PrintMay 24, 2011
Pawlenty calls for end of ethanol subsidies - in Iowa
Of course he's right. But it has been something of a ritual in recent elections for GOP hopefuls to make the trek to Iowa and extoll the glories of using corn for fuel. No doubt the former Minnesota governor wanted to make a splash.
He did:
I'm here today to tell Iowans the truth, too.About 40% of Iowans are employed in one way or another in agriculture. It should be interested to see how badly his stance hurts him in that first in the nation caucus as opposed to what benefits he will get from being seen as a bold leader elsewhere.
America is facing a crushing debt crisis the likes of which we've never seen before. We need to cut spending, and we need to cut it.big time. The hard truth is that there are no longer any sacred programs.
The truth about federal energy subsidies, including federal subsidies for ethanol, is that they have to be phased out. We need to do it gradually. We need to do it fairly. But we need to do it.
