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The Supreme Court May Have Saved Lives
August 6, 2012 | 55 comments
Buy the Book
It Isn’t Easy Being Green
The case of the missing 100 watt light bulb — just for starters as we begin to face the next four years.
(Page 2 of 2)
Then there is the problem of mercury and other “heavy metals” released as fine particles in the air by coal- and oil-fired power plants. While the EPA is willing to force you to switch to light bulbs that even it admits could cause mercury poisoning in your home, it is unwilling to permit the tiny risks that accompany power generation. Scientists are uncertain that the new regulations will have any positive health benefits, but by everyone’s calculation the costs are large. By one industry estimate the cost of the new regulations could reach $120 billion — or about $1,200 per U.S. household every year.
I will leave you with one more scary thought: should the Democrats re-take the House of Representative in the next election, expect a return of “cap and trade.” The last version of this idea would have imposed draconian efficiency standards on everything from automobiles to household appliances, raising their prices, and would have mandated greenhouse gas emissions per person back to 19th century levels by the middle of this century.
Elections matter.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (32) | Leave a comment
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Appleby| 12.14.12 @ 6:19AM
The electric car is a non-starter here in Kanukistan (literally, in the wintertime) because cold weather saps the power out of the batteries and means one cannot drive the thing and heat it both. There is no global warming in Canada. And then there's the fact that you have to plug the things in somewhere, and our power plants are largely coal-fired, all of which Premier Pinnochio is trying to close down, or he was before he decided to shut down the government and quit his job, one step ahead of the pitchforks and torches. However, it is still legal to sell 100 watt bulbs here, and many of us are stocking up in case this stupid law is ever actually enforced anywhere. As Prohibition proved, not to mention the several attempts to force a $1 coin on America, you cannot sell people things they do not wish to buy.
spike59| 12.14.12 @ 6:26AM
you cannot sell people things they do not wish to buy.
---------------------------
our Supreme Court, apparently, disagrees; witness ObaMaoScare
Al Adab| 12.14.12 @ 11:28AM
Don't overlook the fact that this administration thinks they can mandate what we purchase. So, every second car shall be a Chevy Volt made by Government owned GM (no socialism in America) ; just as our lightbulbs now must be those made (in China?) by GE, a major Obama campaign contributor.
Stan Redmond| 12.14.12 @ 3:49PM
But they sure can force us to buy it. Raise your hand if you wanted to put a food product in your fuel tank, ruin your car, and pay more for food all at the same time??? Anyone?
Terrible Ted| 12.15.12 @ 7:56AM
"Please, sir, I want some more."
Pecos Pete| 12.14.12 @ 8:23AM
Cave dwelling is fun! The problem is the world has too many people. Reduce the population! Outlaw sex! The next 4 years of King O's central planning are going to be a continuation of disastrous policies whereby we will arrive at Nirvana.
Mike G| 12.14.12 @ 10:12AM
But if we outlaw sex, no one will be forced to purchase Sandra's contraceptives! You must be part of the war on women.
John Navratil| 12.14.12 @ 8:59AM
"with a taxpayer loan guarantee of $535 billion"
That's $535 MILLION (wasn't it 529?) in loan guarantees to Solyndra. It's hard to tell a million from a billion these days.
c. j. acworth| 12.14.12 @ 10:20AM
A billion here, a billion there, before you know it you're talkin' real money!
pogybait| 12.14.12 @ 10:22AM
Yes it does seem that our wonderful country’s coastal elites seem care more about the gushing adoration from the so-called "unbiased press” and the politically correct view to oppose all living carbon-based life forms in the United States. Average Americans are too selfish to make the kind of sacrifices our wonderful progressive leaders would try to make themselves if they were "average" Americans. It seems fitting that terrorist leaders, congressional blowhards and bumbling libtards are graced with special powers to save us from ourselves, as long as we openly show disdain for America, the great satan.
fmm| 12.14.12 @ 11:29AM
Problem is that our wonderful progressive leaders are even more selfish than the average American.
Petronius| 12.14.12 @ 11:35AM
The Real goal of the Environazis is total control of individual attitudes, appetites, and above all consumption. They want to make their sand box mentality the state religion. That's why they abhor economic growth. They despise the fact that people are allowed to drive another inch more than they deem necessary, unless it's bussing for desegregation. But their Big target is the suburbanites and their disposable income, not only for cars and sport utes, but anything and everything the losers cannot afford. Ask Purp. Nobody is Better than anybody else. Now they'll make damned sure We can't live like we are. Welcome to the anthill.
cicero| 12.14.12 @ 1:48PM
Seems to me that the Republicans still control the House by a huge margin. Only the House can originate spending bills. It would be a simple matter to just not fund this nonsense, especially since the Senate has not proposed a budget in the past 4 years, and the budgets proposed by the Pres have gotten no vttes in the Senate.
