No House for You

I've always kind of liked quirky Jerry Brown since he floated out there with his Star Trekkie presidential campaign slogan, "Protect the Earth, Explore the Universe, and Serve the People". I thought it was sweet. But no more. Now California AG Jerry Brown wants to take away your house. Should you have your own vision of the future, should you have earned your own American Dream, too bad-- your dream is not his dream. Serve the people has fallen off the face of his Earth-first fiat-- no house for you.

It's part of his latest campaign plank. WSJ:

Today he is mulling a run for governor in 2010, when he will be 72.

In the meantime, Mr. Brown is taking aim at the suburbs, concerned about the alleged environmental damage they cause. He sees suburban houses as inefficient users of energy. He sees suburban commuters clogging the roads as wasting precious fossil fuel. And, mostly, he sees wisdom in an intricately thought-out plan to compel residents to move to city centers or, at least, to high-density developments clustered near mass transit lines.

Mr. Brown is not above using coercion to create the demographic patterns he wants. In recent months, he has threatened to file suit against municipalities that shun high-density housing in favor of building new suburban singe-family homes, on the grounds that they will pollute the environment.

Back when Jerry was a young man, I imagine he heard Pete Seeger sing a tune or two. I would think he considered suburban uniformity a crime against man and nature, no matter that post-war Levittown made the American Dream affordable for many returning G.I.'s. Suburbs aren't necessarily all made out of the same mold these days, nor are all condos or apartments downtown, but if they want honest ticky-tacky shouldn't Americans have a choice?

Brown wants to stuff us into modern-day urban cave dwellings, which seem rather soulless to me. Even greenie Ed the cable guy has a place in the sun. He may have an astroturf lawn, but he plants a garden. He may time his wife in the shower, but as far as I know he hasn't installed a smart thermometer to lower the temperature of the water on her. And many cities have evolved to clusters of jobs and homes with shorter commutes all on their own.

Then there's the government mandate of higher building temperatures at their discretion, which the California Energy Commission has proposed. I welcome voluntary programs, but no force, please. Not in my house. Maybe if humans became an endangered species we'd have more say. Remember that horrible August the French disgraced themselves heading to the beach like lemmings for their annual vacance, only to come home to their dead grannies? There was no air conditioning in the socialist paradise. But the French didn't know any better. We do.

Meanwhile, the EPA is planning Big Brother, Big Green. And Congress is phasing out the ordinary old light bulb in favor of one you need a hazmat suit to pick up if you break it.

Over in England there's talk of carbon ration cards (!) and the NY Times proselytizes for meters with beepers. They're trying to make old homes more efficient, a good idea, but what if it's not enough for the eco-Brownshirts? What if your historic house is getting more creaky and historic every day?

What if it's just in the way ?!!

And why are we doing all this anyway? Could flaky Jerry Brown and the greenies be wrong?

--crossposted at BlogHer