Let's take an innocent post off on a political tangent.... (evil grin)

I'm surprised they're not blaming it on Katrina. Is it just me, or is absolutely everything suddenly imported through New Orleans? Oil makes sense, and coffee I can believe, but prices for things like gypsum have shot up. Gypsum? There's a gypsum plant right here in NH!

Real estate is next; "we need to raise rent because NH real estate is imported through New Orleans." Now that is sound political and economic thinking, it is.

(surprisingly Starbucks coffee has not gone up in price, and remains solidly fixed at $4 and change for a frappacino, which
is interesting because they will undoubtedly take the blame if another Portsmouth coffee house goes under.)