When the US auto industry was in jeopardy four years ago President Obama stepped in with a bailout package. Now it's the American junk food industry that's in peril, with Hostess Brands closing up shop and heading for liquidation, and some want Obama to take an even more drastic step.

Daniel B. of Kansas City has started a petition for the president to "Nationalize the Twinkie industry."

"We the undersigned, hereby request Barack Obama to immediately nationalize the Twinkie industry and prevent our nation from losing her sweet creamy center," reads the request, which has been posted on the White House's official We The People website.

So far about 3,500 people have signed on. If that number gets to 25,000 by December 16, Obama would be required to respond.

Of course that doesn't mean he has to go along with it, and it's doubtful he will. Nationalizing any industry is a pretty unusual move in our capitalist system. Furthermore, it wouldn't exactly gel with his wife's efforts to get our nation's youth off the junk food.

So while it remains likely somebody will swoop and buy Hostess' more popular offerings, saving them from extinction, don't expect to be munching on "government Twinkies" anytime soon.

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