The Arrogance of Washington, D.C.

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"We are taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money."
  -- Steven Chu, Secretary Department of Energy

When asked about the proposed repeal of the 2007 law that takes incandescent light bulbs off the market January 1, 2012. My question, "Whatever happened to the free market?" If the new light bulbs are so great, then people will want to buy them rather than being coerced.

What makes his comments really galling is the mercury disposal problem associated with CFL light bulbs which makes them both bad for the environment and their total cost of ownership much higher than conventional bulbs.

I'm all for smart environmentalism. When industry produces a lower-energy light bulb at reasonable cost and performance, I'll be all for it. CFL's are a dubious choice and the ban should be repealed. 

Comments

  1. VortJuly 13, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    Repealed or not the damage has been done to what was left of the incandescent bulb industry in the U.S.
    http://tinyurl.com/5vaz6y2

    ReplyDelete

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