U.S. To Phase Out Incandescent Light Bulbs

Dear Gregory, first of all I am not a CFL lover I am merely trying to stop the hysteria that is spreading over a sensible change in technology that will benefit us all. Those who are screaming about this must Palinites (followers of the new right wing savior Sarah P) just stop and think about this calmly rationally and intelligently, you know the exact opposite way that Sarah uses. Most importantly I hope the little girl has now recovered and will have no long term effects
Now Gregory I am not saying that CFLs do not pose a poisoning danger because they do. I assume that you have removed every mercury thermostat in every home that she occupies because those thermostats are MORE dangerous than CFLs. I also assume that you did not know about this danger which just proves my point, we all live with dangerous products around us 24 hrs a day. The mercury in a thermostat is just one of those dangers, a badly adjusted gas jet can kill by producing excess Carbon Monoxide. A lase printer contains Selenium a poisonous metal, every time you print a page a minute amount remains on the paper.
Almost every single household cleaner is far more toxic than any CFL and the most dangerous of all are alcohol, tobacco and guns, those three alone kill millions ever year.
So should we ban thermostats, laser printers, gas stoves, of course not, should we ban tobacco and guns YES. Alcohol is the worst but I enjoy a glass of beer and wine occasionally.
Now as to calling people names, if you have read my posts you will that I started off being very respectful. However I was screamed at called a socialist and a communist, I was called a government BITCH (Noelia said that) so be careful who you accuse of being DISRESPECTFUL.
Once again you demonstrate the fact that you do not understand the meaning of the concept of FREEDOM. In any society there have to be rules regulations and laws, these are all part of FREEDOM. Without these laws there is NO FREEDOM, you seem to believe that any law or rule that you disagree with is an attack on your FREEDOM. You see I like it here because we do HAVE these rules and laws that is what makes us FREE. This can be a difficult concept to understand but laws, regulations, rights and responsibilities make us FREE. At the expense of repeating myself you are the one who should go to SOMALIA there you can have as many incandescents as your heart desires.
Now as for Canada, Canada is a very free country where the Canadians have just as many freedoms, rights and liberties as we enjoy in the US. If you don’t know this then you are indeed as sad and ignorant soul. Now what on Earth does this mean ” LEAVE THE COUNTRY! Mayb u’l be happy in Canada. Up there they have patrol men knocking on ur door to make sure ur not using the so called “ANCIENT HISTORY “.
Please explain this statement because I cannot make head nor tails of it “ANCIENT HISTORY”. Where did you get such rubbish.
Many people in this country seem to think that the greatest danger is Al Quaida or drugs or crime or disease or religion they are wrong. The greatest danger to this country or any country for that matter is IGNORANCE. I am sorry to say that you exhibit some of the bad traits, you do not understand FREEDOM in fact what you espouse is known as ANARCHY. There is no such thing as a FREEDOM OF CHOICE, where did you get that from, except as framed by a specific law or regulation. There is no carte blanche FREEDOM OF CHOICE and there is certainly no law that gives you the unbounded right to use incandescents over CFLs. There is NOTHING in the constitution that prevents congress from banning INCANDESCENT LIGHTS, that is what I mean by IGNORANCE.
Now don’t attack me, show me the evidence that disproves anything I have said, I know you cant but the reading you will have to do will be a good education for you.
Just remember this, FREEDOM does NOT mean that you have the unfettered right to do ANYTHING YOU WANT. NO not even in the USA.

Noelia, first of all you need to get a brain, you can’t even spell Somalia let alone realize that you are in fact the BITCH for the ignorant violent stupid right wing morons that talk about things that they have no knowledge off.
If you read all my posts you will find that I started off in a calm respectful manner it was only when I was called every foul name under the sun that my attitude changed.
Now lets look at some of the points you made, breaking a CFL poisons your home by releasing Mercury. What a joke, are you aware that most homes and businesses have thermostats that control the heating and cooling systems. Do you also know that these thermostats can contain at least 100 times more mercury than a CFL and these kind of thermostats have been around for a least 100 years. So why haven’t we heard complaint from you about this truly significant hazard, I know why, because you are too ignorant to know about it.
Now about freedom, I know what freedom is and what it isn’t, freedom DOES NOT mean you can do ANYTHING you want to do. Sensible rules and regulations are NOT Communism or Socialism, that probably comes as a shock to you. The Constitution does NOT say you have the right to use incandescent lights, so shut up about freedom. Your perverted idea of freedom would say that we can drive on which ever side of the road we want too, we all realize that that moronic view of freedom is insane, maybe you don’t agree.
If you read my previous post you would realize that progress is NOT a loss of freedom. If you don’t agree with that then you should be living in a cave and cooking raw meat over an open fire, maybe you do.
Right wing idiots who scream about rights don’t have the mental ability to THINK. If you can’t write anything intelligent then SHUT UP. I realize that intelligence is anathema to the right wing.
You may want to look up the meaning of the word “ANATHEMA” I will help you, you use a book called a Dictionary you can find one at one of those temples to intelligence called a Public Library.

