tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post7330015154686263023..comments2023-10-20T21:46:49.945+08:00Comments on Philippine Commentary: Government-made DisastersDeany Bocobohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443168826029321831noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-19645828807958064932008-04-13T14:28:00.000+08:002008-04-13T14:28:00.000+08:00Here in the USA it takes 1.5 barrels of crude oil ...Here in the USA it takes 1.5 barrels of crude oil to make the 1.25 barrels of fuel needed to produce 1 barrel of ethanol. <BR/><BR/>Ethanol has 70% the calories of gas or diesel. Methanol has 60% BUT you can get LOTS more methanol for the same amount of effort. <BR/><BR/>Best use of alcohol would be to cut the incoming crude at the refinery leaching out the unrefineable bunker fuel and thereby getting slightly more useful produce plus recovering a portion of the alcohol.<BR/><BR/>Better yet, convert surplus/waste to crude thereby getting better fuel plus getting those equally critical by-products and generaing some alcohol in the process. Has potential<BR/><BR/>What we are now seeing is nothing but corporate welfare and the expense of the most needy.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389355156260957710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-30485867763455894592008-04-11T19:02:00.000+08:002008-04-11T19:02:00.000+08:00...and from an economist:www.nytimes.com/2008/04/0......and from an economist:<BR/><BR/>www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/opinion/07krugman.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogincvjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00327799000000108953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-12284553363686532752008-04-11T09:47:00.000+08:002008-04-11T09:47:00.000+08:00A concurring view from a physicist:http://cosmicva...A concurring view from a physicist:<BR/><BR/>http://cosmicvariance.com/2008/04/10/energy-doesnt-grow-on-trees/cvjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00327799000000108953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-90439315331866867952008-04-11T08:26:00.000+08:002008-04-11T08:26:00.000+08:00The problem with governments is you could hardly e...The problem with governments is you could hardly expect it to work with math-like precision. Sometimes it's corruption, sometimes it's the need for political survival, sometimes it's plain incompetence, and sometimes it's some or all of the above. These extraneous non-math like variables muddle up governments' work, they make presidents wielding economic theories based on mathematical formula dangerous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14974164.post-28899232455635256572008-04-10T22:54:00.000+08:002008-04-10T22:54:00.000+08:00All government induced environmental disasters can...All government induced environmental disasters can be explained by a corollary of the Principle of Resource Use<BR/><BR/>(FYI, The Principle of Resource Use is stated as "It is not the lack of resource that is the problem but the lack of quality resources)<BR/><BR/>Subsidizing resource wasting initiatives to win votes.<BR/><BR/>Examples are ethanol biofuels, rice prices below market rates, diesel discounts to inefficient PU vehicles etc.<BR/><BR/>Subsidies do not enhance the quality of resources thereby contributing to its inefficient(thereby environmentally damaging) use.<BR/><BR/>An economist with a PhD like Gloriana should know that high quality resources have higher prices than low quality ones. Human nature is that when you have a high quality resource the tendency is to conserve it.<BR/><BR/>Example: The Blue Label Johnnie Walker we opened last Christmas hasn't been fully downed!Ben Vallejohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02963290696331676531noreply@blogger.com