I applaud the 1,500 UNC Chapel Hill students who gave their time and effort Saturday to package meals for the needy in Haiti, El Salvador and India. Helping others is a key piece of a compassionate, civilized society, and this is uplifting to see.
At the same time, I can’t help but note the irony of this feed-the-hungry effort at UNC. I think it’s fair to stipulate that many college students have also bought into the environmental movement’s misguided push for ethanol mandates. As I blogged earlier today, The Atlantic reports that millions of poor people around the world are being pushed back into poverty due to rising food prices. The diversion of massive amounts of corn into ethanol — reportedly 30 percent of U.S. corn production last year according to the story — cannot be ignored for its negative impact on the poor and hungry. If they are intellectually honest, these students, who’ve shown admirable concern for others, will also push to eliminate government mandates for ethanol.
