The Green Dictatorship

Given the jones that Governor O'Malley and Annapolis Democrats has for the expansion of power in the name of the all things environment, I expect that this idea from Germany will be coming to a General Assembly near you:

This fairy-tale town is stuck in the middle of a utopian struggle over renewable energy. The town council’s decision to require solar-heating panels has thrown Marburg into a vehement debate over the boundaries of ecological good citizenship and led opponents to charge that their genteel town has turned into a “green dictatorship.”

The town council took the significant step in June of moving from merely encouraging citizens to install solar panels to making them an obligation. The ordinance, the first of its kind in Germany, will require solar panels not only on new buildings, which fewer people oppose, but also on existing homes that undergo renovations or get new heating systems or roof repairs.

To give the regulation teeth, a fine of 1,000 euros, about $1,500, awaits those who do not comply.

Read the whole thing.

This, of course, is completely appalling to anybody who believes in private property rights. Why should any government in any country force business owners and homeowners to install a technology that is inefficient and far from cost-effective? And all in the name of what? In the name of cleaner energy? In the name of global warming? Or, in actuality, is it really in the name of the expansion of government power?

This is the sort of thing that concerns me about the future of our state. We know many things about Governor O'Malley and Annapolis Democrats. They look for ways to diminish the property rights of Marylanders. They are committed to the religion of global warming. They are committed to the expansion of government powers. And they are committed to higher taxes, higher fees, and forcing taxpayers to spend money on unnecessary expenses.

If you think about it, this sort of thing is right up O'Malley's alley. And let's face it, we have seen this sort of thing before here in Maryland. After all, it was only just this year that the General Assembly narrowly averted destroying Maryland's economy by passing the Global Warming Solutions Act.

Whether or not Team O'Malley tries to implement the policy in place in Marburg, there is certainly an impetus not just here in Maryland but across the nation to impose a "Green Dictatorship" that severely restricts the freedom and the wallets of citizens and taxpayers alike. We must remain vigilant in order to protect our economy and protect our nation from this radical ideology.