Congress Has Banned Your Lightbulbs

The Whistler • December 22, 2007

Because I’m sure the founders envisioned Congress one day deciding for we citizens how we’ll light our homes.

Washington, D.C. – Among the regulations packed into the newest energy bill that just passed Congress this week, a ban on the incandescent light bulb will officially end what Edison started 130 years ago. “If you outlaw light bulbs, then only outlaws will have light bulbs,” says Libertarian Party Executive Director Shane Cory.
“The ban on incandescent light bulbs may seem almost comical,” says Cory, “but it raises several red flags on the level of government intrusion in people’s lives. From the toilets in your bathroom to the lights in your ceiling, there are very few consumer products free from some form of government regulation. I seriously doubt regulating light bulbs was intended to be a necessary-and-proper role of the federal government.”
Incandescent light bulbs will begin to be phased out in 2012, with a complete ban finalized in 2014. Manufacturers will be forced to switch to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which can cost more than six times as much as the common incandescent bulb. While CFL bulbs are much more energy efficient, to maintain the bulb’s longevity and achieve maximum efficiency, consumers must adhere to proper operating suggestions made by Congress, such as leaving the bulb turned on for at least 15 minutes.
“Not only do consumers have to alter how they use light in their houses, they must also take a number of precautions with CFL bulbs that were unnecessary when using incandescent bulbs,” says Libertarian Party Media Coordinator Andrew Davis. “Because of the toxic levels of mercury in CFL bulbs, consumers will need to check with their waste management providers for proper disposal methods, and consumers will also have to research how to clean up broken bulbs. These bulbs may save energy in the long run, but at a great inconvenience to the consumer.”

I’m all for people saving energy, and thus money on their utility bills, through things like CFL bulbs. But the decision to use CFL bulbs should be made by each citizen, not by government.
We call ourselves a free people, but how free are we when we can’t even decide what light bulbs we want to use in our homes?

Tags: Cultural Marxism, Nanny State, Politics

http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

For one thing the savings are pretty small in the greater scheme of things. For another the consumer has every incentive to actually use CFL’s in fixtures that are high use pretty much negating the savings by the mandates. For another the market developed the CFL’s to fulfill a need. Government meddling in the market does stifle innovation. For another manufacturing CFL’s is more expensive and more energy intensive. For another CFL’s have their own problems specifically mercury.

Finally when alls said and done people will have MORE lights on in their house because each light bulb uses less energy. (Guess which ones I leave on all evening?)

Of course the bottom line is that we’re Americans, free people, not subject to the whims of the government. It’s not up the government to decide what’s good for us.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

What I do have a problem with are people who try to force me to pray in public.

Which nobody has tried to do, but in your warped world you don’t realize that.
pparets

Dirl126 asks a good set of questions here. Does anyone have answers available?
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

That’s a fleet average which means that the auto dealers will have to sell many more cars that get MPG’s in the 40′s than pickups.
http://manoffireandlight.blog.co.uk/ ManofFireandLight

The waste product is heat right?

Yeah, about 90-98% of the energy consumed is lost as heat. Incandescents are just very small, very bright electric bar heaters.
Unfortunately, there is no viable alternative to filament bulbs at the moment, LED is a possibility, but it still has a way to go.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

I’ve always wondered how inefficient my lighting was when the furnace is running anyway. The waste product is heat right?
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

I’m a capitalist. I believe in freedom unlike the collectivist parasites.
http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ proof_positive

King GW

Shirley you jest!
Mickey

And the new CFL’s will be made in China. I bet they dont ban the incandesant bulb.

I like the “Day Light” incandesant , so I guess I’ll just go out and purchase a couple hundred dollars worth when they go on sale. That should last me till I’m old and grey. You can spot my house, it will be the one that isn’t lit with yellow light.
robert108

i don’t see anything wrong with phasing out an inferior product in favor of something more efficient. isn’t there something more important to bicker about? this doesn’t seem like a big deal at all.

It’s about personal and economic freedom. It’s not up to the State to tell us what we can and cannot buy, or how we should spend our money. That road leads to totalitarianism and economic stagnation, high unemployment, and reduction of prosperity. That’s a big deal, dude! No bickering, just wanting to retain American values, instead of succumbing to Eurosocialism.
http://manoffireandlight.blog.co.uk/ ManofFireandLight

So for much of the year incandescent light bulbs are 100% efficient, at least in North Dakota.

As long as your house is well insulated and draught-proofed. Draughts in particular would render their radiative heating properties useless.
robert108

They have already succeeded in writing this type of fascist bigotry into law in about 18 states.

