Ethanol and the Fox and the Hound

This has been a very girly sort of a week for me. And tonight I have continued that tradition by eating Ben & Jerry's Brownie Fudge ice cream straight from the container while watching a classic Disney movie. I haven't seen the Fox and the Hound for years, and now I'm remembering why I used to love this movie.

Except that now I want to cry, since it's the beginning of the movie, and the baby fox's mommy just got killed, and the fox has huge eyes and acts like a sad, skiddish little kitten...

I heard another angle on the ethanol issue at work the other day. Many of our patients are small farmers, or former farmers. The new use of corn-based ethanol has increased the price of corn. Now many farmers cannot afford to buy corn as feed. Other types of feed have also increased in prices. And the outlook is that the prices will just continue to go up.

Another lady, not a farmer, but well educated in world affairs, was saying that, while we will buy less foreign oil with the use of ethanol, we will be importing more corn from overseas. Corn which is a staple food in many other countries, especially third world countries. So it is making it more difficult and expensive for people in the third world to buy food for themselves and their families. And, of course, there is a high chance of underpaying or mistreating workers in foreign countries from whom we export corn.

I'm not saying I'm against the increased use of ethanol, but I think it is important to look at all aspects of the issue.


Ah the complications of life.