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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

But, We Didn't Get To Keep Our Light Bulbs, Either

In 2007, George W. Bush signed into law the "Energy Independence Security Act of 2007," and now, six years later, American manufacturers and retailers are prohibited from, or forced by law to, comply with ridiculous and contradictory standards.

The purpose of the law was, "To move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers, to increase the efficiency of products, building, and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, and to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government, and for other purposes."

Part of the Federal Government's "move toward greater energy independence" was to phase out the manufacture and sale of the most popular light bulb used by every household in the nation, the 40W and 60W incandescent bulb. In its place, alternative, costly and mercury-filled CFLs are manufactured in China, and incandescent factories in the US have been shuttered.

I suppose that, when the Federal Government says that it is acting with your security in mind, it didn't really mean your financial security or your security to avoid being in close contact with dangerous toxins. I can't see a reason to put the word "security" in the title of the act, but then, "affordable" isn't the best way to describe a costly healthcare law either.

The production of fuels has increased - but, this is due to the extraction of oil and natural gas, which do not meet the Federal Government's standards of "renewable energy."

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3 comments:

lmclain said...

Yep. There are a LOT of part-time minimum wage workers who can put out the cash for 10-15 $6 a piece light bulbs. Heck, they'll just go out and buy a case of 'em at Sam's Club. So, in another brilliant move "for the people", our leaders have sent more jobs overseas, put more people out of work, and increased the costs citizens must bear.
Bribes and payoffs DO get things done.
Just not for the working class.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

You can still get them as "industrial" strength I'm told? Good to know, as the cheapos sucked.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see the gov. was looking out for our best interest.
Expensive toxic light bulbs, made in China, closing our factories.
I am interested to see how it all turns out in 10 years when we have polluted our environment by throwing these toxic bulbs in the trash, because you know the average person is going to do just that.