It's Peanut Butter Bubble Time!

Anyone who still thinks record-breaking drought patterns in the South don't matter because Al Gore is fat, red state immigration laws chasing off migrant farm workers is only a good thing, and rampant food commodity speculation by the financial sector is a way to boost the economy, and that a few giant food conglomerates controlling all the market for the stuff you eat is a super capitalistic idea, meet the confluence of all four of these lovely occurrences in your supermarket aisle as you're about to see the price of peanut butter go through the freakin' roof.

Kraft will raise prices for its Planters brand peanut butter by 40% starting Monday, while ConAgra  has instituted increases of more than 20% for its Peter Pan brand that went into effect this month. 

J.M. Smucker , which makes Jif, will introduce price hikes of around 30% starting Tuesday.

Consumers, meanwhile, are already seeing these increases reflected at grocery stores.

Maria Brous, a spokeswoman for the Publix chain, said the store had already made slight increases in retail prices and expects them to go higher "as the cost of goods continue[s] to rise".

Dick Roberts, a spokesman for Giant Eagle grocery stores, said that "like all retailers," the store is "being affected by industry factors on peanut butter pricing". Chris Brand, a spokesman for Giant food stores, said the "outlook does not look good until next year's crop is harvested and produced".

Yes folks, we've finally gotten to the point where the Invisible Hand just Rochambeau'd you for your frackin' peanut butter.  Is there anything that the conservative "greed is good", deregulation at all costs policies of the last decade or so can't destroy and doesn't result in the average American having to pay the check?

Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat, indeed.