Mind Control?

I will let you decide, but this doesn't sound like something that I want to embrace: This is an amendment that has been added to a technology and energy bill by Brian Baird (D-WA).


The fourth bill approved by the Subcommittee, H.R. 3247, would establish a social and behavioral sciences research program at the DOE to identify and understand factors that influence both energy consumption, and acceptance and adoption of new technologies. The research could then be used to improve the design, development, demonstration and application of energy technologies.

“Technology development and investment are only part of the solution to our energy problem,” said Baird, the bill’s author. “The decisions each of us make every day have a significant impact on energy production and consumption. It is important that we understand why some technologies are more readily embraced than others. And it is important that we know how to communicate effectively about the nature of our energy challenges and know how to empower individual citizens to participate in overcoming them.”

There was an article in Time Magazine in April regarding how the Obama administration not only embraces behavioral psychology, he has put people in his administration that have very intensive backgrounds in it. Sadly, this article was written very matter-of-fact and the author was not at all disturbed by it. I have a degree in marketing, so I understand the concepts and accept that they are a valuable tool to sell things. My question is should our government be employing these tactics?

This will create yet another czar. At least this one will be done by congressional oversight, but I think this may be creating precedent that we can do without.