http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11con...0mR6wWDVHznsAQA

W...T...F...



I know they have energy problems but that's their fault, what they need is a giant sign on the California border saying "No more f'ers can live here".

Wow. They can pry my thermostat out of my cold, dead, hands.

haha, why is the solution to everything more control by the government?

why doesn't california get off their fucking lazy asses and fix their energy production system? solar cells are 60% efficient now thus making it cheaper than COAL... build a fucking solar power station already and quit fucking with peoples' thermostats

do dumb people really need to live indoors at a 50 degree constant temperature? people are crazy with their AC's

Yeah, 50 degrees is crazy, but if people can afford to pay for it, why should they not be allowed to have it? Honestly, I doubt many people put their house's thermostat on 50, considering that would cause pneumonia.

What's next? Telling people with more than 2 TVs to choose a few to get rid of?

The government cannot, without any doubts, change social choices. More than likely they will cause a consequence they did not foresee which is why social change has to occur within the population. Californians should be eager to put their thermostats on 78 instead of getting rolling blackouts. We'll see what this year brings.

the inherent problem is people living in excess. you dont need more than 2 tvs. in my mind human nature strives to be as efficient as possible. people like that are not good examples

maybe laws forbidding things isnt the right way to go but people have to learn somehow

I think the point of the control is to use it during when there's a crisis, perhaps once or twice a year when there is a shortage of energy, not on a regular basis to keep your thermostat above 50. Even if you can afford to keep it at 50, there are times when it could be detrimental to the state.

Not having power isn't learning?

Also, a good number of people who live excessively actually live in debt, so it eventually catches up with them.

But how do you know that's how it's going to be used? And where does it stop? The article also points that the govt. would monitor home appliances as well.

Why don't they just strap a GPS on you along with a heart monitor. Or better yet, put you on one of those mice wheels and you have to power your own house.

I beg to differ, I need at least 3. Bedroom, living room, & kitchen. I want to put one in the bathroom above the toilet like at BWW.

I don't, I'm really in support of the law, I'm just saying during emergency situations, this could be useful since people never listen anyway. I remember when we had that black out a few years back, my city put out this notice that people shouldn't be using a lot of water because the water treatment facility has been down, and if everyone used just as much water as they normally would, this could cause substantial damage to the facility. I don't think I really listened and took a shower anyway. The water treatment facility was okay, but I wonder if no one listened during that time, what would've happened to the facility, and how much of tax payers money it would cost to fix such facility because people don't really care. Anyway, I'm pretty sure there will be similar situations for electricity. There are facilities that can not go without electricity, and those who ignore these warnings for whatever selfish reasons they may be during emergencies should be punished. Though I must say that there's gotta be a better way than monitoring someone's thermostat, but I can see what they're trying to accomplish here, however intrusive, they should just tack it onto the patriot act for "national security purposes".

I don't really see this as a problem depending on how the law will work. I mean, Lubbock's had regulations on overwatering for years and I've never heard anyone say it was a problem. And I don't see how that situation is any different than preventing overuse of electricity.

This post has been edited by pebkac: Jan 11 2008, 12:21 PM

There is a difference in you choosing to overwater and possibly getting a ticket and the government being able to throttle your water by monitoring it.

That is true (sorry, didn't read the article all the way through).

says the person who will dry 1 towel on max dry for an hour......