How many times do I have to post this, Use what little brains that evolution provided you with.
Remember when candles were the primary source of lighting, I am sure that there were many people who hated the oil lamps that replaced them and wanted to use candles because they liked the light. Then when gas replaced oil as the primary source of lighting there where millions who thought oil lamps were much better than gas and cursed the government or big business or Old Mother Hubbard or whoever else their addled brains could think of for taking the oil lamps away. Then when your much beloved incandescent lights came along there were even more morons who wanted to keep their gas lamps. History repeats itself yet again with even more morons who want keep their incandescent lights instead of accepting the inevitability of CFLs and LEDs.
Fortunately history tells us that this too will pass and the idiotic mutterings of the brainless flocks will eventually sink into obscurity.

CFL light bulbs suck! I will also stock up on the old lite bulbs that im used to having. Nobody will tell what i can use or not use to lite my house. Alex you are right. I also heard that they are making incandecent light bulbs that look EXACTLY like the bulbs we are used to seeing, with the same EXACT color and will save energy. I personally think they will be successful at it and then, hopefully they can phase out CFL light bulbs. I dont have a huge problem with LED lights but incandecents are a lot nicer and more pleasant. The only flourecent bulbs I like are the tubes and the old circular flourecents.

Many of you don’t realize that the world is not going to just use CFL light bulbs and just LED light bulbs. All they’re saying is that light bulbs have to be more energy efficient by 2014. Incandacent light bulbs will not be totally banned. Even if they are, i can promise you that many many people will stock up on old skool light bulbs and will still use them even after 2014. In fact, they’re currently in the process of making energy efficient incandacent light bulbs that give off the same color as the old edison bulb, only thing is that they will save more energy. Hopefully they will succeed at it because to me CFLs and even LEDs give off shitty light. i have a chandelier in my dining room and let me tell u, theres nothing more soothing than coming home to a nice dim light coming from incandacent bulbs. Can u imagine putting CFLs on a chandelier?? Fuck that! The government whos in favor of the ban can kiss my ass. Nobodys telling me how to light my home. I have started stocking up on Edison light bulbs and I will continue to until they stop selling them.

The next issue is heat. Yes Incandecents give off more heat than light but its all good. I live up north in NY and it gets pretty dam cold in the winter. So any sort of heat is welcomed. I see nothing wrong with saving the earth or whatever they’re trying to do but this going green business has gone too far. George Bush and his staff made a poor decision but hey thats no surprise there. I can see why a lot of Bush’s staff walked out on him. Who ever is in favor of this ban must like the goverment telling them what to do at every given moment. If thats the case, then those ppl shouldnt live in the USA and enjoy freedom. They should move to a communist country where the government can tell u what light bulbs u should use or what food u could eat or when to take a shit. If they’re going to tell u what light bulbs u can use then they may as well run ur life! As i stated earlier, they can kiss my ass!

No Daisey! No Smooge! No Patter!

Dear Kieth, the “B” can stand for “bugger” for as long as I can wait for a Smack-Down, a great, juicy, wet, slobbering, licking, squirming, snack down from the great troll-whore. Kleenex in hand, I await, in heated anticipation! Don’t disappoint me darling Daisy, Keep your Kosher moist, and breath deeply and type!