It is neither “fascist” nor “bigotry” to affirm the requirements for real marriage. Every state that has put it to a vote(the way we do things in this representative republic) has voted to keep the traditional definition of marriage by an overwhelming majority. The fascist bigotry is being practiced by the tiny minority special interest group that seeks to use the courts to redefine marriage to suit their selfish and destructive agenda.
You can’t “ban” something that doesn’t exist.

Real marriage is what the vast majority of the American people want; it has nothing to do with our present President. Your BDS is showing.
robert108

…let them live as they like and allow them the same legal rights as any traditional married couple.

Yep. It’s not about what they can do to benefit society, it’s about what society can do to benefit them. Pure selfishness. They aren’t married, and nothing can change that fact. It’s the same as heteros living together; it’s not marriage, no matter how hard they pretend.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

It isn’t up to those in Congress to decide what is and is not a inferior product. CFL lights have their place but so do 100 watt incandescents.
http://www.bismarckmandanblog.com/ clintf

I bet you’ll burn more energy driving to an approved disposal center to drop off these mercury bombs than you would save by using regular light bulbs!

By the way…these things give me a headache. How about you guys? I tried them, but quickly got something that didn’t make my head throb.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

BUT, there is a purpose behind this, to help protect the environment and to preserve natural resources.

This isn’t about helping the environment and it won’t. They’re using junk science to justify their power grab.

Meanwhile they’ve mandated more ethanol which isn’t going to do very much for the environment but will drive up our fuel and grocery prices.

Why don’t you guys go live in your make believe world and leave us alone.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

So for much of the year incandescent light bulbs are 100% efficient, at least in North Dakota.

And since the sun doesn’t go down much during the summer we don’t have the lights on much at all.
pparets

Like all leftist/liberals, SOCIALIST is being deceitful and disingenuous when he says he “couldn’t care less who prays in public.” [scroll back along this thread] Like leftist/liberals everywhere, his solution to that problem is to harnass the running-dogs of the ACLU and get court order after court order [thus circumventing the will of the people] to ban not only prayer, but ANY mention of God, the Bible, the 10 commandments, virtue, creation, Christmas, or anything else remotely connected with freedom to worship.
http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/ proof_positive

Congress Has Banned Your Lightbulbs:

Dimbulbs Ban Bright bulbs!
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

First you claim we’re worried about your sex life and when you can’t back it up you switch to two guys getting married. You really just can’t stay on topic can you?

By the way that wasn’t a Republican Democrat issue in North Dakota since it was passed like most of these by a vote of the people.

Since when is it the government’s job to tell people who they can and cannot live with or marry?

So they should marry their goat, their child, their car……
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

Here’s the house vote. 95 Republicans voted for it. Almost half. Ron Paul did not vote.
Here’s the Senate Vote. Too many Republicans voted for it there.

And George Bush signed this abomination. That’s why we need to get active in the primary process.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

Except their mad quest to control our sex lives and religion. Patriot Act isn’t intrusive either, as long as you don’t plan to use the bill of rights.

Not at all true. There is yet to be a serious problem with the Patriot Act despite all of the whining. There has been no effort to control your religion.

Nor has there been any effort to control your sex life, although the right doesn’t like the Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual activities. For one thing the Texas law was likely passed by Democrats and two you can disagree with the supreme court overruling a law without thinking the law was a good idea.
pparets

Socialist: I’m trying very hard to recall when the republican Congress tried to ‘control’ your sex-life or religion. Or are you under the hysterical impression that talking about defining marriage as being reserved to a man and a woman is an assault on sex with goats, and that restoring the right to say “Merry Christmas” will see non-believers dragged to the stake?
http://www.route30cruisers.wordpress.com/ spartacus

Ban….dammit, preview is my friend….
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

There are plenty of applications where a CFL is not a good one. Outside in the winter would be one.

I expect that a lot of people will stock up before this stupid ban goes into place.

The people in Congress are too stupid to know how idiotic they are.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

Who knows, Congress sure didn’t want anyone in the public to know what they were meddling in.

I’m sure the environmentalists had full access.
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

Clint, most of my house is lit with “bright white” CF bulbs. Never had a problem, though in honor of Congress, I think I’m going to stock up on incandescents before the ban goes in place. There are some places where CFs make absolutely no sense, and others where they’re the best thing since sliced bread.

