I think that the original poster was getting at the idea that certain workers have more power than government. And that were the government to become some kind of Stalinist nightmare, those workers may be able to cut the dictator off at the ankles. Would people die if you cut off power? Yes, some. Will people die if you dont? Ask the 50+ million Russian ghosts. Imagine a world with AI based 1984 control, with secret police, with social credit scores controlling your ability to even survive. Imagine a world where the elite "party members" get all the good jobs and your only hope is to pick potatoes. A world where the vehicles are all electric and the money is too. A few guys can 'vanish' for a while and leave that 'glorious brave new world' to collapse into itself within a few weeks. Thats power. Its Fight Club. Its what people under the jack boot this last century WISH they could have pulled off so easy, but alas, back then things were far more robust. You speak like the guys working the power plants are just parts of a machine and will strive to do this 'job' of theirs even if it is the key to the nightmare world created by psychopathic rulers. Fine. But they're not the only ones that control the grid. Its just sitting there, too big to protect. Whether its EMP, Chinese hackers, Iranian sleepers, American revolutionaries, or the guys working the plants, the grid IS a huge weakness-- We all know it. Prepare thusly.