Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 12/06/2010 6:42:56 PM PST by jazusamo
Three years after he led the charge to require consumers to ditch their comfortable old incandescent lights in favor of those twisty CFL bulbs, Rep. Fred Upton now wants to be the man to help undo that law as the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
That about-face is not unique among lawmakers looking to atone for stances they've taken over the past decade as they seek to gain top posts in a decidedly more conservative Republican Congress, but his reversal underscores how intent the GOP is on proving it has broken with past practices.
"We have heard the grass roots loud and clear, and will have a hearing early next Congress," said Mr. Upton, a Michigan Republican who is facing several others in his party in a bid to earn the gavel of the powerful committee. "The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties - and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best."
Indeed, the compact fluorescent lamp, or CFL, has become a symbol of government overreach for many consumers, who wonder what was wrong with the incandescent bulbs that have lighted their kitchens, family rooms and bedrooms for more than a century.
The government says incandescent bulbs have too short a life span and are inefficient, wasting most of their energy on heat rather than on light. CFLs, on the other hand, can last up to 10 times as long and use 75 percent less electricity.
Still, they were slow to catch on, prompting industry, environmentalists and lawmakers to team up and give consumers a push. Mr. Upton joined Rep. Jane Harman, California Democrat, to co-sponsor legislation to phase out incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012. Their bill was incorporated into the 2007 Energy Independence...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Ping!
Ban Toxic Twisties
Stop the mercury poisoning of poor minority children.
These CFLs are a freaking joke! You can’t even throw them in the trash they’re so damn toxic! Who are the MORONS that thought this was a good idea??!??!
Upton coauthored the bill and now has changed his mind being he wants to chair the Energy Committee. Repeal the bill and deny him the seat.
Bureaucrats.
OK in commercial settings,but who wants the inside of their house to look like a display case in the frozen food section of the supermarket?
They are also not dimmable, unless you spend about $14 dollars a bulb!
But if I want to use an arc lamp to read by, and can afford the electricity, it's nobody's damn business what I buy/use.
And congress still doesn't have the authority to change that under the Constitution.
/johnny
I don’t mind the curly bulbs, they have their place.
That said, I WANT A CHOICE, NOT A MANDATE
“CFL, has become a symbol of government overreach for many consumers”.
####
That and the low volume toilet. In my house, each additional water-wasting flush required to sufficiently clear the bowl, is named for a member of the idiot Gore clan of Green Thieves:
#2 is the AlFlush (remnants of Al still clearly visible in the bowl).
#3 is the TipperFlush.
..and so on.
Each Flush
“Who are the MORONS that thought this was a good idea??!??!”
GE did, GE makes a bunch of them.
So instead of making a light bulb they can sell for 97 cents, they make CFLs which they can sell for $5.99
That said, I WANT A CHOICE, NOT A MANDATE
BUMP!
The new toilets failed to account for the fact that some men are built such that their needs are neglected.
Good one, I’ll remember that.
Let the market place decide. The government did not have to outlaw the buggy whip.
someone who can be so wrong should never be listened to
I don’t trust Upton, he should not get the chairmanship.
+1 to that! Yank the turd’s stripes and bust him back to PFC
9 months out of the year the heat produced by incandescents is not wasted, but contributes to the heating of the home. The money and energy saved is wasted by raising your fuel oil and gas bills.
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