In light of the demonstrated ability of Hugo Chavez and his “Bolivarian” compadres to come up with government regulations that sound like self-parody, but aren’t, I’m announcing an ongoing competition for the most “out-there” example of legislation that exemplifies the hubris of the self-deluded bureaucrat, who thinks he (or she) can command the tides to stop: the Hugo Chavez Award. And here‘s a top contender (Hat tip: Brian Doherty, over at Reason):

“In one of history’s more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is ‘an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.’”

What I suggest is that they toughen this law, to require everyone to come back as … a Communist. That’s the only way to save a dead ideology that is, after all, nearly extinct—especially in China.