Banned Light Bulbs
Offline Some people are strongly opposed to this, others not. What do you think ?
http://wreg.com/2013/12/14/light-bulb-ban-set-to-take-effect/
Light Bulb Ban Set To Take Effect
Light bulb manufacturers will cease making traditional 40 and 60-watt light bulbs — the most popular in the country — at the start of 2014.
This comes after the controversial phasing out of incandescent 75 and 100-watt light bulbs at the beginning of 2013.
In their place will be halogen bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, LED bulbs and high efficiency incandescents — which are just regular incandescents that have the filament wrapped in gas. All are significantly more expensive than traditional light bulbs, but offer significant energy and costs savings over the long run. (Some specialty incandescents — such as three-way bulbs — will still be available.)
The end of old light bulbs will likely anger some consumers that are already faced with higher prices for a variety of goods. But it will also tick off tea party activists since the ban is the result of the final phase of government-mandated efficiency standards.
The rules were signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007. They are designed to address gross inefficiencies with old light bulbs — only 10% of the energy they use is converted into light, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which has a handy fact sheet about the changes. The rest is wasted as heat.
But the rules have drawn fire from a number of circles — mainly conservatives and libertarians who are unhappy about the government telling people what light bulbs they can use. They argue that if the new ones really are so good, people will buy them on their own without being forced to do so.
The Republican-controlled House first tried to overturn the law. When that failed, Congressprevented the Department of Energy from spending money to enforce the new rules.
But light bulb makers still have no plans to make the old bulbs after the first of the year, noting the law is still the law and that state attorneys general have the power to enforce it.
“We haven’t seen any problems with respect to compliance,” said Kyle Pitsor, vice president for government relations at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, which represents 95% of all light bulb makers in the United States.
The manufacturers association was a big supporter of the new rules, arguing they headed off a patchwork of pending state laws that would have made the business highly complicated.
While there were initial grumblings from consumers when the ban was first announced, Pitsor said most of the concerns faded away as people become more familiar with the new light bulbs and realize they can still buy high efficiency incandescents.
Experts point out how much consumers can save with more efficient bulbs.
The high efficiency incandescents cost about $1.50 each, compared to 50 cents or so for the old bulbs. But they last twice as long, and use 28% less power.
With LEDs, the saving are even greater. While a 40-watt LED goes for about $7.50 — a big drop from the $50 or so it cost just a few years back — it uses 85% less energy than a traditional bulb.
Over the course of the year, a LED will consume about $2 in power under normal circumstances, said Mark Voykovik, national light bulb merchant for Home Depot. That compares to over $7 for an incandescent.
“In two years, you pay off that bulb,” said Voykovik. And because LED bulbs are expected to last at least 20 years — it’s all savings for the next 18 years.
Moreover, LEDs are free from many of the issues that plagued compact fluorescent bulbs. They turn on instantly, do not contain mercury and give off a warm light similar to an incandescent.
People with big electricity bills seem to be taking notice. Home Depot recently released a mapshowing who is buying more efficient bulbs. While typically “green” places such as San Francisco, Seattle and Boston made the top 10, so did Atlanta, Orlando and Miami.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
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I think people can choose their own damn light bulbs without government force.
I wonder how exactly the light bulb is such a big problem compared to say, a multi-trillion dollar deficit.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
The government forces you to pay taxes and send your kids to school. Yes big bad gubment thinks we should have more efficient power The initial cost of the newer light bulb will be made up in lower electric bills. Car manufacturers screamed about having to add seat belts too.
If you want to stay in your Archy Bunker horse and buggy thinking, be my guest.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
Maybe corporate welfare needs to end.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog
mm-hm. "be my guest" is meaningless if you keep fucking browbeating the person.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
That was what I was thinking as well.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
The same US government also allowed slavery, intentionally decimated the Plains Indians, threw innocent Japanese Americans into internment camps during WW II, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study where the black subjects were deceived into thinking their disease was being treated, the list goes on and on. OH, YOU CAN TRUST THE NSA, TOO.
The US government is usually not a force to be feared but our long history has shown that the "gubment" can revert to a vicious, abuser of human rights if it is left off it's leash for too long. It isn't just about light bulbs you moron. The issue is whether it is moving in the wrong direction by assuming authority over matters that citizens should be making for themselves.
Funny that those "question authority" bumper stickers were mostly on liberals cars. I guess they were just being paranoid, too ?
Although I hardly consume much in the way of fatty foods, I felt the same way about a bunch of asshole bureaucrats telling me that trans-fat is coming out. At least give me a CHOICE whether I want to consume it or not. Maybe I do not want to ingest tofu burgers and live to be 100.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
Exactly. I despise the nanny state that so many Democrats ( and many Republicans ) are so enamored with. I value having personal choice and if I want to take a calculated risk then that is the price one pays to live in a free society.
