UnBan the Bulb
Posted on March 20, 2008
Last December, Congress thought they’d help us all out by banning the good old incandescent light bulb. Being the highly trained scientists that they are, Congress thought that by making rules supporting and promoting the use of CFL bulbs, they’d promote the kitschy ideas of forestalling global warming. Of course, the scariest words in the history of man are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you,” and this idiot move by Congress is no exception.
In this case, the our government dolts thought that saving volts was better than worrying if the mercury inside the new CFL bulbs presented a contamination problem for anyone unfortunate enough to break one. It turns out that if someone were to drop and break one of these “earth saving” bulbs it would spread mercury contamination all over the house and special care must be taken to clean up the mess. Yes, the light bulbs that are supposed to save the world are poisonous to our health! (the EPA has published a 7 page instruction manual on cleaning up a broken CFL)
Well, now we can give Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota a pat on the back for attempting to repeal the stupidity of forcing Americans to switch over to these hazardous bulbs with a bill that will repeal the requirements to get rid of the old incandescent bulbs with the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act. (H.R. 5616)
I hope everyone calls their Congressman and urges them to support this bill. Good job, Rep. Bachmann.
MSNBC has given us the latest on the danger that these newfangled CFL light bulbs present.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs’ poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought.
Remember, the government is only here to help!
» Filed Under Global Warming, News
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4 Responses to “UnBan the Bulb”
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I propose a Take-A-CFL-To-Congress Day. people can take CFL’s to Congress, then drop them on the floor.
Um, hey guys, nobody told me I was trading in my admittedly energy-wasting bulb for something that has more disposal instructions than a nuclear reactor.
I should have known something was up when Walmart started pushing them– they’re probably made with the toxins left over after the Chinese finish making our kids’ toys.
They did not “think they could help us.” They were lobbied to create demand for a product that had no demand. We talk about energy savings without considering the amount of energy people use dealing with inconveniences.
Such inconveniences include
1. Poor quality of light.
2. Method of disposal
3. Extra precautions required (risk management)
Those costs are impossible for anyone but the consumer to quantify since every consumer experiences different risks.
We are headed to hell, and it is not “paved by good intentions”. We are forced to buy products we don’t want. So the money we make is taken from us, what is left is mandated towards whoever bribes congressmen the best, and we will never have solidarity against these things until after the fact. And you know what?
Now that everyone finds out that these bulbs are dangerous everyone is going to go back out and buy the good old incandescent light-bulb.
This could not have worked out more elegantly for those who make light bulbs and the congressmen they bribe.
Nice article, nice take. Of course I agree.
I also blogged on this today:
I’m pro-choice (H.R. 5616)