Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Good Marks, Bad Marks

Embrapa (remember the name) is the World Research Leader in tropical agriculture, making Brazil a direct Competitor for the foremost Exporter of foodstuffs. The importance of the article is the essential fact that the United States has identical Soil-building opportunities to what Brazil has done. American Sewage today drains into Fresh Water systems as basic Pollutant, when Sewage is an excellent base for a Soil-building Starter. Research has already constructed working Test Plants which turn Sewage in a pellet-form of Fertilizer by mass production means. Railroads could start a Triangle trade of delivery of Coal, transfer of processed fertilizer to Soil-building sites in covered Coal dump cars, and then a shorter Deadhead to the Coal fields. The alternate form of Sewage disposal would increase actual Fresh Water supplies, and Research could find basic Water-fixation Plants for rebuilt Soil acreage. Actual Research Costs would probably cost less than one major-city Sewage system today. The Sewage Processing plants for fertilizer can be competitive with current methods, and the separate Projects would supply as many good Jobs at the military/industrial complex, but at only a fraction of the Cost. The United States must learn to Work again, if We intend to maintain Top Place.

Both Ford and Volkswagen both suffered from a drop in Sales, Ford worse than VW. Audi showed a Gain in Sales, though these were totally dependent upon the overall superiority of the vehicle. The Credit Crisis has obviously impacted the Auto industry, but I wonder if the Market is simply just saturated. Beginning Drivers cannot manage the high current Cost of new automobiles, while the Population is Ageing at the fastest rate ever; with the predictable decline in new Car Sales to the Elderly. The heyday of American Auto Sales may have been reached and passed. It might require study of Replacement rates in this Country; I wonder how Many are currently maintaining the Three-Year Replacement rate which the Industry has been touting for years.

Lynne Kiesling has a good Piece on the unintended consequences of the ethanol subsidies. It has somewhat drastically altered Food prices, and there has been an overproduction of ethanol, lowering the price of it; putting the ethanol investment capitalization in danger. I don’t know if I like the sweeter tomato, in fear that Heinz will lose that special tang which is its real Trademark. The Whole of Today’s argument may be that Government does poorly in both Monetary policy and Subsidies, average in Funding projects, and excellent only in Taxation; Republicans and conservative Economists long abandoning the only arena where Government can show any success. lgl

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