Push For Ethanol Production Causes Famine

[Holden McGroin]

perhaps. but the stockholders essentially ARE the oil compainies. which makes it worse.

If your 401K is in any of these, and too many more to list, you are the greedy SOB's that are the oil companies...

Barclays Global Investors UK Holdings Ltd 4.18 %
STATE STREET CORPORATION 3.61 %
VANGUARD GROUP, INC. 3.05 %
FMR LLC  2.07 %
Bank of New York Mellon Corporation 1.68 %
AXA 1.58
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 1.52
JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY 1.40
NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION  1.27 
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLP  .93%
FIDELITY EQUITY-INCOME FUND
WASHINGTON MUTUAL INVESTORS FUND
COLLEGE RETIREMENT EQUITIES FUND-STOCK ACCOUNT

We have met the enemy and they is us. 

[SD67]

Nope. I hold no stock in any of those companies.

[Holden McGroin]

That's only about 15% of the outstanding stock of Exxon/Mobil only.

If you have a mutual fund chances are you are a stockholder.

[SD67]

Hmmm you make a good point.
I'll have to have a look into what my options are when it comes to how my money is invested.

[john9001]

why is it my fault the africans can't grow enough food to feed themselves?


read the other post "e-mail from Zimbabwe"

[Shuffler]

Many of you have, doubtless, seen the headlines about this.  According to an AP article in today's paper, the environmental push to develop alternative fuels, has led to legislative mandates and international agreements to push for increased development of ethanol....much of it derived from corn.

World food stocks have fallen drastically:  world-wide production of cereal grains such as wheat and rice, have decreased between 100 and 150 MILLION tons.  That's enough to feed 450 million people for a year.   As a result, famine and rising food shortages have hit developing countries in Africa and Asia, leading to riots in Ethiopia and Egypt and other nations. 

President Bush, who had pledged two billion dollars to subsidize ethanol production as a result of criticism from environmentalists that he was not doing enough in that regard, is now facing criticism that his subsidy has contributed to the problem.
_________________________

What a pack of fools.  So many intelligent people pushing this agenda....yet none seems to have seen this coming.

Envirocommunist you mean. The only famine is in countries who have Regimes. The Regime is rich.... selling food donated to the country for the starving.  We can't all be blamed for that.

[rpm]

88, back to your topsoil erosion from farming... If they changed to switchgrass there would be minimal erosion at all. They simply cut the grass and leave the rootsystem to firmly hold the soil in place. It's not like they would have to break ground every year to replant, yet another advantage over corn. Less fuel used to produce. It's not the save-all, cure-all. But there are so many overwhelming reasons to change to switchgrass if you are serious about making ethanol it's just plain stupid not to do it.

[Donzo]

88, back to your topsoil erosion from farming... If they changed to switchgrass there would be minimal erosion at all. They simply cut the grass and leave the rootsystem to firmly hold the soil in place. It's not like they would have to break ground every year to replant, yet another advantage over corn. Less fuel used to produce. It's not the save-all, cure-all. But there are so many overwhelming reasons to change to switchgrass if you are serious about making ethanol it's just plain stupid not to do it.

Given enough time I would eventually agree with you on something, rpm.  And this is one of those somethings. 

[Shuffler]

88, back to your topsoil erosion from farming... If they changed to switchgrass there would be minimal erosion at all. They simply cut the grass and leave the rootsystem to firmly hold the soil in place. It's not like they would have to break ground every year to replant, yet another advantage over corn. Less fuel used to produce. It's not the save-all, cure-all. But there are so many overwhelming reasons to change to switchgrass if you are serious about making ethanol it's just plain stupid not to do it.

Actually it would be alot better for the area as corn depletes the soil. Sugar Cane is better than corn and more efficient too.