Bantering about ancient philosophies, Socialism, Communism. Democracy! Folly! The Asian intelligentsia have devised, long ago, a very clever, balanced, sustainable system that goes by none of these labels, falls into none of these categories, and is over-taking the world as we speak! U.S.A. , the “American Dream” exists only in the propagandized minds of Americans! Nowhere else! For Example: Obama and The American Military today debate the value of clearing the way in Afghanistan, for a Halliburton(Dubai) financed pipeline to Turkmenistan, for access to the oil fields there, Chinese claimed oil fields! Obama hesitates for good reason! These schemes did not pan out well for America in Iraq. – Hidden fact is: Our soldiers fight and die, not for American soil and souls, but for foreign corporate interests! Mercenaries! Well! Goddamn! We thought they were fighting and dying for American brethren! Bull Shiite! We thought they were bringing “Peace” and “Democracy” to the poor downtrodden pitiable Afghanis! All Lies! Well! Fvck! America, and its cancer infested, corrupt, lobbyist controlled, ‘shadow” Democracy is the great harbor for the corporations of the world, totally sold out to multi-national corporations, and defender of Corporate territories! No more! No less! We, Americans, are owned operated and financed by Asia and the recent amassing of Capital, in Yuan, on Asian markets – even the flight of our own American earned Capital stolen from America by our own Uber-Rich, to be nestled safely and unpatriotically in the Chinese “Yuan” while the dollar is decimated for profit and astounding take-overs the world over! China bought, with U.S. dollars, Iran’s South Azadegan Oil Field – the greatest discovery in the Middle East in the last Thirty Years, The Jews of Israel are livid! They now face Chinese Plutonium, and Chinese Plutonium delivery systems in Iran! In the Ayatollahs hands! Secret or otherwise! To protect Chinese oil interests there! From us! The corporate marauders, not the American people who do their dirty work for them! The world is in the grips of and economic war and a great polarization of huge fortunes! Money talks, or nobody walks – even the Jews know this! China bought into the Great Canadian Tar Sands in a big way, and recently! Did you hear it on CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC? no! It was played down, muffled, and discreetly tucked in between “Shock Items” to distract you from seeing the truth! Propagandized in a very skillful way! We, great American Patriots! only exist in our own well propagandized minds! Not in the real events of the world! Will the intelligentsia of China break from filthy, environmentally damaging, American and current Corporate methodologies for the recovery of this, Canadian, World scaled, resource! You bet your Yankee brown spot they will! and sell the product to you out of Canada, at one Hell of a mark-up! Dumb oil addicted gasoline guzzling hulking American Neanderthal! And, steal even more from your coffers as you squander in great V-8 style your very existance! Another example of how they, the Asians, are really in control, and to save American face, humor the Great American Neanderthal in his death struggle with his own unsustainability! Asian markets and money are taking America without firing a single shot! The new world government is strong, well, and at home in Asia, today! America in not in Peril! It is well used by the Asian Masters! The great American Neanderthal awaits extinction, he arose too quickly in the Americas, a biological phenomenon, and is facing his own extinction just as quickly, in his death struggle as we speak, Addicted to Oil? Hell, No! Totally dependent on huge amounts of oil for his very food, oil based, GMO’ed corn, and ridiculously unsustainable transportation notions, in a world of scarcities, he bullies 80% of the foods and goods of the world and offers the threat of nuclear destruction to those who refuse him! His position on earth is now compromised by Asians, much more powerful intellectually, militarily smarter by far, (Don’t tell ABC, NBC, CBC, CNN, CBS, they have “Patriotic Blinkers’ on! ), fighting an economic war, not even on America’s favorites, the WWII styled battlefield or in the sky’s, with great pulsating ejaculatory jet-fighters! More Chinese post-graduates in sciences, math, physics with IQ’s of 130+ than the U.S. has high school students, drop-outs included, produced this year! India – same story but from and even bigger, and very sustainable vegetarian population! New, Eastern, and Asian philosophies, not even taught to the Great Hulking American Neanderthal in his ridiculously out-dated, restricted, sick, and insufficient schools, (32nd in world, Obama said it!) – I waste time enlightening you on this web! Great hulking “Hairy Monkey American Neanderthal! Go! Sit in your “Creationist” schools! Rationalize away your “Unemployables’ Swing your great unmannable armaments, save for conscription of your very asses, at the world! Your death throws are amusement to the greater Asian world, Your ways, humorous, tragic, fatally flawed, but comical! You flounder, like great beasts in the tar pits, ever sinking! We over-take, and modify your “great society” as we speak, one superior Asian car at a time! One fine minded, Asian educated, PhD, hired at a time! We watch your great powerful arms shrivel in the soup kitchen lines, and we slowly infiltrate, one good product at a time! Our Goal? Peace, and prosperity over all the world, an equal and fair and balanced sharing in the greater “community of mankind” (communist? Hell No! not Jew philosophies! fools, Asian ones!) of the wealth of the world, and the end of the Great Beast, The great hulking American Neanderthal, his very existance requiring 80% of all the whole communities resources, His claims? Christian! Democratic? His reality? much different! Daisy! I await you! I have my pants at half mast, my great uncircumcision in hand, my head shaved, Hitlers photo on the wall, my neo Nazi friends in attendance, Daughter of the Rothschild’s, I need your deep, wet, diamond studded, kosher badly! Please respond so I can smoodge my screen in great delight as I exert my manhood on your virtue! I await in high tension, throbbing, beating, anticipation! The pressure is building! Smack me! you great troll-whore! Smack me Down! Now!

