Well, simple logic would say to check your facts first also. We are not using the food supply to make ethanol. Of the entire US corn crop, only 20% is ever used for human consumption. Of the 80% left, 40% of that is used to make ethanol, and of that 40% that is used, the majority of the grain is returned to the livestock feed supply in the form of high protein feed supplements and other goodies. And in many cases, before the corn is even used for distillery ethanol production, the corn oil and some other products are removed. There is no threat to the food supply and we are not using it up to make ethanol. But some weird ideas just never die thanks to the internet.
I have been using at least a 10% blend of ethanol in most everything I have owned that runs on gas since the late 70's when the stuff first started showing up. I, and other family members, have taken vehicles to well over 250,000 miles using the stuff with no fuel related problems. I have owned several JD lawn mowers that have and still get fed a diet of 10%, and they have never had a problem. My pickup has seen frequent doses of E85 fuel and when it didn't get that, it got E10. runs like a champ.
Are there common sense things you should take in regards to ethanol? Of course. Just like there are common sense things you should do regarding any fuel be it gas, diesel, biodiesel, propane, NG, or ethanol blends. Gas has its own problems. it can gum up carbs and injectors among other things. One sometimes needs an additive to clean things up. It is not some sort of "the best fuel mankind has ever discovered". Ethanol is not either, but then, no fuel is perfect. They each have various issues. Like diesel, and especially biodiesel. Ok, don't treat your diesel fuel when the temps hit -30F and see what happens. Ethanol should not be stored in any vehicle or container for a long period that has a vented fuel cap or system. Condensation can build up in that type of fuel system and the ethanol will bond with the water. A small amount, no big deal. A larger amount, and you can have some fuel related issues on down the line. But one thing for sure, if you only get trace amounts of moisture in the fuel tank, ethanol will clean it out and there will be no chance of fuel line freezing in the winter. You have to have a balanced approach to using any fuel.
And there is the occasional product that has been made in the last few years that used substandard components in fuel systems that can be adversely affected by ethanol. Not the fault of the fuel, but the fault of the folks who are still putting stuff together on the cheap, knowing full well that ethanol is in almost all gasoline sold now. Put the blame where it needs to be, on the product manufacturer or don't buy their product. Same can be said of biodiesel.
