Greasing The Taxpayers

I don't know where to begin with this article in the Des Moines Register ("Political uncertainty hampers biodiesel industry").

The article starts off complaining about how those evil capitalist pig oil companies have a lawsuit against a biodiesel mandate by the EPA, and:

Meanwhile, the biodiesel industry's $1-a-gallon subsidy expired at the end of 2009 because of an unrelated disagreement in the Senate over a tax bill, and the subsidy still hasn't been renewed.

So what's happening with Iowa's biodiesel industry now? It's mostly idle.

You've got to love this bit of statist cheerleading by "reporter" Philip Brasher:

Some Senate Republicans have criticized the ethanol subsidy, but there has never been much public criticism of the biodiesel tax credit. The biodiesel subsidy is less expensive to taxpayers than the ethanol tax credit because biodiesel production is lower.

Only a pro-government hack would write a sentence like "The biodiesel subsidy is less expensive to taxpayers than the ethanol tax credit because biodiesel production is lower."

Brasher, have you looked lately?  The country is broke.  We broke!

"Waiter, give me the biodiesel subsidy, it's cheaper than the ethanol tax credit."


"I'm sorry, sir, but your credit card is maxed out."

See how dumb that sounds?