OT - The Tortilla Crisis

Let them eat cake.

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

"The government quickly admitted that the increase was due to "monopolistic practices" and "speculation" by distributors and other intermediaries, and not to economic fundamentals."

Don't fall for the liberal news media's spin on this ridiculous story... corn is up what, less than a penny per ear? Tortillas are made from white corn, ethanol is made from yellow field corn... field corn doesn't go into food for people, it goes into feed for cattle. The Mexicans have tariffs on imported corn, to keep the prices up... and keep our corn out! The "tortilla crisis" protests are a political stunt by Obrador to hurt Calderon... and our j*rk-off news media is jumping right on the story, as usual.

"Food industry executives and some government officials initially attributed the price jump to tight supplies and higher international prices for corn owing to increased production of corn-based ethanol in the US.

This was quickly debunked, as the corn consumed in Mexico is not of the same type as that used to produce the alternative fuel (Mexicans consume white cornmeal, while ethanol is made from yellow corn, which has limited uses for human consumption).

Moreover, Mexican farmers produced a healthy-sized crop of white corn in

2006, according to official data."

"The surge in the price of tortillas prompted an outcry across Mexico that led the administration of President Felipe Calderon, who took office on Dec.

1, to approve the importation of 650,000 tons of corn to stem the rise in the price of the commodity.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, Mexico was supposed to eliminate tariffs on imports of maize and beans by 2008, but the National Peasant Farmers Confederation, or CNC, and other rural organizations have asked the government to insert safeguards into that portion of the treaty to protect family farms.

Mexican small-scale farmers fear being inundated by cheap corn and beans grown by big U.S. producers who enjoy greater access to credit and technology and, in some cases, government subsidies."

On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:33:17 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Mark Jerde" quickly quoth:

The consequences for thinking such inane things and putting them into a paragraph online are truly unimaginable.

- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---

An article on tortillas was posted and to this I say:

I heard this last week on Minn. Public Radio and laughed my ass off! In the first place the type of corn used for ethanol is yellow corn. This type of corn is strictly used for animal feed and if you follow the steps in ethanol production you will find that only the starch in the ground corn is used. The left over mash is called distillers grain and can be feed to cattle or hogs wet or dried and bagged to be feed at a later date. The type of corn used for corn meal is white corn and even if this type was used for ethanol, when dried, it could still be use for tortillas or corn bread or corn flakes etc. as only the starch is converted to sugar which is converted to alcohol.

H.R.

One thing about liberals......there's a new "crisis" every day.

I'm sorry to have to educate you but White Corn, Yellow Corn, Wheat, and other grains are used to make tortillas.

Personally, I prefer Yellow Corn tortillas but will settle for White Corn tortillas in a pinch.

[Wheat] Flour Tortillas are, however, the most popular.

You must lead a sheltered existance up there in Lefse Land since you seem to be unaware that Yellow Corn Meal, Yellow Corn, and Yellow Corn Bread are very popular through the Sun Belt.

I was thinking of posting that same exact remark. Great minds think alike ;)

Wes S

I think we can afford the food.

Sadly, that is likely very true. A sad commentary on Mexico, that with all the oil revenue, it can not or will not feed its poor people.

Wes S

Wait a minute, we are expending a lot of energy to produce ethanol from corn to get an alternate fuel. What if we were to ship the corn and a bunch of beans to Mexico and just harvest the by products of digestion for the fuel?

Currently these byproducts are being vented to the atmosphere as unburned hydrocarbons, a component of smog and a contribution to global warming.

With just some tubing and some pipe we could prevent all of this pollution. Al Gore would be proud.

The government doesn't subsidize corn prices when they are this high.

"But the rise in corn prices has a silver lining. Higher market prices means that government price subsidies used to provide farmers with a guaranteed return have fallen.

On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office said American taxpayers will save some $31 billion over the next 10 years, compared to previous estimates, due increased corn demand from ethanol producers.

The CBO now estimates that farm subsidies will cost $10 billion this year and the annual cost "will range between $8 billion and $10 billion over the next decade." That compares to $18 billion spent on farm subsidies in 2006."

And frying catfish in anything but yellow corn meal is a hanging offense.

--Andy Asberry--

------Texas-----

Or continue on to The Great White North, claim refugee status, and our government will support them much better than had they been born here. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

But look at what befell her for that comment.

Joe Gwinn

Though what Mexico needs..is another revolution and a serious purging of the 7 Families. For a country with more natural resources than the US..it really sucks to be a Mexican citzen there, particularly of the lower classes.

Wheres Madam LaFarge when you need her?

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:38:55 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Andy Asberry quickly quoth:

Amen, Bruddah. That goes double for putting any sugar into corn bread batter (or salad dressing; If I want dessert, I'll order it, thanks.) Yum, I think I'll make some cornbread to eat with lunch. Albers corn meal seems to be head and shoulders above the stuff in either Rays Market or Fred Meyers' bulk bins around here. They probably mix the white and yellow together, so I keep a box of Albers around.

- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---

On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:52:37 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

That probably wouldn't hurt in either of our countries.

Didn't she send her husband off to talk to Socrates regarding the difference in experience for each poison?

- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---

On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:17:37 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "Roger Shoaf" quickly quoth:

Ah, if only that were true. Legumes produce gas only while your system adjusts to them, a few days at most. Once you've been eating beans for

3 days, all the gas stops.

P.S: You forgot the "Kumbaya" when you mentioned GAK!

- Inside every older person is a younger person wondering WTF happened. ---

But I thought it was your goverments policy to increase your population by 100%.

You have a wonderfull chunk of land, why polute it with more people.

Wes S

PS. I'm hoping to make it up to Canada again before a passport is required. I wonder if Perry's Gunshop in Ste Sault Marie is still operating.