One possibility for your headaches; if the CF bulbs you try don’t rectify both the positive and negative voltage coming in, they will give you headaches and can even cause epileptic seizures among those prone to them. If you try CFs again, choose another brand.
http://manoffireandlight.blog.co.uk/ ManofFireandLight

The filament gets up to 2-3000 K(elvin).
That’s nice and hot.
I have seen a superinsulated house heated only by light bulbs and the radiative heat of the people inside.
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

I think I’ll take up whaling to get a renewable way of lighting my home. Nobody could ever object to that, right?
robert108

BUT, there is a purpose behind this, to help protect the environment and to preserve natural resources. Some of our personal freedoms are compromised in the name of national security, so why can’t we do the same for the environment?

Because National Security is a very real issue in this time of war, but “saving the environment” is mostly a device to impose socialism on us. The mercury in CFLs is not environmentally friendly, and I know of no scientific studies that prove using them is beneficial in the overall sense. It’s a tradeoff, and the consumers should make that decision. Don’t you trust your fellow citizens? I know lefties don’t, which is why they want the State to choose for everyone. No thanks.
Personally, I choose CFLs, but I like the freedom to make another choice, if I want to. I don’t wish to impose my choice on anyone else. Apparently you do.
robert108

…in a Constitutional Republic where religion and government are supposed to be kept separate…

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights say nothing of the kind. “Congress shall pass no law regarding an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Nothing about separation. Redefining marriage by the courts is clearly a violation of the second clause, especially if it is done against the will of the people. Marriage is not defined in the Constitution, because it is a very ancient institution, which predates our Constitution by thousands of years, and has always been heterosexual. The only reason a Constitutional Amendment is even called for is because the selfish minority pressure groups are threatening to overturn the will of the people with legal chicanery, and to force their selfish and greedy agenda on the vast majority of American citizens.
skh.pcola

Socialist said:

I am a happily married hetero who passes all the Christian litmus tests

How do you reconcile that with your http://www.jesushateschristians.com website? Or is that just another feint to get more money for your hateful schemes?
robert108

That should be: “…where in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights…”
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

The vote was 300-100 or so. Here’s Steve Milloy’s perspective:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,317708,00.html

Other provisions in the energy bill include:

35mpg required for cars by 2020 (thanks for putting us all in Civics, Congress)

36 billion gallons of ethanol annually, about half from corn and half from cellulosistic ethanol. The former would use up virtually the entire maize crop, the latter is a technology that doesn’t yet exist.

Other cool things about CF bulbs; they won’t work below about -20F. Good luck if you need to light your porch or barn in the winter in the Dakotas. They also don’t last the 5-7 years promised; 3 years is about the real lifespan of them.

Ain’t it amazin’ what Congress-critters can do for stupidity when they’re getting to the end of the session?

Again, I think I’m going to start hunting whales, else we won’t have any light come winter. :^)
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

No the protection of marriage act was voted for by 70% of the people in the state.

I’m not denying that people fell for it by a huge margin. The 30% who voted against it were those who apparently do not believe in government intrusion.

I find it funny that a self identified socialist keeps throwing out the fascist label all of the time. Communism Socialism and Fascism are all three different but equally bad flavors of collectivism.

Everyone is a socialist. Republicans are corporate socialists, Democrats pretend (but fail) to be populist socialists. I am not a pure socialist because I also believe in a functional free market. A free market counterbalanced and kept in check by free democracy socialism controlled by the people (not corporations).
http://ewebsmith.com/ ews48

Marriage is a religious ceremony that has been, in a Constitutional Republic where religion and government are supposed to be kept separate, mistakenly recognized by the government as having legal ramifications.

If your religion permits you to marry a goat, horse, car, or house then you are Constitutionally allowed to do it. The framers did not attempt to legislate personal behavior.

Under the Constitution, all rights not specifically reserved for the government are reserved for the people with the states being allowed to pass other laws. States can pass laws saying that you may not communicate with terrorists or read Mein Kampf but, unless there is a Constitutional Amendment, the Federal Government can not. If the people feel that a state has unjustly restricted their rights, they can seek recourse with the Supreme Court. The Constitution has been casually waved aside on many occasions with the simple use of the words, “in the national interests” and “in the interest of the security of the nation”. Congress can not legally modify the rights provided by the Constitution by passing a bill. Unless there is an Amendment ratified by the states, the Patriot Act is unconstitutional. It does not matter what bills are passed or what executive orders are issued. If the Constitution does not specifically give Congress or the President authority over the matter, they can not legally do it.

They are only doing it and enforcing it because you are allowing it. Your government, in every day practice, is ignoring the Constitution that they have sworn to uphold.
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

It’s only “intrusive” if you want to communicate with foreign terrorists.

