ON GAMES, FARTS, PARKS AND OIL

CHECKERS ANYONE?
University of Alberta scientists have finally solved the game of checkers. They used 200 computers working since 1989 to analyze all the possible board combinations, about 5 billion scenarios. It is said the computer program cannot be beaten although it can be played to a draw. Wow! A game I thought was so simple. In fact I thought it couldn’t be won…that’s how little I know about stuff like that.

COW FARTS ARE PEOPLE FARTS
Telegraph.com.uk Thursday said we should stop eating beef to save the planet. By their hocus pocus, raising “2.2 lbs. of beef is responsible for greenhouse emissions that have the same effect as the carbon dioxide released by an ordinary car traveling at 50 miles per hour for 155 miles.” Or the amount of energy consumed by a 100 watt light bulb for 200 days. OOOOKay?!

INACCESSIBLE WILDERNESS IS CONFISCATED WILDERNESS
Some of our “environmentalist” friends in the Park Service are trying to protect one of our national treasures, the Everglades National Park. They want to keep much of it off limits so that future generations can enjoy not going there because it is…off limits. Huh?

INCREASED OIL DEPENDENCY
I’m still waiting for the newly elected Democratic Congress to deliver on one of their many, many campaign promises – none of which I can tell has been kept –for a new energy policy. They’ve been talking for over 30 years about reducing our dependency on foreign oil. On the first Earth Day in 1970 the U.S. depended about one quarter on foreign oil. Today, we depend on about 60 percent foreign oil. Yet, there will be no drilling or loosening of refinery restrictions on their watch. Apparently, only China and Cuba are allowed to drill off our coasts.

JD.

RFk for President? Our own little slice of Cuba right here in D.C.

THE OTHER "N" WORD

Congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, used a speaking engagement with Atheists for Human Rights, to compare President George W. Bush to Adolph Hitler. He also compared the events of September 11, 2001, and resulting Administration policies to the burning of the Reichstag, in Nazi Germany. The Reichstag is the building that housed the Parliament of the German Empire.

The Nazi’s used the burning of the building in 1933 to suspend constitutional rights in Germany. What Congressman Ellison was saying was that the events of 9/11 were conveniently used for the same purpose. This, of course, would infer the U.S. Government, and the Bush Administration in particular, staged the attack to justify “abuses” such as “the taint of Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, FISA violations, Patriot Act encroachments and other Bush administration failures.” (Ellison’s quote, not mine.)

NOW LISTEN TO ME…!!! I’M NOT SCREWING AROUND HERE…STOP USING THE METAPHOR!!!

Damn, I’m sick of politicians, pundits and idiots of all stripes comparing U.S. officials and the current administration to Hitler or the Nazis. How sickeningly reprehensible!

My Father served in the European theatre during World War II and before he died, told me a story of an incident he could never wipe from his mind. He was involved in liberating a concentration camp and remembers finding a man hanging by his testicles. This little memory remained seared onto his brain for the rest of his life, a memory of the horrors he, thankfully, only had to witness after the fact. It bothered him to tell me, and he chose not to verbalize the days around that event any further.

To call anything American, Nazi, or any American, Hitler, does a strange and horrid disservice to the millions of people affected by the horrors of the Nazi regime. The horrendously, impossible to ponder atrocities committed by the Nazis cannot be easily described or referred to. Any tiny-minded attempt to compare anything to that period in history is fools’ territory and surefire attestation to one’s lack of history and, in fact, general education.

For such talk to pass without wide and thunderous condemnation speaks to the disgusting and ignorantly misguided complicity of the press.

As the first Muslim elected to Congress, Ellison is not making a very impressive mark.

