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