Christian Science Monitor: An old Soviet joke serves as a reminder of the potential distorting hand of government in solving problems like energy: One Russian says to another, “Did you hear the whole world is now communist except New Zealand?” The other asks, “Why not New Zealand?” The answer: “We need some place to determine prices.” Just this week, Barack Obama promised $150 billion for renewable energy. John McCain suggested a $330 million prize for a breakthrough in battery …