The Nazis murdered the disabled and deformed, tortured people in the name of medical research, enslaved millions and attempted to “cleanse” Germany of “inferior races.” They imprisoned, enslaved, shipped, shot, gassed, hacked, starved, hanged, incinerated, raped, robbed and humiliated into oblivion children, the infirmed, women, senior citizens, the weak and the brilliant. They didn’t invent genocide, they gave it new meaning. They brainwashed their own weak-minded and ignorant citizens into marching to their deaths in the name of their Fuehrer.

Rep. Ellison joins Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill, Rick Santorum, R-PA, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W. VA (himself an Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan) and many, many other elected officials in using this type of terminology to describe various current policies.

The aforementioned creeps and their ilk in the public domain are sick sons-of-bitches that need not only history lessons, but censure in a very public forum. As far as I’m concerned, it’s inexcusable. Tolerable, because of the liberty we fought Germany to defend, but disgustingly abusive in it’s propensity for harm in watering down the cruelest of eras in history.

The Godforsaken trash heap of humanity that governed Germany from 1933 to 1945 needs to be kept in a context only the darkest of imaginations can conjure. Hitler and the Nazis need to be kept for all of eternity where they presently are…the history books.

The people who throw these epithets at fellow Americans? These are truly people who hate. They hate in the worst possible way, ignorantly.

JD.

You can see Ellison's remarks by pasting the following link to your browser.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2jwhe_ellison-bush

COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF

The following comment was posted by a blogger on the ABC News Web site on Friday. I happened upon it and I think his comments speak to the heart of what’s ailing a lot of Americans today, and puts in perspective the whiney nature of most. Please read on;



Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or a talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations.

They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

Posted by: Tony | Jul 13, 2007 5:21:45 PM

JD says – AMEN!

OIL OR CHINESE?

Guess what Norway started in 1969? They started aggressive off-shore drilling for oil. Guess what else? Since they weren’t a bunch of pansy ass, whiney, save-the-sea horses crackpots, they found it. Lots of it. So much, in fact, that today they have the highest number of millionaires of any country in the world. And we’re talking dollar millionaires, the kind that we know and aspire to be. One of every 84 citizens in Norway is worth over a million dollars, not counting the value of their primary residence. There are only 4.6 million Norwegians, but 54,810 of them are dollar millionaires! Let’s divide that by three to allow for households and one in every 28 households is worth over a million dollars not including their primary residence. And -- this is big, so listen -- they’re not dependent on Middle East oil, politics, Jihad, corruption, etc., etc., etc.

Imagine the possibilities if we could tap the huge reserves in and around this country! ANWR, anyone?



L.D. offers the following link as an example of how anyone can make money on global warming, any time, anywhere. Open the link and have a read.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070709/sc_nm/climate_cows_dc

THIS MOVEMENT HAS GOTTEN DOWNRIGHT CREEPY!


Also:

A state Chinese TV station went undercover for a story exposing a tainted food product. Of course they didn’t have to look too hard to find one.

They infiltrated a company that makes steamed buns. Only these steamed buns were filled with chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork to make it look and taste like meat. There is apparently no shortage of tainted products coming from China, from buns to dog food to soy sauce made with human hair. I’m glad I never liked Chinese food!

JD.

GOT HEALTHCARE?

I was challenged by “Anonymous” to; before I got off too deep on Michael Moore, watch the Sanjay Gupta “news” report that set him off. I did watch it and I appreciate what Anonymous is getting at (see comment on July 9 blog). That said, considering the amount of MM’s crap I’ve had the displeasure of reading and watching, I find it very hard to come to his aid when he’s complaining about a hatchet job on his hatchet job.

How can anyone think, even for a millisecond, much less live on the hope, that government (healthcare) can even remotely replace something that is governed by profit, with something that people have no incentive to do their best with? My, oh my, someone tell me one thing that government has gotten right over private industry! I’m dying to know. And if MM and his Democrat buddies have their way, helped along with the propaganda they are used to slinging, and which the American public so thirstily absorbs, than I will quite literally be dying to know. Man, I’ve had some serious health issues and accidents in my life. I shudder to think how long ago I would have checked out if my well-being was in the hands of the 511,000 elected buffoons in this country!

