The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 391
Open Letter to Jillian Kay Melchor and the National
Review About the Iowa Primary
Originally published January 24, 2016
Hi Jillian:
I read your recent article in National Review titled "Trump's Support for Ethanol
Is Bad for Taxpayers and Their Cars" and I'm perplexed as to why you would
take the subject on? The article is written as if you understand the subject matter, but the information you present shows that you don't know anything about
it. Was this simply your personal contribution to the National Review's effort to
scuttle Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the editors at National Review didn't think that anyone would read your article? Were they just looking to
beef up the edition with whatever fodder they could?
What ethanol subsidy are you complaining about? The blender subsidy, which
went to the blenders, not the ethanol producers, ended in 2011. Federal tax
credits ended in 2014. If you are against subsidies then you should be howling
mad at the oil industry. They receive many, many times more subsidies than
the ethanol industry ever did, and oil subsidies and tax credits have been going
on for over 100 years.
Ethanol opponents always said that ethanol subsidies should be removed and
that if ethanol is so good that it should be able to stand on its own. Well, it has.
But the truth is that all subsidies to the oil industry should be removed and then
