Smart people are attracted to central planning, because obviously smart people make better central planners than dumb people, only it's more accurate to say they make less bad central planners because, due to the economic calculation problem, central planning doesn't work. at all. no matter who is doing the planning. Some people just can't accept that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem
Central planning is always full of fail because of the lack of effective feedback mechanisms. "Smart" people just like to sit on top of such systems, because it flatters their egos. It would be quite laughable if it didn't produce such disastrous results all the time. Pride is the worst of the deadly sins.