In no way does that equate with being an anarchist or the complete rejection of rules and regulations. As far as cautionary studies are concerned, they have their place but these governmental entities should state their case, issue whatever appropriate warnings are deemed necessary and then get the hell out of the way.
You as a biker have probably already dealt with your own issues regarding mandatory helmet laws. I have always worn helmets whether riding dirt or street because I believe in their safety merits but a lot of the guys / gals who are the "biker" types don't want to be forced to wear them. I support their choice. If they want to assume the additional risks, well they are grown ups aren't they ?
PS, my father wore a full coverage helmet and still passed away from his injuries. He, too accepted the risks.
Which is only relevant if you need and want something energy efficient. Incandescents are popular for terrariums precisely because they are inefficient and you want the higher heat output. Or if you have a light that you rarely use (say a closet you access once or twice a year- I have lights I haven't turned on since I moved in) the cheap bulbs make more sense. Not everyone has the same needs you have for light bulbs. Just because an LED might be best for you, does not make it best for everyone in every situation.
I can't be your guest because it is illegal. The horse and buggy is a good comparison though. The buggy business is virtually gone all by itself without a ban. There are a few people who buy them, but most choose more modern forms of transportation. No government needed. Incandescents are already on the way out because the are worse for many applications. That doesn't mean they are worthless for everything. People can choose for themselves which bulb fits their needs best.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
Who the fuck do you think lobbied for the ban? GE, Osram and Philips. Recognize those? Light bulb companies. Why would they lobby to ban a product they sell? Because they have a hard time competing with generics in the incandescent market while they have locked up patents on LED and CFL tech. The incandescent market has been unprofitable for awhile now. The alternatives however are high profit. This ban is corporate welfare, subsidized every time you purchase a light bulb.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
yeah, and the real dick move is, this same "gubment" was pushing trans-fats on us in the '90s when they basically forced all the fast food chains to use nothing but vegetable oils (often hydrogenated) instead of animal fats like lard and suet, because of a bunch of bullshit research linking animal fats to heart disease. i even read a quote from a government fucking scientist back in the early or mid-'90s, concluding his report about the objections to trans-fats in vegetable oils: "in conclusion, trans-schmans," or something very near that. funny how those fuckers changed their tune.
FUCK THE US GOVERNMENT, BRETHREN! HEED MY WORDS! CONSUME ANIMAL FAT! ANIMAL FAT=LIFE! VEGETABLE OIL=DEATH AND PUSSYDOM!
seriously, if you want to find out more about this, i recommend the documentary fat head. it's a rebuttal to supersize me. i'm pretty sure it's on youtube in its entirety.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
I remember the whole trans-fat push and it is why I never eat french fries out any more. I like mine fried in duck fat. During that time, I also remember getting dirty looks if you asked for real butter and withstanding numerous lectures on the health benefits of margarine. To which I would reply that I would rather die eating good food than live 120 years eating crap. The only trans-fat I consume was Crisco which I used for pie crusts and waffles. That is the only trans-fat I will miss because those applications are all about texture and not easily replaced.
The funny thing is that the libtards are now upset about palm oil, an oil that makes a great substitute for baked goods. Since demand has skyrocketed because of companies like Starbucks using it, new palm oil plantations are popping up. You can't grow a palm oil plantation in Iowa- most of them are in SE Asia which means significant deforestation. So the oil pushed by these idiots as a healthier alternative is on its way to being the next evil. Personally, I am sticking with duck fat, lard and butter because I CARE. Anyone who isn't willing to do the same is a cold hearted prick leading the war on orangutans.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
ironically, here in slovakia palm oil has long been pushed as healthy and full of antioxidants. i tend to believe them. i mean, the process it takes to get corn, canola, or cottonseed oil is a helluva lot more suspect than the relatively simple process of pressing the fatty palm kernel.
i always have a large bottle of extra virgin olive oil handy on the countertop. i adore sesame ans peanut oil, the former especially when i cook chinese and the latter for frying (when i don't opt for lard).
here in slovakia, they still have the old tradition of the hog butchering, in all its glory. the whole family helps and we make jaternica (a sort of sausage stuffed with rice, caramelized onions, minced organs, and cooked blood), klobasa (slovak for kielbasa), bacon, tlacenka (a type of head cheese made with high-quality meat from the head set in aspic, typically eaten with bread, onions, and a dash of white vinegar), and, of course, we render our own lard. so i always have at least one big jar of snow-white, delicious homemade lard in the fridge. in addition to cooking with it, that stuff is good enough to eat on bread with onions, salt, and pepper. now, if the US government really wants me to believe that i'd be better off buying a plastic jug of vegetable oil from wal-mart than eating home-rendered lard, they must think i'm fucking retarded.
also, slovakia has some wonderful butchers, and both goose and duck fat are readily available.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson