National Biodiesel Day...

in theory, we should celebrate today. celebrate the natural fuel that is not only better for our environment, but the fuel that also helps to eat up the carbon-dioxide emitted by our other forms of fuel. the fuel that will help our country become less dependent on arab fuel, and ultimately the fuel that when put to good use, will make george w. bush go broke.

like i said, in theory, we should celebrate biodiesel for all of it's good traits. but at what cost to the u.s. economy? farmers all over the country are doing better than ever; able to charge top prices for crops. agricultural equipment companies such as john deere and caterpillar have seen record setting jumps in their stock prices because of biodiesel; two of the very few stocks that have continued to hold their ground during the recent market drop. not only is it helping those companies maintain in the market, but it's being shown that john deere equipment is even benefiting from being run on biodiesel, helping their engines last up to 40% longer. the ease of producing biodiesel is also helping farmers become more self-sufficient, by keeping a portion of their own crops for fueling their equipment, lowering their overhead. indeed a much needed break for farmers after years of struggling and depending on the governemnt to stay afloat.

but the cost to the rest of us? supply and demand is a bitch. in the first three months of the current year, we have all seen the ever-inflating prices at the supermarket. everything from flour to pasta, eggs to milk, chicken to beef. and god forbid you're one of those that prefers soymilk over regular milk, the recent jump in soy prices, (america's #1 cashcrop) has caused the price of a half-gallon of soymilk to jump to nearly $5 in some markets!!! three years ago the united states was exporting 60% of it's soybeans to third world countries; today that number has dropped to 18%! a disturbing fact that goes to show how our economic crisis is further depressing some economies overseas. the biggest shock to me is the cost of pasta; i fondly recall the days when you could pick up 4 pounds of pasta for $3, the other day in the supermarket it was $1.29 for a 14 oz. box. what a deal. 2oz. less for more money. (sarcasm implied)

it certainly doesn't seem that there is any end in site, at least in the very near future. our country's economy is sliding ever so slowly into the bowels of the septic system; the rich continue to get richer and the poor? poorer. i don't want to go off on a rant, but the other day i saw a report on cnbc about how this is the first time in u.s. history that being at war hasn't provided a boost in our economy. but i guess that's what happens when you're involved in a war that we have no business being involved in. thatnks again to all you folks that voted for bush. i'll leave it at that.