Our agreement on anything would be entirely happenstance, believe me.
Your convoluted attack on my comments and by engaging in personal attacks and name calling regarding me personally you prove your true self as a garden variety, mindless supporter of the failed notion of strong central government. The fact that the feds find it necessary to “screw down” to the level of my light bulbs proves my point. I distrust “big” anything (business, unions, etc), but they absolutely do not rise to the level of a tyrannical government as far as its ability to control our day to day life. I don’t have to purchase from GE, or buy stock in AT&T so I can avoid them. The strong central government we’ve been on track to since the 1930’s is nothing but tyrannical. We can debate what you call it (fascists, Marxist, communist, socialist) but they are all failed methods of government when compared to the liberty based government intended by our forefathers. No, better call it as it is – – they’re tyrannical and our forefathers expressly opposed them. The reason for our success is our founding fathers started us off based on the notion of “freedom”, but we’ve allowed politicians, and their corrupt morals, to drift ever more purposely toward the tyranny of strong federal controls. The pitiful thing is we’ll be saddled with tyranny and on the hook for “TRILLIONS” of dollars to boot.
P.S. Hope you survive the wave when it engulfs you. My guess is you’ll make it until the 4th or 5th wave of “the politics of envy” espoused by just about all of today’s politicians as it makes its way down to you.

Keith – take a deep breath! Breathing into a paper bag should help. Sounds like you’re about to pass out.
Your diatribe from 10/20 9:26 am is different in that all the “examples” used can be proven as fundamentally beneficial based on available evidence while global warming is based on junk science. You seem set on believing the gospel of global warming which is not supported by evidence and certainly is not supported by the entire scientific community. Be that as it may, while I use my seat belts; support less toxicity (lead); willingly purchase vehicles with air bags; believe in the validity of speed limits and driving on the same side of the road; willingly leave behind me the use of candles and gas lights (thank God for our free market economy overcoming those days); I also believe that the government is way tooooo much in our shorts. You also need to read your constitution, and the writings of our founding fathers. The federal government has much too much authority and control much as our founding fathers attempted to limit.
Jack
P.S. It is apparent to me in all likelihood that you worship daily at the feet of your profit(ing) Al Gore. I’ll take my God & Jesus any day, sport.

Even Daisy has to admit, even the President is unhappy with current Wall Street bonuses that exceed the wildest dreams of the common working person! Fact is: America the Beautiful has some scars! For Example, Daisy, the “Cheap oil era” supports the cheap feed corn, with fertilizers and fuel, which supports the “Factory Farm” then the Super Market system, which causes the “Fat-assed American Era” – a whole population of historically measured, as physically larger people, a generation of “fat-assed giants”, the “Smoke Stack Era” folks, who became the “Legacy Workers” after the American to Asia capital migration fact, they are totally dependent (down this oil, corn, factory farm, supermarket chain) on oil for food! These peoples’ physiognomies what they are, cannot survive in a sudden, or even gradual switch to a veggie world, and without oil will perish! They will be unable to sustain themselves in direct competition with the Asian rice-burners, whom, due to American Capitalist manipulation of American Capital, they have been set against! I cite GM(America) – bankrupt and on the government ‘s dole, against American Capital financed, GM(China) 30 % profit for share holders this year! Paid out dividends, in safe, stable “Yuan” to the American Uber-Rich, Capitalistic Elite, on the Beijing, Shanghai , and Hang Seng stock markets, safe and far away from the dollar’s astounding fall, and same monies ready to be invested back into a paying, capitalistic system! The Chinese one! The original capital, earned in deluded trust by American workers, expecting a promise of return investment here at home in America, to support American prosperity and our way of life! Goddammit! The Peons got fvcked! How badly? The truth about Detroit City is one example, and don’t take my word for it, SEE: http://uprooted.jessicareeder.com/2009/09/detroit-and-the-100-dollar-house/comment-page-1/#comment-3003 If you are still impressed with the “Status Quo” keep in mind, a patriot has a site on the web exposing a super battery, purportedly using Depleted Uranium, this battery could solve our foreign oil debt, by resolving battery car dilemmas, if allowed out from under “Military Secrecy” cloaks – U.S. Navy Labs were quoted as source in the article – suddenly the article disappeared! Howcum? What happened to the patriot? How many other good things are we paying for, and not getting in our time of great need? And: Please tell me why the American Holocaust, 45 thousand dead each year due to lack of medical care, is allowed to go on? How many are Jews? Is the Weisenthal Foundation watching? Are old German Jews worth more than young American Jews in Holocausts?
Daisy, America is the largest debtor nation in the history of mankind! BPA plastics have rendered our male children disgrace! The shortest penises in history! this goes unpunished, uncorrected! We suffer a capitalistic pandemic here at home! This country is being folded up and sold off! As we speak! China does not recognize or respect our patent laws! We are past the peak of oil production in the world, yet too stubborn and fixed in our ways to go Solar, Wind Wave, Hydro, Tidal, or Geo-Thermal, and insist that Nuclear fission will save the day! It will not! it does not produce a liquid fuel! Bio-diesel does! We ignore it! Asshvles! The mighty U.S.S.R. went down in the same stalwartly and blinded patriotic way! Unchanging and faithful to the very end, and as the very end closed over the last Soviet uniforms, songs of their greatness, their infallibility, echoed through-out the abyss! Americans currently suffer paradigm shifts they can hardly swallow, and the convulsions in American society to come will disembowel poor Daisy and throw her entrails to the beasts! the Capitalist marauders she lauds and worships so! Change is here in America! GM is dead! the Rust Belt exists! Katrina really happened! We buy our cars from Asia, Oil is on the rise, and we have none at home! The shysters have bought up all the Uranium available, and it is the next great fuel. The infrastructure, roads and highways to be replaced by electric bullet trains and battery cars, the jet planes will slowly cease to fly, the telecommute will replace the ‘burbs near factories, businesses and the very fabric of our society will change, force upon us by world circumstances, the Asian fact, Oil shortages, Food shortages, Wealth redistributions into “Yuan” and away from our “fiat” dollar, and technologies we Americans cannot even fathom, will be developed by Asian intellectuals, in a science remote and as foreign as their languages are to us! The Intelligentsia of China alone, More post-graduates this year, with IQ’s of 130+, and multi-lingual at that, than the U.S.A. has high school students, drop-outs included! – All inexpensively, dormed, public students, on rice and veggie diets! No heavy, expensive meats, sports cars, sports stadiums, massive booze and drug bills, astounding illegitimacy rates, high STD rates – All, clean small smart fast folk, and hungry! India holds the same rude surprise for the over expanded American ego! They too have a huge, higher IQ, post graduate, multi-lingual vegan population, and they dominate the software world even in America today! What will all this intelligence bring to the 21st Century? Certainly more than the Americans, the heavy. high calorie intake, spoiled, pampered, well dressed, gaming computer equipped, expensive to raise “Foot Ball Stars” the same ilk who engineered the downfall of the once mighty GM(America)! We are now “Third World” and sinking fast in a selfish mire of corporatism, capitalism, and greed, and without massive paradigm shift will soon see the end of our Empire here on earth! Daisy! Change is coming! What kind is your only choice! Will it be Obama’s socialism, Health care, cut-backs, higher taxes, for better schools, higher standards to live up to. or shall we let the “Good Times Roll” right into Third-Worldship” and decimation of all that once was good in America? Your call.

