It's Priceless

It appears grain foods like corn, wheat and rice aredramatically. The price of Gold, Silver, Copper and all
playing hide and seek with the supermarket shelvesthe other commodities will follow. Europe will be forced
these days. The question is what are the factors thatto reduce their interest rate and the dollar will rally. As
may be causing this dearth.an aside, think of all the jobs that we will create by
Some global warming proponents, like Lester Brown ofdrilling.
the Earth Policy Institute claim, "The irrigation water vitalThird, we can then supply oil to China and India at a
for the grain crops that feed China and India is at riskmuch cheaper price than they can buy it from the
of drying up, as global warming melts the glaciers thatSaudis. If the Saudis undercut our price we tell China
feed Asia's biggest rivers. The world has never facedthey must buy it from us or we reevaluate our free
such a predictably massive threat to food productiontrade policies. They need us more to buy their goods
as that posed by the melting mountain glaciers ofthan we need them. I know you are probably thinking
Asia." That region of the world probably houses thethat they will retaliate by not buying our Treasury
largest percentage of population density in the world.notes. They are buying them with our money. The
Therefore, the question remains, are the Asianmoney we use to buy their goods is sent right back
countries stockpiling grain supplies to the detriment ofhere to buy those notes. If we drill our own oil, we can
rest of the world. I do not believe that proposition.become the oil barons of the world. We will not need
Especially when the U.S. is importing wheat and otherthem to buy our treasury notes. If you think that is
grains for the first time that I can remember. I did notconjecture, the proof is in the fact that the Saudis do
know that Asia was the only place in the world wherenot borrow. They only have one resource.
these crops are grown.At the same time, we have to start developing
When the price of a sack of flour or rice in Haiti isalternate energy sources. Talking about "Wind Thermal
twenty times that of the average days pay for aGenerators" and Nuclear power plants does not get
worker, it is no wonder why there is a run on storesthe job done. Start building them, not tomorrow, NOW!
like Costco, BJ's, Walmart and Sam's Clubs, which hasAll we do is come up with "Cafe Standards" that won't
now caused them to limit the amount you cantake place for ten-years or develop hydrogen engines
purchase. Relatives of people living in Haiti and otherfor cars. How much will we spend on developing the
depressed countries, who reside in the U.S., are buyingfuel for these vehicles?
it up and shipping it to their relatives abroad. The otherFYI, hydrogen cars emit water vapors from their
problem that is on the agenda is energy. Ethanol hasexhaust systems not Carbon Monoxide. Picture millions
become the new catchword. This one word is beingof hydrogen cars humming along the roads of our
touted as the weapon in our fight against our addictionnorthern states in the middle of winter spraying water
to oil. It is like Methadone for oil addiction. In addition, it isbehind them; laying down a ribbon of Black-Ice. Who
using up our corn supply like champagne on Newdreams up these cars?
Year's Eve.Nevertheless, we have Ethanol the new Methadone
It is not our addiction to oil as I see it; it is our addictionfor oil addiction. Here are the facts:
to foreign oil. It is not only my assertion, but many in theCorn is a mainstay of American agriculture -- it is an
energy sector and the President as well. We haveimportant ingredient in cereals and bakery goods. Corn
enough of our own oil right here in America, which cansyrup is used to make processed foods like candy,
reverse our dependence on OPEC and release theand soft drinks. More importantly, it is the major source
binds that hold us in their grasp. Why do ourof food for cattle, pigs, turkeys and other animals that
congressional leaders [a misnomer, they don't leadare destined for our dinner tables.
they rant] continually refuse to allow us to drill our ownDavid Pimental, a leading Cornell University agricultural
oil? Are they that blind or do the tree-huggersexpert, has calculated "that powering the average
[Environmentalists] control their thought process. Theyautomobile for one year on ethanol (blended with
are worried about displacing the Caribou or Spottedgasoline) derived from corn would require eleven
Owl. However, they have no problem displacing usacres of farmland, the same space needed to grow a
through eminent domain if they needed our houses foryear's supply of food for seven people."
a municipal parking lot. It does not take a brain surgeonIf all the automobiles in the U.S. were fueled with 100%
to realize there are perfectly limpid reasons why wepercent ethanol, about 97% of the U.S. land areas
should be drilling our own oil and reduce ourwould be needed to grow the necessary corn. Corn
dependency on foreign oil.would cover nearly the entire land area of the U.S.
Let me spell them out for you and try to explain inIt takes one gallon of oil to run the equipment that is
simple terms what it will mean to every American. Letneeded to produce one gallon of ethanol.
us start with the $120 barrel of oil that we import. ItIt costs about $1.74 per gallon to produce ethanol,
may cost $120 but by the time we get it here, add oncompared with about 95 cents to produce one gallon
the cost of transporting it, refining it and delivering toof gasoline.
your local filling station, then tack on the federal andOn the environmental side corn production erodes soil
local taxes and you can easily understand why youabout 12 times faster than the natural recharge rate of
are paying almost $4.00 a gallon.ground water.
It is a known fact, that there is enough oil in ANWRThe approximately $1 billion a year in current federal
alone to supply us for 250 years. Our illustrious leadersand state subsidies for ethanol production are not the
refuse to allow us to drill in the Gulf, but China is aboutonly cost to taxpayers. Subsidized corn results in
to erect an oil platform 50 miles off the coast ofhigher prices for meat, milk and eggs because about
Florida. Do you believe that we can erect an oil70 percent of corn grain is fed to livestock and poultry
platform much more environmentally safer than China?in the United States. Increasing ethanol production
We have tremendous amounts of coal reserves.would further inflate corn prices. This in turn would
During WW II, Germany was converting coal into cleansignificantly raise food prices in the marketplace.
burning fuel through a process known as theMaybe you should just smack yourselves on the head
Fischer-Tropsch process (Coal Gasification). There isand say, "I should have had a V-8." Wake up America
also untapped regions of shale oil that we can gatherbefore it is too late. If this doesn't get you out of your
from Colorado shale. It has been estimated that wechairs to call your Senators and Congressional
can gather all the oil we need from all these sourcesRepresentatives nothing will.
at an average cost of about $23 a barrel.It may only be a matter of time before the worldwide
Furthermore, we have not built a refinery in the U.S. infood shortage hits the movie theaters. It may not be
over thirty-years. What are we waiting for?funny when your favorite theater starts rationing your
The second reason is the U.S. dollar is at an all timefavorite movie snack.
low. If the dollar is to rally, the European Central BankTwo tickets to the movies; $16, one large soda with
must reduce their interest rate. That will not happentwo straws; $4.00, one tub of popcorn; priceless, if you
until the price of the world's commodities start tocan get it.
decline. If we start drilling, the price of oil will drop