They will always behave like grade-schoolers
By Paul Waldman on the subject of painting Energy Department roofs white to save energy:
I’m guessing conservatives will attack this idea, because … well, because conservation is for wimps, or something. You might remember that Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the roof of the White House, and when Ronald Reagan took office, he ordered them taken down. I wonder if President Palin will demand that all the white roofs on DoE buildings be painted black?
The answer is, “Of course she will,” because when Republicans waste energy, they hear the symphony of a million hippies weeping:
UCLA economists Dora Costa and Matthew Kahn analyzed the impact of an energy-conservation program in California that informed households about how their energy use compared with that of their neighbors. While the program succeeded in encouraging Democrats and environmentalists to lower their consumption, Republicans had the opposite reaction. When told of their relative thrift, they started cranking up the thermostat and leaving the lights on more often.
Pathetic.