Among the issues most commonly discussed are individuality, the rights of the individual, the limits of legitimate government, morality, history, economics, government policy, science, business, education, health care, energy, and man-made global warming evaluations. My posts are aimed at intelligent and rational individuals, whose comments are very welcome.

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"Observe that the 'haves' are those who have freedom, and that it is freedom that the 'have-nots' have not." Ayn Rand

"The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not 'selflessness' or 'sacrifice', but integrity." Ayn Rand

For "a human being, the question 'to be or not to be,' is the question 'to think or not to think.'" Ayn Rand

25 April 2008

An Ally Speaks on Food versus Fuel

Indur Goklany of the Cato Institute in Fuels vs. Food addresses the foolishness of the choice made in the U.S. to turn farmland to the purpose of producing ethanol from corn and of the European Union to turn palm oil into biodiesel fuel. He talks about its effect on the poor in the developing world, the lack of net energy production from either ethanol or biodiesel, and the choice to turn more land from animal habitat to the production of fuel for man.

I would have no problem with using land to make fuel, if we really were able to produce significant net energy at a marketable price without subsidies. That we cannot do this is enough to make the choice to subsidize ethanol or biodiesel fuel production as very foolish one.

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