Had to get that out of my system!

No wait! There’s more. How on earth can anyone think of socialized medicine as “free” healthcare? Let’s pretend the government has control over it. Where in the hell do you think the money comes from? Think of your taxes increasing by a much larger number than you pay in insurance premiums today. Call that free? Then think about how bloated the system would be with excess everything. Think about how big a bureaucracy it would be just in the sheer number of employees. This part the Dems particularly love…more government employees, more people at the trough, more Democrat voters…the perfect, perpetual election and power machine. This is the government that pays farmers to not grow food! You want to entrust them with your insulin or your chemo? And don’t try telling me Medicare works. It’s a disaster in its inefficiency and drives up the cost of healthcare for the rest of the industry.

Okay, that’s enough!

Where are Amnesty International and the anti-Abu Ghraib prison, Hollywood crowd? Iran stoned a man to death Tuesday for allegedly (a word we like in this country) committing adultery. He was buried to his waist, hands tied behind his back and stoned to death. Women are buried up to their necks, including their arms, when they get stoned to death. Granted, it’s not as bad as verbal abuse or throwing foam footballs at prisoners and showing them pictures of a woman’s breast, but stoning is pretty bad! And not a word from the freak brigade, jet-setting dopes who want me to change my light bulbs and turn off the water while I’m brushing my teeth.

Robert Greenwald, the man behind the documentary “OutFoxed” along with left wingers MoveOn.org and the Sierra Club are asking sponsors of Fox News, particularly Home Depot, to pull spots from the network because it doesn’t tow the leftist line of global warming absolutism. Add to that Robert Kennedy, Jr., calling global warming dissenters traitors and saying they should be charged with treason, and you may want to set your alarm for 2:00 am just to make sure you lose a little sleep about where this kookiness is taking us.

Why are these people so afraid of debate? That in itself is suspect.

JD.

A BRIEF REVIEW

Michael Moore went Russell Crowe on Wolf Blitzer Monday calling CNN and the “major media outlets” biased, accusing them of not presenting the facts regarding his film. Apparently, anyone who disagrees with his absolutely biased and pathetically left-handed film, “Sicko,” is indeed themselves biased. And if you want to question the charges he makes in his film, you must be a shill for pharmaceutical companies. You know those horrible companies that are keeping many of us alive! Then politically correct Moore mocked the pronunciation of CNN chief medical reporter, Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s name. Wonderful, wonderful human being.

Katie Couric said she did indeed slap the hell out of a CBS news editor’s arm, admittedly in anger, for writing the word ‘sputum’ into a script. Let’s see…Katie doesn’t have a problem broadcasting her colon to a sometimes curious, sometimes disgusted national television audience. But let’s not say ‘sputum’ on her newscast.

Next year, Russia will begin construction on a 2,500 mile pipeline that will eventually help deliver oil to China from pristine Siberia. According to Russian Energy Minister, Viktor Khristenko, the pipeline is meant to ease China’s dependence on Middle East oil. The Russians and Chinese get it, so why are so many people in this country against drilling in, and piping from, ANWR? Ignorance and spineless politicians putting their careers before national interests, is why.

Okay, okay, I’m tired of the Live Earth crap, but here’s one more quote worth passing on. This one is from Neil McCormick of Telegraph.com.uk:
In response to Madonna’s screaming “If you wanna save the planet, jump up and down!” Neil asked, “Can global warming be stopped by an out-of-breath, middle aged, super-rich narcissist in a leotard and high heels?” Good question, Neil, but sadly, only some of us know the answer!

JD.

LIVE EARTH CONSUMES ITSELF

To borrow a favorite saying from author Bernard Goldberg, I’d rather do time in a Saudi Prison then watch an episode of The View. Same goes for me regarding the Live Earth events held on Saturday. But I sacrificed in the interest of fair reporting.

