**Trying Hard Not To Laugh**

I really shouldn't find this funny, since it pains me as much as it pains everyone else. But here goes... The price of wheat has increased nearly 2.5x over the past 12 months. Why? Interesting question. It seems farmers are growing more corn these days. This is due to the rising demand of alternate fuels, namely Ethanol. Ethanol is viewed by some as a godsend. It's better for the environment (and it USED to be cheaper than gas).

It didn't take me long to find out that, as I had expected, Ethanol actually leaves a LARGER carbon footprint than gasoline. One of the largest carbon emissions in the world is due to deforestation. And yes, to grow more crops we'll need to cut down more trees. Obviously the rainforest is the first to go.

My main sense of joy comes from the ironic fact that the environmentalists against these big oil companies are completely misled. We need energy, that will never change. Isn't it better to get it from beneath the earth's surface, where you can gain access to a 10,000 acre field that's several meters thick just by drilling a 9-inch hole, rather than cutting down 10,000 acres of trees and planting on it for the next 100 years?

In the meantime, I'm stuck paying three bucks for a loaf of bread. Thanks guys, you're really helping the situation.

Reviving the U.S. Economy

Yup, it's a big focal point of the government. They're working on it... HARD! Once again I must admit not to be an expert on the matter (I have to do this a lot), but, much like other issues I tend to think this works to my advantage. Since I'm not just looking at the advanced figures, I can look at the bottom line and notice you've put a '+' where you should have a '*'... an 'A' where you should have a 'G'.

So the FED cuts interest rates... Fantastic! Now I can afford that mortgage! Prices drop... I'm saving more money to either bank or buy more things! Call me stupid, but I fail to see how this will effect the economy. Yes, we're buying more stuff...cash is changing hands...I see the obvious things just like you do. However, while you go along with what the government may be telling you, I'm saying... Wait, we forgot about the REAL bottom line. The bottom line is NOT consumer confidence amoung the American people... It's not going out and buying things like they're all telling you to do... It's PRODUCING the things for people to buy!

We just have a glorified trade network people... If you're not skinning a deer you're not gonna have anything to trade for that sack of potatoes. The more skins you can WORK to get, the more potatoes you can trade them for.

Now we're all swiping our credit cards... the bank is giving us the skins to trade for the potatoes, but they're gonna make us give them two skins back next week before they call it even. The sad thing is that the government is doing the same thing, with the largest deficit of all time... This is the example they're setting for us... I certainly won't take THIER advice on what to do with my money.

The bottom line is that we've gone from a nation that works today for what we can buy tomorrow to a nation who buys today what we'll have to work off tomorrow. And we've reached beyond what we're able to work off. Brace yourself, because the bank is finding out they're never gonna get those skins back from you... they handed out too many, and now someone's gotta burn! My only advice is to ignore the world falling down around you... Go out and get that deer. Get two. I don't care how long it takes or how hard you have to work to do it. Get out there and MAKE IT HAPPEN!