Uncle B, don’t waste your time on Daisy, she is a right wing terrorist bent on destroying every common sense rule or regulation that might interfere with her plans for anarchy. People like her have landed us in the mess we are in now. They would be only too happy to use their machine guns to force the retailer to keep selling the products that THEY WANT. If you want something different then you would need a bigger gun than they have to force the retailers to do your bidding. The sad thing is that they think this is FREEDOM.

Wow, that Uncle B is truly deranged. As I see it, the issue is not so much are CFLs good or bad. Use them if you want, be my guest. The issue for me is how much government intrusion into our lives is desirable? Do you really want your government to be able to tell you what kind of light bulb you must use? How about what kind of toilet paper? How about how much water you’re allowed to use to make pasta? How about requiring everyone to dry their clothes on a line instead of using clothes dryers? These are all things I’ve seen floated in newspaper articles. We’ve got to draw the line someplace. Government is there to provide necessary services, like defense, and many would argue, education. America became great not because of our government but because of our freedom from government. Is our capitalistic system perfect? Far from it. But I would rather live in an imperfect but free society than one that deprives me of my ability to make my own decisions on the very minutia of daily life. (And by the way, Canada is a beautiful country. And they pay something like 13.5% tax on EVERYTHING, including food and clothing. Very regressive. That “free” health care system everybody raves about…Canadians are paying for it every time they buy so much as a stick of gum.)