Here are a few of the hypocritical facts facing the not so environmentally friendly “stars” and what their performances cost the Earth, as printed in Saturday’s The Daily Mail:

- 223,623 miles. The most conservative estimate of the miles being flown by the “superstars” to these events.
- Fuel burned by a family car in one year. Same as is burned in one hour in a Gulfstream jet.
- 31,500 tons. The amount of carbon emissions generated by the concerts, according to John Buckley of Carbonfootprint.com who specializes in these calculations.
- 74,500 tons. Footprint when you factor in the television audience.
- 1,025 tons. Waste generated at the stadiums.
- Mercedes Maybach, two Range Rovers, an Audit A8 and a Mini Cooper. Vehicles in Madonna’s garage.
- 1,018 tons. The size of Madonna’s carbon footprint in a year.
- 10 tons. The carbon footprint an average British citizen makes in a year.
- 59 tons. The amount of rubbish from food and drink consumption at just the Wembley event.
- 9 times the circumference of the Earth. The distance these acts will fly to and from these events.
- 1 ton. The amount of carbon used by the ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Weber to be flown to Shanghai to sing at the even in China (one way).
- Trade Unions. They have blocked Live Earth’s attempts to recycle anything at New York’s Giant’s Stadium
- “Every Day is a Winding Road.” Hit that Sheryl Crow makes a bundle on by promoting four wheel drive vehicles.

“Live Earth is encouraging ‘citizens of the world’ to take small steps: share a car, plant a shrub, turn off a light or hang out washing instead of using a dryer,” according to The Daily Mail.

I’ve got an idea. How about if Phil Collins, Madonna, Bon Jovi & Co., just stayed home!


Here are a few quotes from The Sunday Times regarding the Wembley concert:
“…few people gave a damn.”
“A fairly boring concert with equally boring participants, save for Madonna belting the last tunes.”
“…broadly middle of the road audience.”
“It did what it said on the poster – but no more. The acts who answered the call from Al Gore’s people to play at Wembley Stadium were a bit short on superstar clout.”
“Following Al Gore’s televised lecture on climate change, Nutini’s youthful rocking r'n’b vocal reminded us that politicians need musicians more than musicians need them.”
“As the halfway point beckoned, the event needed a serious lift.”
“The audience applauded, but soon afterwards was seen amusing themselves with Mexican waves.”
“… the pace flagged.”
“Madge (Madonna) stole the show…more vividly than all the preceding hours of slogans and lectures.”

OUCH!

The members of one of the dufus groups in New York were wearing various slogans and other childishly hand painted nouns and verbs on their clothing with lines and Xs through them. One of the dope’s shirt read “Dick Chaney” with a line through the name. That’s right, he spelled Dick Cheney wrong! I’m embarrassed for the youth of today, though they will never have a clue as to why.

How can so many of our people (young and old) be so naively screwed up and have no ambition to do a little research for themselves? Blind to the incredible amount of money industry giants -- the very industry giants they think they are fighting -- are making by being in bed with the environmental movement, particularly its leaders(Gore and Co.), they rock on, ignorantly sewing the seeds of destruction of capitalism and democracy. We are truly a country of blind sheep. Make no mistake – Green is the new Red, Comrade!

JD.

PHIL COLLINS, etc., SUPER HEROS

I confess…I’m pro-planet. I’m pro-Earth. I think we should support Earth, or should I say “The Planet.” Yeah! I guess that makes me a celebrity…or a politician, or a Democrat. Then again, I don’t care about global warming, so I guess I can’t be a celebrity or a politician OR a Democrat! I guess that makes me one of those whack-jobs who, for lack of caring, are going to throw the Earth off its axis, or otherwise end God’s creation as we now know it!

But I really don’t have to care and neither do you. We have countless rock stars needing career jumps to do all the “caring” for us.

