Ethanol and all that jazz

I have wanted to blog about ethanol for a VERY long time, but I just haven't had the time and I don't really have the time today, but I feel compelled to find the time. In an article by Walter E. Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University, published in the Charlotte Observer on March 12, 2008, Mr.Williams gives some revealing facts about the use of ethanol. I give him full credit for my facts-- no plagiarism here!! Here are some outrageous facts about ethanol:
1. Ethanol contains some water from the distillation process that can do major damage
to your car engine unless it is designed specifically for ethanol use.
2. Because of the water in ethanol it cannot be moved via pipeline, but must be
shipped by truck, boat or rail thus making it much more costly to move than
gasoline.
3. It is 20%-30% less effective than gasoline-- more expensive for every highway
mile
4. It takes 450 pounds of corn to fill ONE tank of gasoline-- enough to feed one
person for a YEAR.
5. It takes one gallon of natural gas to produce one gallon of ethanol (there we
go for saving the environment).
6. It takes 1700 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol (there we go
helping Mother Earth again).
7. Congress handed out $9.5 billion of subsidies in 2005 ALONE to corn farmers!
(Talk about wasteful spending.)

So, as the price of gas skyrockets we also pay huge amounts of money for ethanol subsidies that are useless and a ridiculous hoax. Where is the outrage in the American public? There is another side effect of all this ethanol production-- food shortages. My brother sent me a link to this article that discusses the biggest unplanned side effect of ethanol as a biofuel-- hunger-- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/04/14/ccview114.xml.
The US is still one of the largest global producers of corn and if that corn is not going all over the world to feed people then where does the corn (used in so many food products) come from? Have you ever gone without food? Have you ever had to watch your children go hungry? Corn is a staple food in many Third World countries all over the world--for example-- tortillas in Mexico. I have been blessed beyond words to have been born at a time where food is readily avaliable on almost every corner (at least where I live) and in the richest nation on Earth. We have billions of barrels of oil and natural gas in Alaska and hundreds of miles off our coasts, yet we don't drill. We don't build refineries (we haven't built one in this country since the 70's), because they "ruin the environment." Yet, we spend billions on the "ethanol solution" that uses more natural resources than it saves and takes corn away from what it primarily is--food. We wouldn't have to spend billions upon billions of dollars for drilling and building refineries-- the oil companies would spend the money themselves and rake in the profits. We could buy stock in the companies and rake in the profits-- it's called capitalism. I know that this isn't a popular opinion. I want to take care of the environment and leave beautiful places for my children, but I think this whole "green" thing has gone way overboard. The US could easily be energy independent if we would just take a step back and use what we have in our own back yard! Man, it feels good to get that out. Thanks for the venting!