Image via WikipediaPolitiFact | Conservative group claims new law would require people to throw away existing light bulbs and replace with more efficient ones
A fundraising letter making the rounds from a conservative political action committee draws a political line in the sand over light bulbs.
The letter, circulated by AmeriPAC, a political action committee that largely supports conservative Republican candidates, claims President Barack Obama is "banning" incandescent light bulbs in favor of compact fluorescent lighting. It includes a lengthy letter purported to be written by Ron Arnold of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise Action Fund.
"A silly little light bulb is merely a small piece of the larger puzzle of global socialism that he feels is his agenda to enslave the American people -- and to choke Americans from a free enterprise system!" the letter states.
Ok, lets try some common sense. Choice 1 - you can buy a bulb that doesn't last very long and uses lots of electricity while energy prices continue to climb ever upward. Choice 2 - you can buy a bulb that last much longer, doesn't use as much electricity, and is somewhat more expensive. Lets see, what would Common Sense do. I know something sensible like buying an energy efficient bulb that is only somewhat more expensive and last several times as long.
Some years ago Common Sense had an energy audit done. It was sponsored by the gas and electric companies in Massachusetts. Nice chap came out and said things looked good save for a door that needed better weather stripping. He also GAVE, that's for free, several cases of compact florescent bulbs. Nine, that's right nine, years on we are still using the ones he gave us and still have several dozen bulbs left.
There are some negatives with compact fluorescent bulbs though. Some of the early ones took a while to reach full brightness. That's no longer the case with newer bulbs. Also, you have to buy a special cold weather bulb for use outside or in other cold environments since the regular ones don't light properly when it's really cold outside. Finally, you have to buy a special bulb to work with dimmers. Other than those rather minor issues Common Sense has had nothing but good luck with compact fluorescent bulbs.
BTW, it's worth noting that from the power companies point of view it's much cheaper to give away efficient light bulbs than it is to finance and build a new power plant!
Common Sense to wingnuts - get a grip. Using energy efficient bulbs is just common sense. It is certainly NOT the stuff of the decline and fall of America.
Image by electric vehicle fan via FlickrWhile we're in the neighborhood, does anyone out there remember all the moaning about CAFE (millage) standards? Couldn't be done, remember. Well we now have cars that get 35 MPG on gasoline or diesel and hybrids that are much more efficient than that. Then there is the automotive X prize for a real car that gets OVER 100 MPG. These are small but none the less real cars. It is just common sense that setting standards can help drive development. Wingnuts notwithstanding this one is a win for common sense.
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