Last Thursday the Usurper-in-Chief announced presented a 43 page National Bioeconomy Blueprint which will foster the nation’s new virtual “bioeconomy” including renewable resources, biological manufacturing, biofuel, lubricants from soybeans, and pharma-foods.  What is wrong with is picture?  Just try to eat this virtual bio-buck food!  You can’t eat something that is renewable for then it would not be considered renewable.  We already have bio-fuel but it looks as though the Usurper wants to allocate the 2% of the population producing food and turn them into mini-petro producers.  It is unfathomable to imagine the world without soybean lubricant.  I would gladly trade in my hamburger and fries for soy lubricant, not!  Big Pharma is a growing concern but do you really want all your food to be medicine.  (Psst…in the old days when men were men, food was food and medicine).  As to biological manufacturing, will America exclusively produce genetically modified organisms to be deployed throughout the world?

Just what is biotechnology?   The White House thinks it might be anything biologically related.  The definition of “biotechnology” is so elusive and vague that the White House did not even know what it should include.  The Office of Science and Technology Policy sought public comment and received 135 comments.  Given the response these would be people or companies lobbying the White House for seeking favor for biotechnology ventures.

The White House is tearing a page out of the Bill Gates Foundation model and is offering “grand challenges” prizes for innovation, collaboration of university and companies in “lab to commerce”, improve education & work force training, encourage collaboration between government and private sector which is known as Fascism, and to make government regulation faster at the request of certain special interest groups such as pharmaceutical companies.  On the heels of the announcement the USDA is going to speed up the process for genetically modified crops.   Another controversial science, synthetic biology, which synthesizes DNA to create novel organisms to perform tasks, is being considered although it is acknowledged that it “carries potential safety and security risks if misapplied.”  Other novel projects include:  DNA sequencing,fusing disciplines to make create liquid fuel directly from carbon dioxide, biodegradable plastic from biomass, and “specialty” foods. 

Under the Agenda 21 canopy biology now “can allow Americans to live longer, healthier lives, reduce our dependence on oil, address key environmental challenges, transform manufacturing processes, and increase the productivity and scope of the agricultural sector while growing new jobs and industries,” the report says.  Scientists and industry executives hailed the government’s commitment saying that it will make it easier to push through specific new programs to advance their programs to rake in the cash.

Like dominoes lined up for the big fall by a flick of a finger, so too, other countries and regions are all lining up for the virtual Bioeconomy Blueprint such as the European Commission.

Jim Thomas of the ETC Group, an environmental organization, said the whole idea of a bioeconomy was misguided. Using crops and other plants for energy or manufacturing could lead to destruction of forests, particularly in the tropics, and increases in food prices.

Small farmers shake their heads and comment, “Just try and eat this virtual food. Ask yourself if any of these pie-in-the-sky projects make real food for real people or is this just another government blueprint to waste taxpayer’s hard earned dollars?”