Totalitarianism comes in several flavours today. Religious and ‘environmental’. At the moment the environmental faction seems to be restricting individual liberties even faster than Muslims. I guess the good news is, once the Muslims have implemented the sharia, no one will give a damn what kind of lightbulbs you use.
From The Washington Times:
How Americans are allowed to light their homes is becoming the latest battleground over states rights. The Texas legislature has fired a broadside against a Federal law banning incandescent light bulbs. Under provisions in the 2007 “Energy Independence and Security Act,” traditional incandescent light bulbs will start to be phased out in January 2012, beginning with 100 watt bulbs. The purpose of the law is to promote more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs by removing the competition. In the past Congress has banned products using public health, safety or welfare rationales, but the incandescent bulb is a proven, safe technology, more so than the bulbs that will replace it. So instead the Congress justified banning the bulbs under its power to regulate interstate commerce. But the Texas legislature has countered with a bill that allows continued manufacture and sale of incandescent bulbs within the state. Said Republican state representative George Lavender of Texarkana, “Let there be light.” As of this writing the bill is still awaiting signature from Governor Rick Perry.
Similar measures are being considered in South Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and Minnesota. Whether the Texas law if enacted could withstand a court challenge is an open question. The Supreme Court long ago did away with a plain reading of the commerce clause. In the 1942 case of Wickard v. Filburn, the high court ruled that the Federal government could use regulation of interstate commerce to prevent an Ohio farmer from growing chicken feed on his own land for his own chickens, something that would strike most people as being neither interstate nor commerce. But states will never resurrect their rights under the 10th Amendment by acquiescing to every dubious legislative initiative coming out of Washington. If Texas can win the Battle of the Bulb perhaps lightbulbs will be switching on over heads of state lawmakers across the country.
The left has gotten many laws passed that take away our freedom, this is one of the reasons for the TEA Parties, I pray this law and the others that take away our freedom are repealed.
Check out the proposed or passed, not sure, but I think here in Canada they will be phased out and by 2012, I bought up a trunk load when I heard the news, because the other types are far more toxic than these ones, but they use less energy and so for some cockied reason, less energy, by say a pitance, will be more important than all the toxic effects of the fumes given off by flurescent, as well as the researched effects over 40 years of dangers to eye sight, and other aspects including increases in learning problems, ADD, etc, and especially when they break, get this, one bulb breaks near a baby or todler, and if they breath in the fumes, dead oh so dead…. yes, and just think all this toxic mercury of billions and billions of these bulbs in the diposing aspect, whether buried, or whatever, will bring all the mercury into the ground water, and soil.
Aside from the facts that the initial imported coils from China had standardization problems and many started fires…..
Someone must deal with this one before our Conservatives madate this nonsense, based on faulty reasoning, or what/??? business deals at the cost of the individuals in every society….we must refuse this pressure,
The next phase is LAN, but although much research money is going toward this technology, at this point they have not progressed to make them consumer friendly, in that each bulb is about 25 to 45 bucks……..