As usual, my favorite economist (OK, I have a favorite economist; I’m a boring guy), Walter Williams, is right on the money.  In his latest column he talks about the energy czars.

Tyranny Update

Last December, President Bush signed an energy bill that will ban the sale of Edison’s
incandescent bulb, starting with the 100-watt bulb in 2012 and ending
with the 40-watt bulb by 2014. You say, "Hey, Williams, what’s wrong with
saving energy, reducing our carbon footprint and stopping global warming?"
Before you get too enthused over governmental energy-saving efforts, you might
ponder what’s down
the road.

The California
Energy Commission has recently proposed amendments to its standards for energy
efficiency (www.energy.ca.gov/2007publications/CEC-400-2007-017/CEC-400-2007-017-45DAY.PDF).
These standards include a requirement that any new or modified heating or air conditioning
system must include a programmable communicating thermostat (PCT) whose
settings can be remotely controlled by government authorities. A thermostat
czar, sitting in Sacramento, would be empowered to remotely reduce the heating or
cooling of your house during what he deems as an "emergency event."

Read the rest here