New York Governor David Patterson would like to change the subject. While the State’s budget is in shambles in this unprecedented economic meltdown, the talk in Albany is all Caroline Kennedy, all day, all the time.

Mrs. Schlossberg has signaled that she wants to represent the State of New York as its new Junior Senator, to takeover the seat about to be vacated by incoming Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, currently New York’s junior senator.

What to do, what to do. Patterson is in one hell of a bind. Dare he say no to the powerful Kennedy clan? What about all those interested in the appointment who unlike Kennedy-Schlossberg have schlossed through the snows of Albany year after year, paying their dues, and surely, therefore, are more deserving of assuming the soon to be vacated Clinton senate seat.

So, yesterday, despite Mrs. Schlossberg’s schlossing through upstate New York, the end of the earth where she’d probably never traversed before, the Governor changed the subject by announcing  that he is considering an “obesity tax” — a 15 percent slap on non-diet sugary soft drinks. Think $1 for a Diet Coke, $1.15 for a Coke. Delicious, New York’s children lose weight, and the state coffers fatten up. At least one in five kids consumes a minimum of four servings a day of the fizzy stuff. The proposal is a win-win for all.

The theory of course is that if you want to stop people from consuming certain products, tax them highly. It’s exactly the theory used when the government wanted to go after the tobacco companies. They raised the tax on cigarettes making them absurdly expensive, and if addiction wouldn’t allow smokers to quit, their pocketbooks would.

All which got me to thinking about the situation facing the American auto industry. Americans just don’t like to buy American cars. And, of course, there are many reasons for this. The industry is stuck in its heyday, the 1950s when big was beautiful and gas was cheap.  But even as they’ve actually created some fairly contemporary models, Americans remain reluctant to buy American.

While the Big 3 are looking for a bailout to help them make their cars more attractive and more fuel efficient, I maintain that they ought to use a lot of that money when they get it for a massive PR campaign. The disdain for the American car is a narrative that may be outdated.

Recently, I drove an American car, a Chevy Malibu. I can’t remember the last time I had been even near one. To my surprise there wasn’t much distinction between it and a Japanese make of a similar class. Of course, Americans are status conscious and it isn’t “kool” these days to drive an American automobile.

But more than status conscious in these troubled times, Americans are budget conscious. They’re looking for the best deal. So, let’s give it to them. The Big 3 complain that they are losing out on sales because they can’t bring their cars in at prices competitive with Toyota and the others because they have $2000 built into their cars before they even begin being built because of union contracts.

That will be fixed I’m sure when the unions and management each make sacrifices to save the companies and the jobs.

But in the meantime, how about we temporarily suspend taxes on American cars for those Americans willing to buy American, the antithesis of Gov. Patterson’s reasoning to stop kids from drinking empty calories and bring money into the state’s coffers.

Suspending the car tax might not bring money directly into the state, but it will secure jobs. It will get Americans to take a more serious look at American products. And it can be the beginning of a new meme seriously needed in American culture: Buy American.

To offset the loss of income to state and federal budgets by the suspension of the car tax on American automobiles, purchases of foreign cars should be taxed higher.

I can imagine that this might not sit too well with the likes of Toyota, or BMW or any of the other foreign competitors who will argue that they build their cars in America with American labor. They also send their profits home. And they also will continue to do everything that they can to destroy the American auto industry.

Anyway, it would be complicated. But it’s an idea I haven’t heard floated before. So, I was thinking, who could I telephone to float the idea to Congress. I know! I can telephone Caroline Kennedy and ask her what she thinks of the idea. It could be the first legislation she proposes on her arrival in Washington.

Then I imagined her answer spoken in that distinctly Kennedy accent. “Yes, yes, good idea. Yes. Pahk the car in Hahvahd Yahd," yes, yes.”

A politician’s nonsensical reply.

She’s hired.

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