They will conspicuously over consume and pollute the joint to do it, but they are acting for me and for you and any others out there, if there is indeed anyone else out there, who doesn’t give a crap!

Today (July 7), Ladies and Gentlemen, we have Live Earth. The global concert, held at eight venues including one on every continent (I guess Antarctica makes for a ninth venue) on this ailing planet.

It will surely be as effective as the other concerts held for various causes with no known intended result. I give you;

Live aid (1985) – Prompted by the Ethiopian famine of 1984/85, to help periled African nations pay their debts to evil Western banks, helping to alleviate starvation in Africa. Much of the money fell into the influence of the Derg military junta which enforced resettlement and “villagification” programs which killed between 50,000 and 100,000 people and displaced at least 3 million. Nice!

Farm Aid – I guess this one was to help keep farmers in subsidies. Apparently a huge success, as $171 billion will be paid (welfared) in direct farm subsidies over the next ten years.

Band Aid (1984) – No more hungry kids in Ethiopia?

Live 8 (2005) – To raise more awareness of issues that plague Africa…and the rehabilitation of aging rock stars’ careers.

Which leads us to…

Live Earth (2007-Today) – This one will stop global warming, I mean, “climate change,” so planet Earth can go on to be planet Earth for future generations of politicians and celebrities.

How about a bake sale for burkas?

How about this one: We can shame and defame our soldiers abroad to help bring about the end to war. Oh, wait a minute, that’s already been taken care of…celebrities, Democrats and more than a few Republicans already have a handle on that cause.

I suppose we could swim to raise awareness for the fishes in order to save the oceans. But sure enough, renowned oceanographer, environmentalist and scientist (and Cheers bartender), Ted Danson declared, circa 1987, that the oceans and the earth, would be dead in ten years if we didn’t drastically alter our lives, raise taxes and commit mass suicide because we are Americans. So whatever he did, it must have worked because last time I was on the coasts, the oceans, at least the two I have ready access to, were alive and well.

I now kneel and thank Almighty God for celebs and politicians, especially Al Gore, Rock Stars and pop white trash, Sheryl Crow. Because of them, we have not yet stolen Planet Earth from God and the cosmos!

On another note, John Edwards is campaigning to raise the minimum wage and put an end to poverty right here in America because haircuts apparently cost $1,200.00.

JD.

PARDON ME?

President Bush commuted the 30 month prison sentence of Lewis “Scooter” Libby yesterday. Big deal, considering he wants to pardon 12 million illegal aliens in the name of "immigration reform.”

I laughed out loud when I heard Hillary Clinton, with Bill by her side, say in response, “This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice."

My God, these people are psychopathically amazing!!!

President Clinton pardoned 459 people during his presidency, to his predecessor’s 77 pardons.

Here are a few of the crimes that were committed by the people Bill Clinton pardoned or commuted the sentences for. The whole list is too exhaustive for me to bore you with, but here are some of the crimes:

Conspiracy to counterfeit money, bank embezzlement, tax fraud and nonpayment, auto theft, pushing drugs, mail fraud, firearms convictions, LSD and other drug distribution, bank fraud, falsifying firearms records, insurance fraud, Medicaid fraud, bank robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, price fixing, blackmail, mutiny during wartime, destruction of military property, forgery of U.S. checks, possession of illegal explosives, conspiracy to damage property with illegal explosives, falsification of union records, transporting illegal aliens, bribery, money laundering, issuing worthless checks, food stamp fraud, illegal campaign contributions, passport fraud, conspiracy to commit racketeering, illegally importing animal skins, conspiracy to aid in prison escape. He also pardoned six Puerto Rican terrorists who were making bombs.

And let’s not forget this personal favorite, of which he was convicted…Perjury!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

In the Sidney Morning Herald on Tuesday, Chee Chee Leung asserted that humans are using too much of the sun’s energy. Because we humans use so much energy, we rob plants of needed energy from the sun, stealing especially from corn production, which we need to make ethanol.

