Long Beach, like most cities in California, is currently in pretty desperate financial straits. The local paper recently ran a feature about the city budget, inviting readers to submit their suggestions. One reader offered that the city streets are too brightly lit, and that money could be saved by turning the wattage down.

I don't know a lot about city planning, but I'm thinking that when you're relying on the benevolence of the local gas station to light the area, you've got that wattage down as far as it goes.