The New York Times, which was unable to continue to prop up its favorite prosecutor, Michael B. Nifong, nonetheless is continuing what it does best: promote the authoritarian state. Today the “Newspaper of Record” is enraptured by a couple of orders from President Obama: the move to force higher mileage standards for automobiles and giving the FDA more regulatory power.

The editors are swooning over Obama’s attempt to give us better weather:

In a companion move, Mr. Obama directed the Transportation Department to finalize the interim nationwide fuel-efficiency standards called for in the 2007 energy bill. These standards would eventually require fuel-efficiency increases in the American car and light-truck fleet to roughly 35 miles per gallon by 2020 from the current average of 27 m.p.g. The California standards would require automakers to reach the same 35 m.p.g. target four years ahead of the federal timetable.

The California rules cannot by themselves stop the rise in greenhouse gases. In addition to regulatory controls, Mr. Obama must eventually embrace a broader strategy involving major federal investments in clean-energy technologies and, down the road, some effort to put a price on greenhouse-gas emissions in order to unlock private investment. But after eight years of inaction, this is a wonderful start.

Indeed, the editors are saying that they are thrilled that the government wants to force auto makers to shell out billions of dollars in new capital expenditures — for which the return on investment will be zero, or even negative.

However, the hardcore state worshipers at the Times no doubt will call for the government to print more money to pay for this capitalization — you know, the printing press creates wealth. They really believe this nonsense at the Newspaper of Paul Krugman.