Ethanol and Strategic Oil Drawdown Not the Answer

Here's a letter I sent to Ed Schultz who hosts a liberal talk radio show. I generally like his show, his voice sounds just like Rush Limbaugh's but he is left-wing, rather than right-wing. His show comes on after the O'Franken factor here in the Twin Cities. I generally like Franken's show, also, by the way, even though he is Democrat.

(To Ed Schultz:)
I’m glad to hear you’re excited about ending our dependence on oil, but I’m sorry to tell you that ethanol is not the answer. Unfortunately, it takes about a gallon of ethanol to make a gallon of ethanol, because you need fuel to power the tractors to grow the corn.

In his book "The Party’s Over," Richard Heinberg states that it would it would take nearly all of the continental US to grow the grain to fuel our cars, leaving nothing left for housing or food.

Also, I disagree with the Democrats’ plan to draw down the strategic petroleum reserve just to shave a few cents off the price of gas. I’m afraid the Republicans are right on this one. Considering that the world’s oil supplies are about half gone, the price of gas should be a heck of a lot more, not less.

I’m planning to vote for Greens locally and Ralph Nader for President. We need smarter, more responsible solutions to these crucial problems.