There are a number of actual conservatives who agree with me and disagree with you so-called “conservatives”. Most notably, Fox News Legal Analyst

Maybe if you all neocons would actually read the Constitution, you would see exactly how unconstitutional the Patriot Act is.
bubba

i don’t see anything wrong with phasing out an inferior product in favor of something more efficient. isn’t there something more important to bicker about? this doesn’t seem like a big deal at all.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

What gay marriage is about it forcing people to subsidize their lifestyle through taxes or making employers pay benefits to them.
halatbis

Toilets that don’t flush on one try–takes two or three– all to save water. Now they are into our light sockets. Let me see–I have a light bulb in the storage room which I use once in two weeks for 3 minutes–it’s 75 watts so it costs me about 1 cent each month; now I will buy a great swirley flourescent for $3 which will save operating cost of 50%–my saving is 1/2 cent per month or 6 cents per year. My pay back is 50 years? Not counting the cost of money. What a deal!
robert108

Draughts in particular would render their radiative heating properties useless.

Maybe less effective, but not useless. Most people are smart enough to close their windows and plugs the leaks during cold weather.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

No the protection of marriage act was voted for by 70% of the people in the state.

I find it funny that a self identified socialist keeps throwing out the fascist label all of the time. Communism Socialism and Fascism are all three different but equally bad flavors of collectivism.
http://www.willisms.com/ Zsa Zsa

Amen!… This is soooooo pathetic. We the people should really be quite scared. This is just one more Law that has taken a little more of our freedom. Big Gov does not need to make these type of decisions for us!
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

King GW….Shirley you jest!

God, I wish.

Republicans are constantly trying to force their sexual standards on the rest of the country, while failing to practice it themselves. Their official stand is that they want a nationwide ban on gay marriage and any type of civil union or domestic partnership. They have already succeeded in writing this type of fascist bigotry into law in about 18 states.

Now you can bend that all you want and talk about “sex with goats” or whatever, but this is an example of massive government intrusion. Since when is it the government’s job to tell people who they can and cannot live with or marry? It’s none of their goddammed business.

My motto is simple: stay the hell out of my wife’s womb, my bedroom, my home, my church, and my life. And if you can’t then at least don’t claim to be the party of “no government intrusion”.
robert108

Maybe if you all neocons would actually read the Constitution…

Nice antisemitic smear, but once again, I ask you: Where in the Constitution of the Bill of Rights does it say you are entitled to communicate with foreign terrorists who want to destroy our country? In fact, that is an act of treason, according to the Constitution, I believe. It is totally proper, in time of war, to prevent such treasonous behavior.

BTW, I have been a conservative since the Sixties, and I’m not Jewish.
bubba

There are plenty of applications where a CFL is not a good one. Outside in the winter would be one.

Halogen lights will still be available, correct? I find these lights to be the best choice for outdoor use anyways.

35mpg required for cars by 2020 (thanks for putting us all in Civics, Congress)

is this really for ALL vehicles? there should be some exceptions. it’s a bit foolish to expect a 1/2 ton pickup to get 35mpg. however, theres absolutely no reason that vehicles used for commuting purposes (sedans, minivans) shouldn’t be able to meet this requirement
pparets

SOCIALIST reacts like a typical liberal. First by misunderstanding what a ‘strawman’ argument is [no one was suggesting that you are gay], and then by believing that government has the right to tell YOU what to do with cellphones, junk food, your fireplace, your attitudes about others, the way you discipline your kids, where you send you kids to school, where you worship, what you drive, how you protect your property… the list goes on and on. But, by God, the government can never tell HIM what to do. Liberals love dictatorships – as long as they are doing the dictating. “You WILL call a gay relationship a marriage!”
dirl126

Sounds incredibly dumb. What next?

Does anyone know what other regulations were on the bill? What was the vote in Congress?
Marty

100 years later, Tesla gets his revenge on Edison!

But seriously, ask yourself who is going to be exempted from this “ban” on incandesent lighting? I can think of a few:

1. Theatres, or other on-stage performances
2. Stadiums that hold nighttime events
3. Television and movie studios
4. Parking lots
5. Interstate highways

I’m sure you can think of a few more yourself. Sure, florescent lights are fine for my garage and my closet. But they’re going to look like ass on my chandelier!
pparets

What SOCIALIST doesn’t get is this: Liberals regard any standard as an assault on their freedom, but they think nothing of trampling other people’s rights when it suits them. “I DEMAND that you call my homosexual relationship a marriage, but I REFUSE to allow you to pray in public.” See how they do it? And they quote the constitution and its amendments only when it suits them. If it doesn’t, then they want it changed, they reject it as ‘out of touch’, or they simply ignore it.
robert108

Patriot Act isn’t intrusive either, as long as you don’t plan to use the bill of rights.

