Naked Capitalism Link of the Day

Today's Link: In a Stunning Turnabout, The U.S. Government Announces it Will Act in the Best Interests Of The Country, by Henry Blodgett:

President Barack Obama announced that, as part of a long-term United States energy plan (!), he will implement a phased-in gas tax. This tax, which will begin in 2015 to give consumers and business time to adjust and not threaten the fragile economic recovery, will add about $1 per year to the cost of a gallon of gas for five years -- until gas costs about as much in America as it does in the rest of the civilized world ($7-$8 a gallon). Half of the revenue of the tax will be used to close the country's massive budget deficit. The other half will be used to encourage the development of more sustainable domestic energy sources, which will have the side benefit of reducing America's dependence on crazy people. The President stressed that Americans who still want to drive Hummers and Denalis will be able to. They'll just have to pay more for the gas.

Observing that we have both too many houses and too few skilled engineers, the President also announced that he will change immigration laws to encourage smart, hard-working students to stay in America instead of going home to India, China, and elsewhere after getting educated here. This change, the President observed, will create demand for housing, thus boosting house prices, and lead to the creation of more skilled, high-paying jobs at new technology and manufacturing companies. The change will also help the US, whose economy has been the envy of the world for the past hundred years in large part because it has welcomed new citizens who want more freedom and better lives, stay competitive in the global economy.

Separately, the government promised that, henceforth, for one day a year, elected officials will stop devoting 98.6% of their time to campaigning and bickering and trying to "win news cycles" and actually tell the truth about where we are and where we're headed. The government stressed that this will only happen one day a year.

Not surprisingly, the date of publication is significant.