Cement Shortage?

Typically -~20% of the cement used in the US is imported from China. China has sharply curtailed their export of cement because they are using it for domestic building projects. Cement kilns are one of the largest pieces of industrial equipment in existence - so it's not easy to build new rotary kilns. I'm sure there are also regulations in the US that deter the construction of new kilns.

Gregg

Three explanations:

1. Long-haired, lentil-eating, bicycle-riding Democrat greenies have discovered that a cement plant somewhere once produced some dust and are trying to shut down the entire building industry.

1. Short-haired, steak-eating, SUV-driving Republican blood-suckers have learnt from Enron and OPEC how to extort the highest possible profits by limiting supply and are diverting the rest from schools, homes and hospitals to pork-barrel military construction sites.

2. Manufacturers can't keep up with demand in booming developing economies.

Choose whichever seems plausible to you.