Friday, July 14, 2006

We Are Going to Starve!

There is an interesting story on the Internet today about the use of world food supplies for ethanol. That is, the more corn that is converted into alcohol, the less food there will be for starving people to eat. “That means fuel prices can drive up food prices, bad news for the two billion people whose food may fetch a higher price if it fills a gas tank.”

What is needed, “is an international body to oversee the biofuel/food problem. Right now, the author noted, "in effect no one is in charge."

I guess the UN people are too busy raping little girls to give attention to this problem. But as the Communists plainly showed, central planning never worked, anyway. And I can’t imagine that the corrupt officials in the U.N. will pass up an opportunity for another “oil for food” program/scandal to line their pockets.
Maybe central control of oil and food supplies is not the answer. But there is a control.

Perhaps when ethanol makes a dent in the demand for world oil, the price of oil will drop and the need for food to be converted into ethanol will also decline. When the price for corn rises more corn (and rice) will be produced. But most media writers don’t think very far out with their analyses.

There is a wonderful price system that distributes food and oil. On top of that there are several wonderful charitable supply systems that can also work if governments will only get out of the way and let them work. All the food and oil pressures in the world will not work if local governments will not let them.

Have pity on those who think the answer to every problem is more government. They aren’t very bright, and no experience in the world will convince them otherwise.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Rockets ala North Korea

Now that North Korea has demonstrated, sort of, its expertise in rocketry by firing off a few scud-type missiles and an ICBM that flopped, I suppose we in the U.S. should be shaking in our boots.

North Korea wisely counted on American Media to blow everything out of proportion in an effort to find some way to blame President Bush for their progress. But somehow, the timing was all wrong. There is nothing like an Independence Day celebration to make Americans feel strong again. The North Korean and American Media efforts fizzled like the ICBM that lasted all of forty seconds.

Possibly there were a few Americans who recalled the former President’s give-away of American rocket secrets that made possible the North Korean efforts. But that President should not be blamed too much. If he hadn’t given away such secrets, the New York Times probably would have.

These days, the term “Arms Race” has an entirely new meaning. It now means the race of one group or another to give away secrets.