As we move forward into the 21st century, it becomes more and more apparent that the huge "consensus" that Al Gore keeps crowing about is unraveling before the eyes of anyone paying attention.  Case in point.  this dude used to work in the Australian Greenhouse Office.  He developed the carbon accounting model that measures Australia's compliance iwth the Kyoto Protoco.  He's no hack.  And now he says, whoopsie...we were wrong.  Check it out:

www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24036736-7583,00.html

This is the column I read excerpts from this morning.  Take a few minutes to check around the Mackinac website, they've got some good stuff!

www.mackinac.org/article.aspx

This US Sugar land sale to the state of Florida has me steamed.  And confused.  I'm not exactly Warren Buffett, but I do have a rudimentary understanding of how business works.  That's why I am totally confused as to why, NOW, US Sugar is just going to cash out (to the tune of 1.75 BILLION of yours and my tax dollars) and pack it in.  When you consider that we are now having ethanol shoved down our collective consciousness, it really doesn't make sense...UNLESS:

• US Sugar knows something we don't know about sugar tariffs.  Perhaps they have been given the heads up that sugar tariffs, which have artificially inflated the price of sugar in the USA since 1789, are going the way of the dodo bird.  Combined with quotas on imports from countries that can produce sugar for a fraction of what we can here, you have prices that have no basis in the "free market".
• US Sugar knows something we don't know about ethanol imports.  Perhaps they have been given the heads up that we are striking an agreement with Brazil to import ethanol.  Or that the tariffs put in place to protect corn-based ethanol production will be removed in 6 years...the same time Florida buys out US Sugar.

If either of this things happened, our fuel problems would be lessened, but as long as "Big Farming" lead by Arthur Daniels Midland (who are the largest producers of corn based ethanol AND high fructose corn syrup*) and based in Barak Obama's home state of Illnois, have their way, it won't. 

And while I'm on this, let me say one thing about the "Restoration of the Everglades".  The Everglades is screwed up because of farming.  And the various projects that the Army Corps of Engineers came up with to "manage" the Glades.  And instead of taking action that would have actually reduced the incentive to continue farming in the Everglades...eliminating the sugar tariffs...Congress chose to throw more of our money at the problem they created by artificially propping up prices in the first place.  It's a vicious cycle that we aren't paying attention to because what's a few more cents for a pound of sugar, right? 

Consider these unintended consequences of the ridiculous sugar policy of ours:

• *The rise of High Fructose Corn Syrup.  When Ronald Reagan raised the tariffs and lowered quotas on imports in the 80's, Coke and Pepsi decided to go with the much cheaper sweetener for their products.  Overnight, the sugar market lost it's two biggest consumers.  The market crashed for sugar. 
  And the government responded by lowering quotas again to keep the price artificially high.
• The rise of the drug trade in the Caribbean.  Farmers that used to grow sugar couldn't sell it, so they grow pot now.
• Corn based ethanol...less efficient, but keeps many farmers working, growing corn.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop now.  More to come on the show.

So I'm not feeling so hot today and found myself sitting in front of the tv at an odd time trying to find something to watch.  I stumbled upon a special on PBS about Arcadia.  I flipped on in the middle as an older gentleman was talking about how life was in 1929 when he was young.  He said, "Back then, we weren't trying to succeed, we were just trying to survive."  And then another older man was saying, "We helped each other out, everybody did.  Black, white, didn't matter, we just all looked out for one another."  It got me to thinking.

Have we gotten so far away from "just surviving" that we've lost the "in there together" kindred spirit that bound us as Americans?  When you and your neighbor are struggling each day to put food in the bellies of your family, the similar experience holds you together.  And basic humanity says you will NOT let your neighbors STARVE if you can help it, expecially if you think you may find yourself in need at some point.  It's the whole "there but for the grace of God go I" theory.  But now, the "poor" in this country stand very little chance of starving.  If anything, they may die of obesity related illness first.  And many people just don't feel the same level of compassion because the consequences are not as dire.  I don't think I do.   That's why I am so put off by Barak Obama and his "fair" talk.  His attack on the rich, his raise taxes on those who can afford it, the obscene oil profits, the whole nine yards.  Because he talks as if the "poor" in this country don't enjoy a significantly higher standard of living than the Poor of many years ago did.  His static evaluation of this nation doesn't take into account that a rising tide raises all ships, but you've STILL got to work hard truly be successful in this country. 

That being said, I thought about the recent study about conservatives being more compassionate than liberals (see blog entry below) in the context of Arcadia: 1929.  I think conservatives, in their oft criticized "old-fashioned" way, still exemplify the ideals expressed in the documentary I saw.  Too bad the Republican party seems to have lost that.

I'm sure this article won't surprise any conservatives out there, but it may jolt some liberals you know out of there sanctimonious stupor.  And this isn't speculation, it's empirical data from the libs themselves. 

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1026442/Dont-listen-liberals--Right-wingers-really-nicer-people-latest-research-shows.html

So a friend of mine sends me this link to a new video designed to lure young voters by showing them how cool it is to be a Democrat.  If I were a Dem, I'd be really ticked off.  Be warned, this video is very racy. 

truththroughaction.org/

The video is called Blue Balled.  Yeah, like that.