Don’t Touch That Dial
22nd July 2012
Long before the age of government-mandated low-flush toilets and low-wattage light bulbs, William F. Buckley captured the essence of modern nanny-state liberalism with his comment that a liberal is someone who wants to reach in and turn down your shower.
But God help you if you even think about touching his. This is why Hollywood liberals feel no pain criticizing other people for their environmental sins while driving around in Hummers, lighting their mansions with enough electricity for a small city (Hey there, Algore!), and jetting across the country and around the world to attend ‘climate change’ events.
I get the idea behind “smart meters,” and like them in the abstract. But a lot of people understand that smart meters may be the first step to enabling the Thermocrats to dial back your power usage remotely if they think you are using “too much” electricity to, say, keep yourself cool during hot summer afternoons. Utilities already try to persuade people to volunteer to allow them to cycle off your appliances remotely during periods of peak demand in return for a slight discount on your bill. But things that start out voluntary have a way of becoming mandatory with liberals, and smart meters are a step to enhancing the power of environmentalist Thermocrats.
That this is in the back of their minds is readily apparent from the fact that installation of the meters is mandatory — as is the extra charge for said meters on your monthly bill.