This is a Huge Tipping Point.

[Ripley]

1. One cent increase in fuel costs sets airlines back millions in a year. Now we're talking about dollars increase. I think Delta and a few others will be shut down.

2. Lots of folks are not going to be able to even get gasoline in their vehicles if they even have the $50-$80 to pay for it because the stations are drying up. So how will they get to work? Business will lose production/money.

3. Businesses cannot pass on this extra expense to their customers. Many of them will go under.

4. Panic is going to set in. It always does in my area right before a Tornado or ice storm. And this will dwarf those events and is nationwide.

I've changed my mind. It's not a ripple effect. This is gonna be fast. This is gonna be a Cascade event.

I hope I am just being overcome with grief and am hysterically babbling.

[SweetLeftFoot]

1. Admittedly

I'm living in Edinburgh and the reaction here is - nowhere near as big as the tsunami and the Yanks are immeasurably richer so they should be able to deal with it themselves. Lots of sympathy but no great concern.

[Journeyman]

2. History books like to say the Great Depression began. . .

in the Fall of 1929. Of course, this was when it hit the financial markets and began to effect the wealthy. The true starting point was the Summer of 1927, when it began to rain in the upper Mississippi Valley and the flood waters rushed towards Louisiana. Those poor people in the lower Mississippi Valley never did recover and Black Tuesday only compounded their troubles; it didn't start them.

[donsu]

3. we know the bushgang takes advantage/profit from disasters

and you are right, the financial world is going into a tizzy

[Ripley]

6. Tizzy. Love that word.

I'm sure it is with glee that Halliburton sees this as a no-bid contract moment no different than those in Iraq.

[Why Syzygy]

4. Probably not

Welcome to third world, America aka George W. Bush.

HOW THE FUCK did that hillbilly get away with this?

[LSK]

5. less people going places means less people spending money

This is definately headed to a big recession or even worse. I would be surprised if I still have a job by Christmastime.

[European Socialist]

7. Katrina is just the match that started the fire.

The only hope is energy price controls-but with Smirk in charge-it will be too little, too late-if at all.

[Ripley]

8. No kidding.

Look in a book of phrases..you'll see the ugly Chimp's mug next to "A Day Late and a Dollar Short." Or this one "Biggest Failure to Hit America."