Are you still convinced the global warming crowd doesn’t use junk science?

Looking at Michael Moore, there is more than a small chance that he will be stricken by illness sooner, rather than later. Do you think Michael will go abroad for medical help?

Just Wondering,
JD.

ETHANOL - A CORNY IDEA

It’s so hard to understand how our gutless, pandering and sometimes just plain ignorant elected officials can continue to push this ethanol scam with a clear conscience.

The promotion of this disastrous “alternative” to fossil fuels is costing you and me a fortune. Consider the increased prices of just a few of the products and commodities affected by mandated increases in corn production for the manufacture of ethanol.

Ethanol policies have driven the price of corn up to as high as $4.50 a bushel last week, from what was typically $2.00 to $2.50 a bushel.

More expensive corn drives up prices on many products we use. You would think that the higher prices would benefit farmers, but companies that produce seed, like Monsanto, have raised seed prices by 66 percent. Of course this helps all you shareholders in Monsanto stock, and good for you.

I’ve written about the evils of ethanol several times in these blogs but feel compelled to bring it up again once in a while because it eats at me so. As I’ve mentioned before, when President Bush mentioned ethanol during his State of the Union speech in January, I cringed. I knew, as many of you did, that gas prices would be up the next day and continue to climb. And they did. What other prices have soared as a result of the ethanol obsession?

Have you wondered why beef prices are as high as they have gotten? How about the increase in milk prices that we all screamed about? Shoot, let’s just think about the additional premium on land because of the ridiculously low yield of corn producing ethanol per acre.

So land, fuel and corn go up. Again, beef and milk prices. What else does corn effect? Poultry, pork, sugar (prices already controlled by artificial supports and tariffs), sweet goods, anything made with high fructose corn syrup, cheese, butter, all products made with any of the above, soft drinks, ice cream…the list goes on and on.

Were you paying attention to the tortilla riots in Mexico City last February?

How about taxes? On top of the federal and state taxes you pay on gasoline, let’s consider the following:
Ethanol blenders -- gas stations and suppliers – receive 51 cents a gallon in tax credits so ethanol can be competitive with gas. In other words, ethanol is so inefficient and expensive to make, we taxpayers have to give the companies 51 cents a gallon in tax credits to bring the price down enough to compete with gas.

There is a 54 cent tariff on imported ethanol, to make sure we can’t buy it cheap from other countries.

We taxpayers gave $340 million in subsidized loans to build ethanol plants, thanks to Jimmy Carter. The plants aren’t competitive enough for private industry to make money, so we taxpayers buck up to build them for someone else to make money on the product we support.

Make your head spin? Does mine!

We taxpayers contributed $70 Million in corn to ethanol producers, via Ronald Reagan’s Department of Agriculture.

The 2005 Energy bill mandates that gas companies buy ethanol. We force companies to buy this stuff because they wouldn’t touch it otherwise.

The current mandates have increased food prices by $14 billion dollars, according to a recent University of Iowa study, and our Democratic Congress wants to increase mandates by seven fold.

Because of mandates that compel gas companies to buy ethanol, prices on ethanol went up, raising gas prices by another 30 cents.

On performance: Ethanol is one third less powerful and efficient as gasoline so a gasoline and ethanol blend will get you fewer miles to the gallon than gasoline. So ethanol prices have to be artificially depressed (again with your tax dollars) to be cheaper than gasoline in order to get you comparable mileage for the same money.

It takes a lot of energy just to make the stuff. You have to grow the corn which means plowing, planting, fertilizing, watering, harvesting, grinding, soaking, distilling and trucking, since you can’t run ethanol though pipelines like gasoline.

Geez! And why is it we don’t want to drill for oil in this country to tap some of the biggest reserves on earth? Oh, that’s right, a super ignorant electorate that believes what these politicians are telling us.

I’m exhausted and depressed, and that’s just a little teeny bit of the story.

JD.