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* Higher electric rates are coming

* Foie gras narcs make mistake

* Interesting ethanol debate.

Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute says that increasing demand for ethanol threatens world food supplies. High fuel prices make it more and more profitable to convert food crops to fuel.

Brown cites research that indicates that if every planned ethanol production facility in Iowa is actually constructed, nearly the state’s entire corn crop would be used for fuel. He worries that the corresponding increase in food prices could have disastrous consequences for people in poorer countries.

Groups like the Renewable Fuels Association disagree. They say that most of the corn going to ethanol isn’t the variety that people usually eat and that technological innovations will allow supply to keep up with food and fuel demand.

* “Taking a step toward offering free preschool for any child who wants it, Chicago will use $16.8 million in new state money to add at least 2,500 preschool students this year, pushing the number of kids in preschool to 30,000.”

* Sweet: What Obama needs to reach next level

* From Peraica’s campaign: “Cook County Commissioner and reform Board Presidential candidate Tony Peraica will discuss the “Shakman resolution” he will introduce at today’s Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting calling on the Board to call for the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee all hiring in Cook County government and urging the Cook County State’s Attorney not to oppose such a call.”

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 7:25 am

Comments

Sweet writing about Obama? SHOCKING! I thought she was on his pay roll.

Comment by TommyBoy Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 7:58 am
Yes, there is definitely something wrong when people in the world are starving and we are turning food into gasoline. True, this isn’t sweet corn that you eat at a barbeque, it is feed corn that is fed to hogs and cattle or made into cereal. That argument that this isn’t corn that people “usually eat” doesn’t hold water.

Comment by NoGiftsPlease Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 8:24 am
Go Peraica! While Toddler ducks interviews, keep up the fight against corruption.

Comment by Wumpus Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 8:50 am
I don’t get the Stroger campaign. He’s supposed to be interviewed on WLS (Don Wade and Roma) this morning but blows it off. They then get Peracia on the phone and he slams the Toddler for 8th Ward corruption and blowing off a scheduled debate on another station. Why allow a potential positive opportunity to be turned into a major negative? Who’s handling this guy? Are they intentionally trying to lose or just so overconfident they don’t think they have to actually campaign?

Comment by Bluefish Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 10:18 am
$16.8M for Universal Preschool?!? My math may not be perfect…
2,500 children = $6,720/child
$45M for 10,000 students (7/26/06 figure) = $4,500/child. That’s a 33% increase in cost in just over a month. Thus far, 30,000 are enrolled which comes out to a cost of $201.6M or $135M depending on which figure you use. By 2010, 190,000 students would cost $1.2768BILLION or $85.5M based on today’s & July’s figures. Of course, that’s not figuring in the monthly increase of 33% over the next 48 months…Mit Romney was right when he said Massachusetts could not afford the $1Billion cost of UP. Illinois can’t afford it either.

Comment by CrunchyCon Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 11:28 am
Wait, Peraica is no longer the Republican candidate, he’s the Reform candidate? Guess that comes with Team Taxenberger running your campaign.

Comment by Huh Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 11:32 am
Farmers can choose to plant a different type of corn depending on what will be most profitable for them. But we are paving over corn fields and putting up developments on them, so I don’t think you get to blame ethanol on a dwindling corn supply. Fact is, the prices are so low, because there’s been a surplus for just about forever of grain. Using it to make ethanol just means that some of it will be diverted into a different usage which means prices may go up. That’s the way the market works. One benefit might be that without huge surpluses flooding the markets of poorer nations, maybe the native farmers in those nations can sell without having to compete against our dumped surplus grain.

Comment by cermak_rd Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 11:36 am
Something familiar, Something peculiar, Something for everyone: A comedy tonight!

Nothing with kings, nothing with crowns;
Bring on the lovers, liars and clowns!
Old situations, New complications, Nothing portentous or polite; Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!

Something convulsive, Something repulsive, Something for everyone: A comedy tonight!

Nothing with gods, nothing with fate; Weighty affairs will just have to wait! Something erratic, Something dramatic, Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

Stunning surprises! Cunning disguises!
Hundreds of actors out of sight!

Pantaloons and tunics! Courtesans and eunuchs!
Funerals and chases! Baritones and basses!
Panderers! Philanderers! Cupidity! Timidity!
Mistakes! Fakes! Rhymes! Crimes!

Tumblers! Grumblers! Bumblers! Fumblers!
Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!

Comment by Ignatius J. Reily Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 12:56 pm
“A lot of people like that reform. Maybe we should get us some.”

Junior O’Daniel
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Comment by HappyToaster Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 2:39 pm
But wouldn’t you have to leave your nephews in charge of the moonshine…..

Comment by Ignatius J. Reily Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 2:56 pm
for any child who wants it,

How many children tell their parents they want to go to preschool?

Comment by taxmandan Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 3:16 pm
there’ll be corn available….it’ll just be a matter of how much you want to pay for it. great time to be a corn and soybean farmer…no doha, no cuts in subsidies, skyrocketing ethanol projections…life is good…

Comment by grainy Thursday, Sep 7, 06 @ 6:24 pm