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| quote: | Hurricane Rita is not only swirling up the winds and the rain in Texas.
It’s creating havoc at gas pumps all over North America.
The storm hasn’t even struck yet and already drivers everywhere are feeling its effects.
Prices that had finally started to inch downward since Katrina struck last month have climbed again.
In the G.T.A., you can fill up for around a dollar a litre. That’s a bargain compared to places like Chatham, where one station was charging an outrageous $1.79 a litre for regular, and another sported a $1.59 price on its marquee.
Drivers there call it gouging but experts call it a possible taste of things to come.
There are predictions that if one of the worst storms in U.S. history hits with the savage force it’s currently carrying, oil rigs in Texas – which produce a quarter of all gas in the States – could be devastated.
The Lone Star state has 26 refineries. Of those, 18 are located directly in Rita’s path.
Nine have already been shut down, accounting for 12 percent of all of America’s refining capacity. And more may follow.
"No question, prices are driven by Hurricane Rita," agrees analyst Sam Dale. "The fuse is that it will force refinery closures, and if these facilities close it is going to reduce inventories."
And that could send the cost of oil soaring to heights even NASA wouldn’t try to reach, with some predicting $2 a litre could be the norm.
As it is, it’s high enough. Oil was selling for over $68 a barrel Thursday and experts expect it will only go up as Rita moves in.
Best bet? In the words of the old Steve Winwood song, If You See a Chance, Take It.
But this advice has nothing to do with finding romance.
Those who spot gas for even a slightly elevated loonie-a-litre should fill up while they can. Because the winds of change are blowing. And it appears certain they won’t do your wallet any good. |
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| quote: | Originally posted by jester
Everything in this country is illegal. |
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery…" Winston Churchill
"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law" - Winston Churchill
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IF YOU GOT TRANCE IN YOUR PANTS WHIP IT OUT!!! IF NOT JUST WHIP IT OUT ANYWAY!!! 
UKTA
