Staggering increases in the price of gas are having serious ripple effects throughout the economy and forcing employees to dip into their own packets to cover the costs of fuel. This is an untenable situation for these workers.

This decision validates [the National Treasury Employees Union's] arguments that this administration, DHS and [the Office of Personnel Management] far overstepped the boundaries and abused the discretion given to them by Congress.

These lower-premium plans can mask hidden costs for federal employees, ... The cheaper premium is usually coupled with higher deductibles, meaning federal workers will simply pay higher out-of-pocket costs or avoid visiting the doctor.

To some extent, it's expedited the price increases.

Prices are high, but without those price increases we would not have seen the 20 percent decrease in industrial gas demand that has occurred over the past five years. One by one, industrial gas users are either shutting down or switching to substitute fuels.

If Katrina was simply a devastation of the area, we could have weathered it, ... Because of these ripple effects, Katrina is having a nationwide impact.