Oil vs Ethanol

I didn't even think of the most obvious downside to relying too heavily on ethanol instead of oil.

So, what relying on ethanol gives us:

• Less dependence on foreign oil (making oil less expensive) BUT
• Increased water consumption (making water more expensive)
• Increased costs in feeding livestock (making meat more expensive)
• Less corn available for food (making corn more expensive)
• "Cleaner" car exhaust (debatable) BUT
• More fuel production plants (who knows what their by-products are?)
• Increased "consumer confidence" in an American market BUT
• Reliance on just as unsustainable a practice as relying on oil

Why don't we focus on the root of the problem -- consuming less fuel -- instead of developing quick fixes?

Long-term fixes:

• Don't bargain with OPEC to get them to sell us cheap oil (if people realize that it IS expensive, maybe they'll stop using so much)
• Promote using less fuel (if there was an iPod equivalent to a fuel-efficient car, you bet your ass people would want them)
• Tax breaks for those using less fuel, and increased taxes for those that want to use ridiculously more car than they need
• Limit the population increase in the US (less people, less consumers) -- a personal favorite, but not likely to go over well