Recent Discussion

He: New technology is making ethanol very close to being energy-positive, you know.

Me: Hmmm. Interesting numbers . What's it look like after adding in the cost of watering, fertilizing, and insect-repelling the corn?

He: Watering and...well, that's not really a consideration as all growing things need watering and fertilizing and bug sprays of some sort.

Me: Yes. But if I'm an investor I want the bottom line. The midwest is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent memory and those farmers were buying more and more water and fertilizers to get the crop in. Price of corn went up nationwide as a result, so when deciding upon ethanol research one simply must calculate all of the parameters to get to the final cost. And thats just the water end of the deal. Fertilizers are up too, and so are insect repellents which by the way are made from fossil fuels.

He: Well, the government subsidizes most of the big farms anyway and I'm sure they've added in the extra costs that you've mentioned.

Me: So my taxes are going to subsidize even more giant farms using even more of my money if and when ethanol goes nationwide, so paying peter to pay paul means I'll be forking over hidden expenditures as well? What about cellulose? Aren't they only a few years away from making that an energy-positive alternative to fossil fuel?

He: Um, yes, but this way we all benefit by helping the American Farmer.

Me: You mean the popcorn and dogfood giants that forced most of the family farms out of business?

He: Some of that is correct, yes, but there remains many, many small farmers who would...

Me: Sell out to one of the big boys if and when the price is right? And when was the last time you visited a city located near corn fields? The drinking water is polluted to the nines from all of the fertilizer run-off and how much more of this will happen if more corn is grown for ethanol? This is going to cost hidden billions, isn't it?

He: (Sighing) You just don't understand how important it is to stop buying all of that imported oil...

Me: Then why not drill in Alaska until the ethanol science is energy-positive up and down the line from seed to tank?

He: DRILL IN ALASKA??!!! DRILL? IN ALASKA? The CARIBOU AND THE INDIGENOUS WILDLIFE??? THEY. THEY, (hic) THEY (hic-hic)

Discussion ended to locate tissues for some nosey-blowings.