Political Commentary

Most people don’t seem to be aware, and indeed, it seems many members of Congress are unaware that they have banned Incandescent Bulbs as of 2012 or 2014 or something like that. This was a favorite topic of talk shows last week, but it deserves some deeper analysis.

The Green crowd has been crowing about Compact Flourescent Light (CFL)s for a few months now, and telling us how if we all just replace our incandescent bulbs, it will be like taking a million cars off the road. I am sure glad they have moved into the 80s finally. Yes, the 80s. I started selling CFLs to businesses in 1984, and have been using them in every available spot ever since. It just makes economic sense.

On an individual basis, CFLs make imminent sense. They cut your electric bill tremendously. So why is the aforementioned law bad legislation? Because it is government interfering in our lives where they have no business! It is government dictating something that is stupid, and probably can’t be done. First of all, CFLs can fill all the requirements that incandescent bulbs fill. For example, you can’t put a fluorescent bulb in an oven. The base would probably melt. Similarly, fluorescent bulbs generally can’t be used in dimmed circuits. Incandescent bulbs have a wider range of operating conditions than fluorescents.

This is a bad law that should be struck from the books! What do you think?