Dear Daisy, not a commie, but happy with the CFL’s I got! Truth is if you keep the guarantee on the Euro-bulbs, and they burn out, they give you new ones no questions asked, as for the American made ones, don’t buy unless guarantee is provided and keep the papers , bill included in a drawer after sales! I have the original CFL’s I go up to ten years old, still going strong! They seem to get to maximum brightness noticeably slower than when new, especially when it is cold, but still work fine! Politics aside, I got em to save on Electric bills, very high, near Darlington Nuclear plant in Ontario Canada! Bonus was they lasted much longer! I am and Environmentalist and Conservationist, I compost, garden, and use recycled every chance I get, I heat with Natural gas cause it is cheapest here, I added insulation and cut drafts to lessen fuel consumption, to save my own selfish pocket book! I really do not approve of what ROI expedient corporatists and Capitalists do to the country-side, and urban areas, and feel alternatives should be open-mindedly explored, I am appalled, as most Canadians are, with the American holocaust: 45 thousand compatriots die there, each year due to lack of adequate health care! How many Jews? Is Weisental looking? Are old, German Jews worth more than American Jews? We love one-another in Canada, and help each other out! If that is socialistic let it be! Canada is a beautiful, clean country, We love it! We try to keep it clean! We fight anything that pollutes our clean waters, clean air, clean soil! Our modern miners, lumber men, developers, contractors, face laws never faced by old-timers, we learned! Socialist? or Patriotic and faithful to the Land, over and above the precious ROI? Hard to say, but definitely not greedy, unpatriotic exploiters like Multi-National corporate interests in the U.S.A.! You sound like a well financially established American not willing to change the “Status Quo” one bit, because you are finger deep in your “sweet spot”. High oil prices, retreat in Afghanistan, defeat in Iran with the recent sale of the South Azadegan Oil Fields to China ( the largest oil discovery in the middle East in the last thirty years) and the consequential appearance of Chinese plutonium and Chinese delivery systems for it, there, and a re-balancing of “Mutual Destruction” for Israel and American influences in this oil patch may just perturb your “Sweet Spot” enough to annoy you and waken you to the new American realities! Don’t take my word for it SEE: http://uprooted.jessicareeder.com/2009/09/detroit-and-the-100-dollar-house/comment-page-1/#comment-3003
for how it really is in America with rising oil prices and falling employment. growing unemployables roaming the streets, and mind bending inflation as the dollar sinks to all time lows and gold goes to $1100.00 a Troy ounce! I fear for you and the great fall you well propagandized, sanctimonious “game players” are about to face in the next capitalist economies natural “Downswing” and the impending greater depression it brings! Sure! the markets have surged forward, the “Numbers’ are higher! They have to be! Fools! These are devalued dollars, less purchasing powers, and the natural occurrence is re-numbering, not giving greater value, but possibly equal or even hiding less value! the “Re-bound’ is Bull Shiite! Smoke and mirrors! a numbers game for suckers! Buy a shot-gun Daisy, you are going to need it! You are so naive! so smug, so easy to violate, you make the corporatists quiver in delight! I beg you! Wake Up ! Read something good! Stop this CNN stuff! get real! The capitalism you defend sold you planned obsolescence built into you car, annual model changes to churn sales, sick bonds, hated the world over and despised as an “American Corporative Invention” and the total downfall and rapping of whole countries like Iceland! Do You think that if you defend this vulture v behavior it will bypass you? Caution! That’s not how they work at all, my poor virginal dreamer! All you have they will own, all you are depends on them, and if and when they pull the plug, you are nothing! and they don’t give a damn! They are “Numbered companies, soulless, run by the figures entities able to kill without retribution, victimize freely and shyster your ass at any time by changing the rules – look up definitions of the “Corporation” understand the basics of corporate law, then write back to me and tell me, are you part of the machine, or part of the road!

Daisy:

Thank you, but… ultimately, we are all environmentalists, even you. Why would we NOT want to preserve what God has so kindly placed before us, or not seek to minimize -or perhaps even reverse- any damage that our lack of caring, greed or other human attributes may have clearly brought upon it? Look at what unintended consequences from actions by an inattentive Soviet government did to the once majestic Aral Sea!

It is said, with good reason, that the best in us can be found by winnowing the ideas of many -but this presumes the ability to listen to each other, and to respect each other while doing so. I know it is difficult and maddening to the point of endangering democratic idealism, yet it is the key to better futures.

In retrospect, I believe that the idealists who pushed for the phasing out of incandescent lights meant well, and their heart was in the right place. Unfortunately, it seems that they did not listen (maybe they did not even seek?) to the wisdom of cautionary voices pointing to unintended consequences that will have to be addressed. I know of a physics professor at a local university that bemoans the fact that no one “consulted him.” Of course, that just means that set against society as a whole he is not that important. There is another problem, namely, those of us (yes, me) who SHOULD have given thought to the problem and spoken up but did not.

So here I am. The tiny, tiny voice of an old man. I just hope that some others will raise theirs, too, until those we have placed in charge begin to take note. Perhaps some aspects of the now existing mandate should be rescinded or modified. Perhaps the phase out should not be total. Perhaps we need to retain some choice, as you say. I do not presume to know the answers.

I do caution, though, that our valid concerns will be tarnished and ignored if we just devolve into accusing each other of being this or that. Data must be accumulated, data that cannot be refuted. As for the other temptation, remember that great prophets, teachers and more have told us of the power of kindness and of good words.

I wish the best to us all.

Harold

To all:

Regardless of how we feel about the phase- out, the fact is, the new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL, CFLs) are here. I was shocked to realize on October 16, 2009 that the phase- out of incandescents has already been mandated, since the CFL replacements apparently are NOT ready for real world use. Out of the first twelve we bought in December of 2007, seven failed before a year was out, and the 8th failed shortly thereafter. The first one to burn out did so within its FIRST DAY of use. All were from a well known U.S. brand, but they were made in China (so we know nothing about manufacturing quality controls, tolerances or storage in transit). CFLs must not be turned on and off frequently and produce no extra heat, so any energy savings are partially (or worse) negated: they must stay on longer, and the furnace must work a bit harder during the winter. Those things aside, CFLs are NOT to be used in cold temperatures (as is the case for lighting of porches, garage doors or patios during the winter), cannot be used in conjunction with dimmers, do not fit in specialty overhead lamps like chandeliers requiring small- base bulbs and are a no- no in conjunction with motion detectors. Sadly, manufacturers have no incentive to address consumer concerns because they can charge more for CFLs, so if their use is mandated, they will just go out and celebrate. Are any of the issues I have raised in connection to their use being addressed by anyone?

This is addressed to someone who calls himself Keith Dipshit, why would anyone call THEMSELVES a Dipshit. That is unless they have a peculiarly clear insight into their own character but even then it is strange. I cannot believe I am responding to this disturbed person who out of their own mouth has shown that they are incapable of calm rational discourse, ah! well I will try to spread a little enlightenment.
Communist, oh dear here we go again, Mr. Dipshit it is obvious that you have a very limited education (if any at all), communism by its very nature is a revolutionary type of endeavour, this country was created by REVOLUTION. Communism creates a rule of law and idealogy just like this country. Communism attempts to spread its law and idealogy just like this country. So are all Americans COMMUNISTS? Of course not, there are differences whereas communism does not speak to the responsibilities of the masses, the masses are suppressed and the autocratic leadership doesn’t care about responsibilities not even their own.
I DO BELIEVE IN RESONSIBILITY and I take advantage of my right to speak without being pilloried by idiots, ergo I am not a COMMUNIST, your on the other hand demonstrate NO responsibility as is obvious from your childish and very limited writing . It is therefore obvious that you are either a COMMUNIST or an ANARCHIST. Both of which are odious in the extreme. Stop making a fool of yourself over subjects that you have absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of.

Cristi, NO you won’t get cancer by just using CFLs in your home. Yes they do contain a minute amount of Mercury, so do thermometers that you may put in your mouth. Mercury may also be in the thermostat that controld your heating and A/C. Mercury may also be in the tuna that you had for dinner. Other carcinogenic substances are in your home, Nitrites are in your bacon and other deli meats, Chlorine is in many cleaning products. Selenium may be in your laser printer, and for heavens sake don’t stay around if someone accidentally sets fie to any man made fabrics because the smoke is very toxic. Not to mention cigarettes and of course ALCOHOL which together kill more people than virtually all other causes combined. The list goes on and on, Mercury in CFLs is of concern but there are many other potential hazards that we just take for granted and take reasonable precautions against that the dangers are minimal (far less than breathing second hand smoke).
There are people who post comments here that DO NOT UNDERSTAND this and start accusing people such as myself as being communists. They think that ANY kind of reasonable rules and regulations violate their rights, rights that do not exist by the way, such as the right to buy any kind of light bulb they desire. What amendment to the constitution says that?
I have said it before and I will say it again, freedom does not mean that you can do anything you want to. That is called ANARCHY and if you are so driven that you desire to do ANYTHING you want regardless of the harm you may do to others. Then please, please go live in Somalia, those people NEVER, NEVER respond to that. Why? because it smacks of the truth, No civilized society can exist without laws, rules and regulations and if banning incandescent light means that we can save enormous amounts of energy so be it. I hate to sink to their level but they must all come from oil producing states in the middle east and are afraid of the loss of revenue and the axe that they hold over the heads of the American people. Anyone who does not want to see progressive, reasonable and vital regulations enacted to save this country is a Communist or worse an Anarchist. They should all be rounded up and shipped of to their little bit of heaven in Somalia, with of course their guns, we must not deprive them of their guns. After all they will really need them in a country where freedom really does mean you can do ANYTHING you want, even buy incandescent bulbs That is if the local war lord hasn’t already stockpiled them). They will also need their own generators to produce electricity and for that they will also need middle east oil to run the generators. But that’s OK they want FREEDOM and they can have it. I together with the vast majority of Americans prefer to live in a truly FREE country where we our rights are protected because WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ARE THE GUARDIAN OF OUR RIGHTS.
Sadly this is probably beyond their capability to understand they are probably listening to Rush Lumber to catch some pearls of wisdom.
Good Luck.

Mike, Daisy, maybe you should read some history books and then some books about how a democracy actually works. These rights that you constantly claim you have DO NOT EXIST. Then you start the same tired old childish harangue about communism, I am no communist and I have never been a communist, neither of you have the slightest idea what you are talking about. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ELECT PEOPLE TO CONGRESS TO DO? sit around and drink cocktails? their job is to make CHOICES in the form of legislation (laws) that enable us to continue to live in a free society. You are the dangerous ones, you are Anarchists because you mistakenly believe that freedom means that you can do whatever you want and to hell with anyone who opposes you. You probably own guns and want to use them against me because your paranoia makes you believe that your NON-EXISTENT RIGHTS will be taken away from you.
I have told you many times that you should live in Somalia where your are completely free to do ANYTHING. I prefer to live in a country like this one were my rights are proteceted and sensible people make sensible rules for the benefit of everyone. That is NOT COMMUNISM. You never address the point I make about the banning of the use of lead or the fact that we are all required to drive on the right for our own safety. Of course you don’t address them because they make all your arguments appear foolish/\. put your money where you mouths are and leave the country yourselves, it is obvious that you are dissatisfied, oh! and take your guns with you you are going to need them.
Before that you should take some classes about how this country works as you obviously have no concept of this. The most important thing to learn is this, freedom does NOT mean that you can do anything you want. If you are so pigheaded that you cannot agree on something so obviouslysensible then there is no hope. Remember also that when Congress makes a choice it is doing exactly what the constitution requires it to do. Remember the constitution, go read it and you may be shocked to find out that listening to Rush Lumber is exactly the wrong way to get at the truth. Rush Lumber is a multi millionaire and you don’t make that kind of money by telling the truth on hate radio stations and he knows it.

Again Keith, in some aspects you are correct. The flourecent light bulbs do save energy and I’m guessing would cut down on the power stress that the power grids face using up energy with old skool light bulbs but as i told you b4, we live in a country where we can do as we please (as long as no laws are broken) and say what we want. (Freedom Of Speech) The fact that congress is making choices for us is unacceptable in my book. Its almost like they’re saying, ” I DONT WANT U EATING ANY MORE SWEETS BECAUSE ITS VERY UNHEALTHY FOR YOU, SO I WILL PASS A BILL TO BOYCOT SWEETS FROM BEING SOLD AT STORES. IF WE SELL ONLY FRUITS AND VEGATABLES, AMERICANS WILL SEE HEALTHIER RESULTS AND NO OR VERY LITTLE HEALTH CONCERNS.” What i just stated about fruits and vegatables and sweets is true. Sweets are unhealthy and will cause you to gain weight and possibly die at an early age and if you eat your fruits and vegetables, most likely you will live longer but theres no guarentee cuz shit happens. There are some who choose to eat sweets all day because they dont care too much about their health but thats their choice. Most americans enjoy sweets so why should some asshole take away our rights to enjoy what we like just because they say so???? I”d tell them to kiss my ass. And those who choose to live longer and to look fit will eat fruits and vegetables which is another choice. Thats one of the beauties about this country. You’re free to make choices. So the fact that congress is making a choice for us to phase out incandecent bulbs, is almost like they’re taking a right from us. If everyone member in congress wants to put flourcent bulbs in their homes, again thats their choice. Just because they like it doesnt mean everyone else will like it and again we gota look at the facts, accidents do happen. u accidently drop and break the new bulbs. Studies show that it will post a health hazard for anyone thats at the location where the bulb broke. Its not like u can just clean it up and not worry about anything. They contain mercury which is deadly. Many ppl who I know who had those new bulbs have told me they’ve had headaches from those bulbs and im talking about REAL BAD headaches and other ppl in here whos been commenting have also complained about other health issues they had, all because of these new shit bulbs. In the beginning, nobody ever complained about incandecent bulbs, only that it produces more heat than light. i guess i’l have no choice than to stock up on a whole bunch of incandecent bulbs. we still have 5 more years to go that they’l be around (supposely) but I’m sure that even after the 5 year period, they’l still be around in certain stores.

Mike, You say that we should have the right to make our own choices as long as no laws are being broken. Think about that statement, you seem to have shot yourself in the proverbial foot. Congress is making a law that says if you use an incandescent light you will be BREAKING THE LAW. Ergo making a choice to use an incandescent would be BREAKING THE LAW, you would be completely contradicting your own statement.