It’s only “intrusive” if you want to communicate with foreign terrorists. Maybe, as a deranged leftie, you think you have the “right”(leftiespeak for “entitlement”) to do that. Find it in the Bill of Rights, if you can.
bubba

They’re using junk science to justify their power grab.

A product uses less energy, therefore less energy is needed to be produced in power plant, and fewer resources are used. Said resources will last longer.
How exactly is that junk? seems pretty straightforward to me.
http://www.route30cruisers.wordpress.com/ spartacus

Dimbulbs Ban Bright bulbs!

No.
Dimwits Bad Bright Lights!
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

“I DEMAND that you call my homosexual relationship a marriage, but I REFUSE to allow you to pray in public.”

Stereotypes fall flat on their face when strawman arguments are the only form of rebuttal.

I am a happily married hetero who passes all the Christian litmus tests far better than most of the pulpit pounding zealots like Ted Haggard, so I can’t speak for the gay community. I can say however that the gays I have known just want to the government and the Christian Taliban to get the hell out of their lives and let them live as they like and allow them the same legal rights as any traditional married couple.

I couldn’t care less if anyone prays in public. What I do have a problem with are people who try to force me to pray in public.
Mickey

I like the heat that the incandesant gives off when I’m reading
robert108

ews: You are a perfect example of why lefties should never be allowed any power in this country; you try to twist and spin the Constitution to justify so-called “gay marriage”, but you want to impede the very real Constitutional duty of govt to defend our National Security. That’s just crazy!
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

And George Bush signed this abomination.

Ooops, I spoke too soon, King GW did the wrong thing again as he usually does. What a shock.
http://moremerchant.com/ Jake

These CFL bulbs give millions headaches and I am one of them. It really irritates me.
http://www.willisms.com/ Zsa Zsa

Well I’ll be darned! What next? This is ridiculous! Reminds me of the seat belt law. Ridiculous! BUT you know we are too dang stupid to be able to decide this kind of thing for ourselves!!!
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

Where in the Constitution of the Bill of Rights does it say you are entitled to communicate with foreign terrorists who want to destroy our country?

If that is all the Patriot Act was about, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, it infringes on all of our rights, and makes no distinction between terrorists and innocent citizens. It is blatantly unconstitutional, though today’s non-conservatives (neocon for short) do not care about the constitution.

First you claim we’re worried about your sex life and when you can’t back it up you switch to two guys getting married. You really just can’t stay on topic can you?

I didn’t say anyone was “worried about my sex life”. I said Republicans are trying to force their sexual standards on everyone, which is exactly what they are doing with the fascist bigotry they are writing into law all over the country. So I am on topic, always have been.

The problem you have is that you can’t get around the plain fact that anti-gay marriage legislation is government intrusion. That is what we were talking about, remember?

And the ND law was railroaded by the North Dakota Fascist Alliance which is a very pro-Republican org. It was all part of the national plan by Karl Rove to get this fascist bigotry on the ballot to get the Christian zealots out to vote.
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

By 2012 the Global Warming thing will be exposed as the fraud that it is. Not that I expect Congress will admit it or fix their screwup.

It’s been about control from the get go, not the environment.
http://www.willisms.com/ Zsa Zsa

This is the kind of intrusive thing that happens when we have a Dem. Congress in the majority. I wonder how many of our Republican Congressmen voted for this too. This is an outrageous LAW! Get the Government Out Of Our Personal Lives… Who proposed this law?
http://www.neofascist.org/ Socialist

This is the kind of intrusive thing that happens when we have a Dem. Congress in the majority.

Yep, never any intrusive legislation when Republicans are the majority. Except their mad quest to control our sex lives and religion. Patriot Act isn’t intrusive either, as long as you don’t plan to use the bill of rights.

I will agree though that this is a stupid law to pass, and maybe your high King George II will veto it.
robert108

Socialism is rule by the political elite. Unlike govt, businesses have to give you something in return for your money, and you only give them money when they have something you want for the right price. Govt just takes it, socialist, and most of us get nothing in return. It’s redistribution for political purposes, no matter how you try to spin it.
Actually, every system is a capitalist system; it’s just a matter of who owns and controls the capital. In your type of system, it’s the political elite; in the US, it’s individual citizens. I’ll take the four freedoms: personal, economic, religious and political.
bubba

It’s about personal and economic freedom

thats fine. BUT, there is a purpose behind this, to help protect the environment and to preserve natural resources. Some of our personal freedoms are compromised in the name of national security, so why can’t we do the same for the environment?

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