Once again I have found a topic for debate as I am pondering the results of higher fuel prices and an increased demand for biofuels.
My question for everyone is one of ethics that I have been muddling through. Here it is:

How ethical can it be to take food from the poor of this world to make fuel for the rich when there is an ample supply of fuels that do not require the use of food.
Corn, wheat, rice and beans are the base foods for much of mankind. The prices for these staples has doubled in the past three years as the demand for biofuels has increased.
I do not think that this type of thing is wise for the stability of our planet. Yes, I agree with trying to decrease our overall carbon footprint but taking food from the poor is not the right option. The correct option is to encourage more fuel efficient cars and public transportation.
When I was a teenager twenty five years ago most car companies offered cars that got from 35 to 45 mpg. They did this without all that fancy vacuum lines and such. They did not have computers and were simple in design. Now we are lucky to find a car that gets 30 mpg. I remember in 1977 Subaru offered three vehicles that got 50 mpg on the highway. If we could do it then why can’t we do it now.
The next issue I have is with the Sierra Club here in Kansas where I currently live. Last year an electric company Sunflower Electric proposed building an efficient coal fired plant that meets or surpasses the guidelines set forth by the EPA. The area in western Kansas needs the economic development that this plant would bring yet the Sierra Club has brought pressure that has blocked this proposal. The alternative that the Sierra Club is offering is wind farms. I have a problem though with wind farms. Most who are proposing them have no idea about electricity.
Windmills can generate a small amount of electricity but they cannot generate enough current unless many are built. For a wind farm to generate enough electricity as the Sunflower proposal it will require over 15,000 wind mills to be built on well over 5,000 acres thus taking away land that would be used for farming. Once again take food from the poor to provide energy for the rich. This coal plant is cutting edge technology that is efficient and much cleaner that it was in the past. This country needs the energy it will produce and we don’t need to take food from the poor.