CAMPAIGN ’88 : Bush’s Corn Remedy

In a barn in Farragut, Iowa, Vice President George Bush reached into a bin and sifted through stored corn--tons upon tons of it. At this particular farm, government-subsidized corn from the harvests of 1984, ‘85, ’86 and ’87 is piled up, awaiting buyers.

The farmers looked at Bush looking at their mountains of surplus corn. And they asked what, as President, would he do to make it right?

Well, consider the Southern California barbecue, Bush replied.

Instead of paying farmers to grow unneeded corn, he said, why not buy the corn from them and turn it into low-pollution ethanol fuel?

Here comes the barbecue part.

Not only would such a plan help farmers, it would improve the energy independence of the United States and, to boot, forestall radical anti-pollution measures in urban America.

“In Los Angeles, one of the remedies discussed, if we don’t get (air pollution) under control, is to ban home barbecues,” Bush explained. “Can you imagine, all those guys in Los Angeles and they say, no more barbecues?

“We’d have a revolution on our hands.”

Who can resist calling this a corny story?