Submitted on February 15th, 2008 by Josh (not verified)
I disagree--the price of oil has contributed to an economic shift, but large subisidies for ethanol have made it much more dramatic. They have made biofuels a reasonable economic alternative when they wouln't be otherwise. To ameliorate the hardship for the poor brought on by this shift, the US federal government shouldn't spend MORE money on their aid. Rather, it should roll back subsidies and allow the free market to return the price of food to a reasonable level.
I would prefer to assume future innovation in an oil-constrained market will solve transportation problems rather than hunger problems. I value food over transportation fuel.
RE: food vs fuel
Submitted on February 15th, 2008 by Josh (not verified)I disagree--the price of oil has contributed to an economic shift, but large subisidies for ethanol have made it much more dramatic. They have made biofuels a reasonable economic alternative when they wouln't be otherwise. To ameliorate the hardship for the poor brought on by this shift, the US federal government shouldn't spend MORE money on their aid. Rather, it should roll back subsidies and allow the free market to return the price of food to a reasonable level.
I would prefer to assume future innovation in an oil-constrained market will solve transportation problems rather than hunger problems. I value food over transportation fuel.