2006 Soap Box Archives

Ethanol

I was in the rural parts of Minnesota over the weekend and was impressed by the thousands and thousands of acres of corn. It was everywhere, on both sides of the road and stretching off into the distance for as far as you
could see.

And a few miles further along we came across the reason for all that corn.
It was a large and busy building devoted to the making of ethanol. It made
me feel good just seeing it there, knowing that every gallon they made was a gallon we wouldn't be getting from the people who support terrorists.

I remarked to somebody at the venue about seeing the ethanol plant, to which she answered, Oh yes they're putting them all over the place up here.

Ethanol is a double-edged sword. Not only will it lessen our dependence on
Middle Eastern oil but it will give our hard working farmers a profitable
price for their corn.

And think about the states which could thrive from the production of this
cheaper, clean burning fuel. Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa,
Nebraska, and the list goes on and on of states which could have a new and
thriving economy in the production of ethanol.

Actually it's nothing new, Brazil has been running its vehicles on sugar
cane ethanol for decades.

Of course, the gas companies are not going to be happy about it. It will
kill their strangle hold on the American economy and more importantly make
the Middle Eastern oil irrelevant, taking away from them billions of
American dollars a year, portions of which are passed on to Islamic fascists
to wreak havoc on the western world.

I heard one of the gas companies arguing a while back that it would take
fifty thousand dollars a store to convert to ethanol. Well every gas stop
doesn't have to be a convenience store. Forget the milk and cigarettes, just
put up some pumps in the middle of a field and sell us American made
ethanol.

And besides that, who says that the large gas companies would be in charge of the new fuel anyway? It would be a great time for the return of the mom and pop businesses, a family to family operation, putting the money in the pockets of common, hardworking folks running small filling stations which would require only minimal investment.

It could be a thriving business, revitilizing farming communities which have
been depressed for years, making it attractive for young people to stay down on the farm, it not being necessary to relocate in a big city to seek their fame and fortune.

I believe it could literally change the face of America. It could be a
gigantic business. The automotive manufacturers would be forced to make
products which would run efficiently off the new fuel, the environmentalists
would be happy because of much lower emissions, the consumers would be happy to pay less for a product made in America by Americans. The only people who would be unhappy would be the oil companies and Hugo Chavez and his American hating buddies in the Middle East.

And somehow that just doesn't bother me.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels
October 2, 2006