Corn rows in New York

On our recent trip through New York, I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole bunch of corn growing everywhere. I was a little surprised because I don't remember seeing so many corn farms in the past, but I also haven't driven through New York much. This was our third time, and the first time during the Summer.

I thought, "Wow, New York must have a really great climate for growing corn."

My thoughts were all rosy as I continued to see corn patch after corn patch, that is, until I made a comment out loud about them, and Ken pointed out that they were probably being subsidized and would eventually be made into ethanol.

My thoughts turned acidic. Ethanol. One of the most foolish and least compassionate of all alternative fuels. It is bad enough that farmers are paid not to grow corn and wheat.

NOW, to add insult to injury, the government is not only encouraging farmers to grow corn with another subsidy, but it then gives tax incentives to farmers to turn it into a fuel to burn. Burning food has never been wise. Burning food that isn't even an efficient fuel, and produces more carbon monoxide than gasoline, is the insult.

Other countries (like Brazil) use sugarcane as their source for ethanol. I don't think that is as insulting as corn, because you can't really eat sugar - well it does not sustain life at least.

So why is there such a big push for corn ethanol in the United States? Could it be huge agriculture lobbyists? What else would promote such a silly fuel? Beats me.

And the final argument against corn ethanol. Food prices. Food prices rose at an unprecedented rate last year, thanks to the high demand of burning food as fuel. Poorer countries quickly found it difficult to pay the higher prices, and more people went hungry than would have if the government kept its nose out of foolish fuel production. The key word being foolish.

I am all for wise fuel production, as I have stated and restated several times before. But once again I have to resort to the same conclusion I have come to before; Until we find a way for the government to make a lot of money from the Sun, free energy - solar energy - will never be the erergy source being subsidized by the government.