Appearing in today’s N&R, eco-columnist Thomas Friedman writes:

When Congress demands that Detroit make smaller, lighter, better mileage vehicles, but then refuses to put a higher price on carbon — like with a gasoline tax — so more consumers will want to buy these smaller cars, said Lutz, it is the equivalent of ordering all American shirt makers to make only size smalls while never asking the American people to go on a diet. You’re not going to sell a lot of size smalls.

Friedman is quoting Bob Lutz, vice chaorman of General Motors, but you still see Friedman’s mentality:Forcing Americans to change their behavior. With that in mind, I’ll once again lean on Antiplanner and his buddy Ron Utt, who know President Obama better than he knows himself.

Regarding Obama’s social and economic goals, Antiplanner writes:

Unfortunately, Obama’s plans are all about changing behavior. This means two things: they will be expensive — especially when counting the unintended consequences — and they won’t work. High-speed rail and urban revitalization are all about redesigning the country for yuppy elites, not ordinary Americans. The question for free-market advocates is: how can we minimize the damage now and roll back the reforms later?

Regarding Obama’s national planning initiative, Utt reminds us that we should be extremely wary of any combined plan put forth by those incredibly corrupt government entities, HUD and DOT:

(T)he proposal exhibits a child-like faith in government planning, a concept that half the world quickly abandoned in the late 1980s when all of the formerly socialist countries (except, of course, for Cuba and North Korea) rejected state planning in favor of private-sector initiative, economic freedom, and market solutions. Nonetheless, and ever the optimist, the President proposes that the existing regional planning authorities be given yet more responsibility–and power.

…..Nonetheless, having failed separately to come anywhere close to performing the straightforward tasks assigned to them, the White House proposes that these two forms of planning initiatives be combined in a cooperative partnership, and that they be given even more responsibility and greater control over living and travel policies for the American people.

Please keep all this in mind.