Monday, January 6, 2014

Federal Government: Mind Your Own Business! The light bulb


The incandescent light bulb has been completely outlawed starting January 1, 2014. I am appalled that the federal government has spent a moment of time on the issue of regulating light bulbs. Do we really believe that the regulation of a light bulb is worthy of the time and effort of federal bureaucrats? Never mind that this is not a constitutionally mandated activity for the federal government.

The “do-gooders” have effectively used the federal government and an emotional plea to convince otherwise smart people that the incandescent light bulb is destroying the planet. Nothing could be further from the truth. The incandescent light bulb as a matter of environmental concern ranks about as far from the top as say the five gallon toilet flush. Until that is, the truth about the new light bulbs is revealed as a hazardous material. People that supported the effort to outlaw the light bulb are fools. Yes, that’s right, you’re a fool if you think this is an important issue and that the federal government has any role is this obvious fringe movement to “save the planet.” And to think the federal government would be capable of an alternative to an American staple is an even more discouraging tale of the citizen’s engagement in an issue beyond emotion. It shows how easily an entire country can be fooled by a simple appeal to our emotional senses.

What thinking Americans needs to understand is that the environmental movement is actually a movement to control the citizen and attack the capitalism that has made this country the greatest in the world. Environmentalism is communism in disguise. There is a difference between people that care about the environment and the organizations behind movements like banning the light bulb. These groups prey on the American spirit to protect our resources in a common sense manner. There is nothing common sense about Green Peace, Earth First, or a million other radical groups. Their goal is to end capitalism and choice.

Here is why the banning of the incandescent light bulb is not about the environment. Although the new light bulb lasts a bit longer, if the new light bulbs break you are told that a “hazmat” team is needed to clean up. Here is an outtake from an EPA briefing on the new light bulbs: “
"In switching from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs and CFLs our elected officials opened the door to a massive mercury pollution problem across the United States threatening landfills and drinking water supplies. Our elected officials have
been derelict in making this information available to the public and providing the necessary hazardous waste sites available for their recycling and disposal in every local community [9]. And there should have been a massive public education campaign to inform the public about these hazards. It is too late for the fluorescent and CFL bulbs that have already been tossed into dumpsters and landfills. We now can change this process through education and laws regarding the hazardous material disposal of these bulbs [10].


 

So what is the goal of environmental groups? You have to wonder? But the thing we should all agree on is that the light bulb should not be the concern of the federal government. Because if we look at the competence level of “do gooders” + federal bureaucrats = total incompetence and inefficiency.

We would be much better off as a country if the EPA was banned instead of a completely functional light bulb…   

 

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