• 

Letters to the Editor: Oct. 30, 2015

Only online subscribers may access this article.

One-day subscriptions available for just $3. Click here for one-day access.

For all other subscription offers, click here.

Already a subscriber, please .

Comments

Don Dix

Milo wrote .... "It’s the industry (meat) that generates more water pollution than any other human activity and more greenhouse gases than transportation, then promotes world hunger by feeding nutritious corn and soybeans to animals."

Over 25% of US corn is used to make ethanol. It takes approx. 26 pounds of corn to make a gallon of ethanol and each acre averages 268 gals. US cars average 20 MPG and drive an average of 15K per year. That figures out to 750 gals. of ethanol per year, per car (or using 3.5 acres of corn for each car).

Add to that, ethanol decreases mileage and is hard on internal engine parts. As well, the production of ethanol from cradle to grave creates more pollution than it (ethanol) saves overall.

I like meat, red meat! Boycotting meat only decreases the demand and lowers prices. Thank you! So I will burn only non-ethanol gas until the alternative doesn't take away from my diet.

sbagwell

I'm with you 100 percent on the ethanol, Don. It's a travesty. And now we have the ag lobby dug in on it, so we're probably stuck for the long haul.

People are going hungry in many parts of the world, and we devote major swaths of rich Midwest farmland to feeding our cars. Go figure.

Steve

Lulu

It appears your Walk for Freedom is interwoven with the "love and hope promised to all by Jesus"; why can't you understand how some people don't buy in to any specific religious connection? Yours is a humanitarian issue far older than the New Testament.
Plus, walking around with your mouths taped might convey the enforced silence of victims but does nothing to explain or further your cause to those who might help make a difference, and I don't mean Christ.

Mudstump

Cindy DeForrest - I'm very supportive of all efforts to end human trafficking. However, I am not aware of anyone addressing the demand for the services of sex slaves and the perverse and twisted need of consumer. Who will educate them? It seems the darkest part of human nature and the most difficult aspect to eradicate.

Seabiscuit

"People are going hungry in many parts of the world, and we devote major swaths of rich Midwest farmland to feeding our cars"

Shouldn't have to worry about it for too much longer, at least in Oregon Steve. It was my understanding from the Committee meetings at the State Legislature this year that ethanol derived from corn will not meet the new standards under the Oregon save the world bill. They will have to get the ethanol to meet the new standards from Sugar Cane imported from South America.

Before too long the corn used for ethanol can go back to feeding the hungry and the sugar will be too expensive which will cut into the dental business.

As to the red meat...I'll go discuss it with my cow, but I'm pretty sure he is going to loose the argument...medium rare please!

Don Dix

Seabiscuit,

Ethanol causes damage to internal engine parts. A gallon of ethanol also has less energy than a gallon of gas that decrease mileage by a minimum of 10%, therefore more fill-ups are necessary.

From this view, inefficient, ineffective, and costly must be the present standards ....... or the state may have jumped on the 'ethanol frenzy' without considering the overall consequences (Oregon's desire to be 1st at something usually trumps reasonable thought by our leaders). Perfect prototype for any wannabe nanny state.

And yes, NY, medium rare, barbequed (naturally), served on a sizzling metal plate! Damn, I do appreciate vegans!

Seabiscuit

Don,
I deleted a paragraph I meant to leave in on the original post. My comments were meant as sarcasm type humor aimed at corn for ethanol versus corn for food. Kind of lost something in the translation when I deleted that paragraph and since we can't make corrections once posted......

I agree 100% that ethanol is very damaging and is a loose-loose fiasco and, in my opinion, scam forced upon the American people. I have been on the receiving end of thousands of dollars worth of time loss and equipment repair. I've been to numerous repair shops where I see signs that say something similar to, "Use of ethanol fuel voids all warranty on fuel system components or repairs."
Production of ethanol produces more carbon than could ever be saved. Now, add to that carbon the additional carbon created by going all the way to South America for the lower carbon producing sugar cane and the transportation on ships, trucks and trains that that would entail and, IMHO, you have the ultimate in hypocrisy. Maybe they would do more good if they left the rain forests as rain forests instead of turning them into sugar cane fields? Add to this, if you have ever lived around cane fields like I have, when they harvest, it would make a mid valley grass field burn look like a little camp fire by comparison.

And then there were those California ethanol producers at one of the hearings I was a spectator at. They looked like drooling wolves looking over little dumb star struck lambs (Half plus one of the committee members) when they were talking about supplying ethanol to Oregon...........

Oh yes, they were talking about a little bit of ground around Hermiston / Umatilla that might possibly be suitable for growing sugar cane. If that is the case, be prepared to pay much more for that water melon that will be complimenting the NY Steak BBQ!

Web Design and Web Development by Buildable