Arkansas Blog

Sounds like run of the mill regular old politicians to me. Note how they slam Dave Bisbee for owning a $750K vaction home in Colo. That's to raise people's commie envy. I thought real conservatives celebrated personal wealth accumulation.

When will the Coalition grow some balls and go against the No.West Ark REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY, which is headquartered in Benton County? The Coalition plans to join in with Washington County, and RAISE NEW TAXES. I should mention the Coalition is composed of very rich and hence powerful guys, mostly the Northwest Council.

Oops.

"The Coalition plans" = The Regional Authority plans.

Leave it up to Republicans to fight to keep a race pure. Wasnt' Bisbee supportes by some Democrats to be the President Pro Tem? Maybe that didn't help him with these conservative loons?

Oops.

"The Coalition plans" = The Regional Authority plans.

Conservative Republican Coalition of Northwest Arkansas = The holt family and the Duggar Clan = 140 pissed off virginal kids wearing Amish clothes along with 4 adults that don't know what the little machine in the truck stop provides.

To their credit wiggle, WalMart features racks and racks of prophylactics, just about any brand, any colour and taste you want. However there is an entire movement between Chickenopolis and Benton County (Reichland) that consider it their duty to over populate the planet. It's called the "Quiverfull" folks. Google or look it up on Wiki. There are 1000s of them up here contributing to world food shortages.

HOLY HOCKEYSTICKS.

I think I could barley provide for two kids. Does the the uteruas finally fall out before the baby inventory hit's the high teens?

Just what we need most - another organization aimed at "stopping" something. Why not stop the encroachment of religion on public policy or the RAMPANT domestic abuse among these nitwits?
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It's late, MB has surely retired. So, here's a little lesson in Econ 101 for Deficit happy Rwingnuts, esp Darth Cheney who made the infamous statement: "What we learned in Reagan's administration is that
deficits don't matter." Yeah, sure-

"Chakib Khelil does not rule out oil prices reaching $200 a barrel, even though supply is adequate, because the market is driven by the dollar's slide, Algerian government newspaper El Moudjahid reported on Monday.

"Questioned about a possible rise which would go to $200, the minister did not rule out this eventuality, explaining that this rise is indexed from now on to the fall in the dollar or to the rise in the dollar," El Moudjahid reported.

Khelil, a former World Bank official, is also Algeria's Minister of Energy and Mines.

He added: "The prices are high due to the fact of the recession in the United Sattes and the economic crisis which has touched several countries, a situation which has an effect on the devaluation of the dollar, and therefore each time the dollar falls one percent, the price of the barrel rises by $4, and of course vice versa," he was quoted as saying in brief remarks to journalists on Sunday.

He added that: "If this (the dollar) strengthens by 10 percent, it is probable that (oil) prices will fall by 40 percent."
Reuters/NYT
April 28, 2008
blue name

For those who prefer pictures rather than numbers here's the graph for Euro/USD exchange rate.
Note what happened when Neo-Convicts took office.
blue name.

Great points lwood.

Our press has once again failed to explain to the American people the cause of most of the gas price increase over the past 7 years. I assume our press is so ignorant that they don't know the actual cause. Gas has gone up 50% in France in the past 7 years, but it's gone up 233% here in the US. Virtually all of the increase we have seen has been the result of the ever weakening US dollar. The economy has been kept alive for the past 7 years by cutting taxes, increasing spending (500 billion for the war) and cutting interest rates. All of which weaken the US dollar.

As the dollar weakens, not only does it make oil more expensive, it encourages investors to buy oil and commodity futures. This drives the price of oil and commodities up even higher which is why oil has gone up 20% in the past month. This is also the reason why grain prices are skyrocketing. The stupid media seems to think it's all due to increased ethanol production.

The press has continually failed the American people, especially over the past 10 years. A democracy depends on an informed citizenry and that is primarily the duty of the press. The press is suppose to report facts independently and not just repeat what they are told by politicians and big business.

This is also the reason why grain prices are skyrocketing.<<

Actually, oil and grain have an indirect price ratio. Grain prices are up because foolish people like Gov. Beebe think producing fuel from food grains is the smart thing to do. It isn't. There are other plants which would produce fuel oils much better than corn. By putting excessive ethanol demand on corn it raises the price of beef, chicken, tacos, tortillas, etc. Brazil is living oil-free. Sugar cane does the trick for them.
The other foolish thing about using feed grains as fuel oil is it's inefficient. For any fuel there must be a
surplus. That means you get more outputs than the cost of inputs. Corn offers no surplus when used as a fuel. It does offer an artificial surplus in the way of tax advantages.

Max,

So who is behind this conservative coalition? If they have been around since 2006, surely they have been filing disclosure reports.

ARK. BLOG: Good thought.

Another thing with grains prices is that everyday you can have anywhere from $5 to $50 billion in non grain end user money in the commodity market. Hedge fun that ds and investment are basically playing and creating swings in the grain markets. Speculators now outnumber hedgers by at least 5 to 1 in the markets. Now tie all of that with crop production woes in opposite season growing regions, along with the black sea, and put huge protein demand from China and india in with the same mix. Fuel demand might explain corn, however soybeans are being pulled in five directions and biodoiesel is eating up any surplus oil. We as a planet rely on soybean for everything from cooking to makeup. Now the corn for fuel issue does not really affect wheat and rice prices except for lost acreage in the plantings. Not much wheat or rice in this country is going towards making up for the feed demand not fulfilled by corn. Some DDG (dried distillers grain) left over from making corn ethanol is helping to quench some feed demand. We do not grow much rice or wheat in this country that is of the feed quality. (Jasmine and Basmati is a type of rice, not a quality of rice)

Sugar cane is a better ethanol provider than corn. Hell, the moonshiners figured that out years ago and the cheap shine was made from sugar.

Switch grass is a great ethanol maker; however the learning curve for farmers is going to be steep if they switch from corn to switchgrass. Switchgrass is more of a fixed crop than a switchable one such as corn. With switchgrass you have 3 years from when you plant until you can get a normalized crop output that will bring a real return. Then for the next seven years you are left wide open to the swings in the market for the demand for switchgrass. At the end of seven years you have to rip it all out and start over again. It takes a farmer from being a row cropper to a orchard watcher.

I declare shenigans. Lisa7 escaped from St Holt Asylum for Legally Insane Muckrakers Institute.

oops wrong thread.

Good post wiggle. You save me some time.

Lwood, corn ethanol is not an effiecnet source of fuel, but it's not the reason grain prices are going up (see wiggle's comment).