a minimum of 24 years.

Personally, I would have liked to have seen the sentencing start with a minimum of life and move up from there.

Abuse of Uniform...

I am not sure what is more pathetic, a handful of degenerates who feel the need to abuse the fine men and women in the military, or the reaction of the commander at RAF Wittering who told personnel not to wear their uniforms in public.

Personally, I agree with Mr. Gordon's reaction to all of this:

He said armed forces members should be "encouraged to wear their uniform in public and have the respect and gratitude of the British people".

The fact of the matter is, that no matter how people feel about the war in Iraq and the military involvement in Afganistan and elsewhere, people should have nothing but respect for the men and women who are in the military. Further, the military personnel should be proud to wear their uniforms in public, and should not hide them just because of some miscreant idiots out there.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Yes, I am still alive. I have just been really busy lately and have not had much time for blogging. I can't even remember all that we have done, but it has been hectic lately.

It has been a long, cold winter so far. About a month ago, we had a pipe break in our upper bathroom, resulting in having to shell out a fair amount of money for a plumber, and for a company to dry everything out. On the plus side, after everything was cleaned up, we finally repainted and redecorated the bathroom. I'll post some pictures some time.

It shouldn't be too long before I write again.

Later...