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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2010)
December 29, 2010 ^nrtlanb ©bseruer Page 17 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHGL $45.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 W © Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) 'NVV "A -<W Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services): $25.00 Padding Corporate Profit Margins Biofuel industry’s $6 billion gift by M arie B rill Who needs $6 bil lion? I do! Especially during the holiday sea son when I try to bal ance my budget and ever-g ro w in g Santa wish lists. I can also tell you who doesn't need $6 billion this year: big oil and gas conglomerates. They just got a little extra via the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit. If you can believe it, this tax credit — one of the best examples of wasteful spending out there — was at tached to the tax cut deal Presi dent Obama negotiated with Re publicans. U.S. taxpayers will initially bear this boondoggle's cost. Ultimately, the poorest people around the world—and our planet itself—will pay the bigger price. Once thought to be a promis ing renewable fuel, evidence is mounting that com ethanol and other basic biofuels are actually worse for the environment than the fossil fuels they're supposed to replace. When you take into consideration the impact on the land and the deforestation that results from biofuel- driven agriculture, you see a rise in greenhouse gases. And, if the BP oil di saster weren't enough, runoff from the fertiliz ers used to grow biofuel crops has contributed to the "dead zones" along the Gulf Coast. Hasn't the Gulf suffered enough without another environ mental threat? Industrial biofuels aren't just bad for the earth. Biofuels, in cluding com ethanol, have con tributed to the rollercoaster ride that com prices have been on over the past few years. This volatility isn't good for anyone- neither for the independent corn- growing farmers in Iowa, nor for the sm allh o ld er farm ers in Mozambique. When food prices are too low, farmers can't afford to grow un derpriced crops. When food prices are too high, consumers go hungry. The rapid growth of biofuels was a major contributing factor to the 2008 global food crisis that pushed 100 million people into poverty and caused 30 million to go hungry. Even though prices went down, many are still feeling the impact of that price hike. Perhaps you know someone who will have to fast, not feast, this holiday season because they lost their job and can't afford the grocery bill. In many countries around the world, growing numbers of smallholder farmers won't feast this season because they lost their land to industrial biofuel farms in fla grant land grabs. As a result, they can no longer produce their own food nor afford to buy it. H eadlines in the Financial Times, The New York Times, and other publications point to another food price crisis in 2011. And, experts at the International Food Policy Research Institute warn that food crises could soon begin to occur more frequently without changes in the global food system. This information should compel Congress to question the outrageous federal biofuel targets and re-evaluate the costs and ben efits of converting food to fuel. Instead, our lawmakers have handed the biofuel industry a $6 billion giveaway through the etha nol tax credit. Ethanol advocates claim this money supports job growth, but this subsidy will barely make a dent on our stub bornly high unemployment rate. It may hardly even boost ethanol production. The $6 billion cost is higher than the savings from President Obama's two-year federal pay freeze. According to the Govern ment Accountability Office, not a penny of this subsidy goes di rectly to helping farmers. This industry giveaway goes to gaso line refiners who blend com etha nol into gasoline, but it will trickle down to pad agribusiness profit m argins at the expense of America's bottom line. I have two kids, and my family had to make hard choices during this holiday season. I expect my member of Congress to do the same, and next year choose to use my taxpayer dollars for re newable energy sources that ac tually protect the planet without putting poor people at risk of hunger. Marie Brill is a senior policy analyst at ActionAid USA, an agency that works around the world to end poverty and injus tice. Area/Oriental Rugs. $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $ 10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet -x Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • M inor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949