There's no real rice shortage and only Sam's Club is limiting the purchases of 40# bags of rice to 2 bags. I don't even think I'd use one fuckin 40lb bag let alone 2. I'm gonna strap one on the back/bottom of my car and poke a small hole in it and drive around town. You know, so I can find my way back later.
Also, ND2RACE, the fact that it takes so much other energy sources, ie, oil/gas to make E85 and yet is still be pushed, is simple, imo. Oil companies control, yet the public is in an upheaval with fuel prices, global warming, etc. So, they still have to make money and yet quell the masses. Solution? An 'alternative' fuel source that still makes them lots of money. THen you have, for lack of a better term, "farm/corn interest" groups. But guess what, these aren't your local ma and pa farmers. Those hardly exist anymore. It's about big corporate owned farms (they own many of the little guys, too.) Also, the government sucks up farms that can no longer make it on their own or say, "Hey, here's some money, but grow what we want." And guess who's pockets they have their hands in? Big oil. Really, it goes so much further than this, but as was said, who really, truly knows the whole story but those involved? And do they even know the whole story? It's all a big cluster fuck.