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Oh Crap, I Agree With Paul Krugman!

February 22, 2008, 10:33 am

Paul Krugman, on ethanol:

I'm almost never censored at the Times. However, I was told that I couldn't use the lede I originally wrote for my column
following the 2007 State of the Union address, in which Bush made
ethanol the centerpiece of his energy strategy: "Before the State of
the Union address, there had been hints and hopes that President Bush
would offer a serious plan to reduce our dependence on imported oil.
Instead, however, he took refuge in alcohol."

Well, anyway - the news on ethanol just keeps getting worse. Bad for the economy, bad for consumers, bad for the planet - what's not to love?

Well, I have heard that he was a pretty good economist before he became a political hack.

Tags: , , , , ,
Category: Economics
  • happyjuggler0

    Oh Crap, I Agree With Paul Krugman!

    Hell must have just frozen over. Hmmmm, maybe that is the real cause of global warming, that Hell has frozen over, or is freezing over. All that displaced heat has to go somewhere.

  • skh.pcola

    I have heard that he was a pretty good economist before he became a political hack.

    In pretty much the same way Noam Chomsky is a cunning linguist, but becomes a commietard when he delves into politic commentary.

  • Mesa Econoguy

    Krugman had a respectable run as an economist, but was fired from his Council of Economic Advisors job during the Reagan Administration, for bad economic forecasting, I believe.

    Maybe he should become a Global Warming "scientist."

  • Rufus

    Searchinger? Oh, the Activist with the Doctor of Juris degree.

    $792.50/Ton - also, known as $0.005 to $0.01 per pound of corn produced.

    Actually, we'll use about 20% of our corn crop (19 million acres out of 90) for that 15 billion gal of ethanol. Meanwhile, we'll continue to pay farmers NOT TO PLANT 36 Million Acres. We'll survive, somehow; but, Paul Krugman still won't be an economist.

  • http://woodedpaths.blogspot.com/ DWPittelli

    I agree with you on the (lack of) merit of ethanol. But the New York Times was right to spike that lead.

  • The Dirty Mac

    The problem is that all of this opposition is developing now that all of the subsidy programs are in place. Good luck having funding reduced by even one penny.

  • http://lovepoems.poetryman6969.com/lovepoetry.html poetryman69

    Energy Independence Now!

    No more Oil Wars!

    Stop funding the terrorists!

    Drill in Anwar.

    Build more nuclear power plants

    Use More coal.

    Use more natural gas

    Turn trash into energy

    Double the efficiency of windmills and solar cells.

    If France can do nuclear power so can we.

    If Brazil can do biomass/ethanol power so can we.

    If Australia can do LNG power so can we.

    Domestically produced energy will end recession and spur the economy.

  • TJIT

    Rufus and his faithbased ethanol policy are an entertaining thing to watch. His ability to ignore all of the engineering, economic, and agricultural evidence that ethanol is a boondoggle is neatly summarized by the slogan below.

    The ethanol lobby says it, I believe it, that settles it.
    .

  • Rufus

    Actually, Ol' Rufus, he done run the numbers for hisself. That seprates him frum a few people he knows.

  • Rufus

    While some folks is reading Paul Krugman, and the New York Times Ol' Rufus is readin this:

    EU Research Project increases Biogas yield by up to 40%, improves utilization efficiency.

    http://biopact.com/2008/02/eu-research-project-increases-biogas.html