Of course, that would require some actual polital courage on the part of our Representatives, and a willingness on their parts to actually fight on the behalf of the American people.
Al Adab| 12.14.12 @ 1:51PM
Ahhh Cicero, one can always hope for the days of courage. De Oficiis
Mazzuchelli| 12.14.12 @ 2:26PM
My better half embraced the squiggly bulbs with a vengeance. I'd turn the lights on for any sections of the hall, and they'd all light up at different times as if there was a short. I find that unsettling. Plus, the lights are on but they're not emitting much. Every light in the house can be burning and yet the house seems clothed in twilight. The straw came after installing PC-acceptable lights in the entryway to the downstairs from the garage. The floor tile is dark and although sunlight streams down from the entryway above, the PC lights only emit as far as the edge of their pots. For safety purposes, the umbrella stand should be bulging with white-tipped canes. HE [better half] after tripping over his own shoes, then ran out and began stockpiling real bulbs.
Kingofthenet| 12.14.12 @ 2:45PM
Your buying the wrong kind of CFL's get 'Full Spectrum' or Daylight ones.
Stan Redmond| 12.16.12 @ 4:55PM
The stupid CF bulbs don't work in cold weather. So in wise liberal fashion you have to waste energy heating unused rooms just so these stupid lightbulbs work to full capacity.
And the stupid CF light bulbs don't fit in any of my fixtures and I'm not about to go spend 1000s of dollars rewiring new fixtures. I hopefully have a lifetime supply of good old Edison bulbs stocked away in my garage.
Kingofthenet| 12.14.12 @ 2:44PM
Efficiency is like getting something for NOTHING. When you replace a 100w incandescent with a CFL, you get the SAME amount of light for 1/4 the energy.When you drive a Volt in Electric mode, you get to work and back(Assuming it's less than 35 miles) for pennies, with No Noise, No Pollution. It's like building Power Plants but without the nasty by products.Only knuckle dragging NeoCons don't get this.
Pecos Pete| 12.14.12 @ 5:24PM
Yup, that electric mobile is going to run real good when there is a brown-out, or when rationing of electricity commences. Not to mention the increase in cost of electricity as the fossil/nuclear generators disappear.
Appleby| 12.15.12 @ 8:00AM
If you live in an apartment building, there is nowhere to plug your car in. My building holds approximately 144 apartments, and there are over 100 apartment buildings within six blocks of me; if half the people here were to plug in their cars at once, the whole neighbourhood would blow up. People who drive in this city come from the suburbs, where square footage is far cheaper than it is in town, and a Volt will get you halfway here in the winter and then become a large paperweight. The Nissan Leaf, in fact, comes with free towing for that very reason. Yep, they're going to sell a lot of this here!
Tafuna| 12.14.12 @ 6:06PM
If those CFL bulbs are that great, then why not let the market place decide? Let folks have a choice.
If the Volt is such a great car, why do we have to subsidize it with tens of thousands of dollars for each one sold.
The trouble with you liberal fascists is that you cannot stand to allow anyone to make decisions on their own. Like all totalitarians, you insist on controlling every aspect of other people's lives.
Pej | 12.14.12 @ 6:36PM
"like getting something for nothing"--we can't argue with your expertise in that area. But, don't assume that we have not found a benefit of the Volt--it is an absolute sign of a wuss going by.
I prefer the 3/4 ton diesel myself, much better for towing bulldozers.
topcat52| 12.14.12 @ 11:05PM
I'm going to pretend that you're not just an ideologue and answer you in a serious manner. You know that electricity that the Volt runs on? It's generated by fossil fuels. You know that battery inside? It's really bad for the environment. It also costs alot more than a gas engine car, which might be why no one is buying one. And that 100W bulb? There is no CFL giving the same amount of light, and, it's non-toxic (though the glass can cut you, but so can the CFL if broken). But by all means, light you house any way you want, or don't light it at all (which saves much more energy, but leaves you in the dark), drive whatever car you want, that's what America is all about - personal freedom. Just don't expect me to make the same choices. That's my right as an American.
Stan Redmond| 12.16.12 @ 5:13PM
If you want a golf cart for commuting go buy one. Don't force me, as a taxpayer, to buy your golf cart through the GM bailout, subsidized purchase price, and charging station. For those of us in cooler climates you have to heat a room just to make sure those stupid CFs actually work. Please tell us how much electricity is required recycling these stupid lightbulbs provided people just don't throw these mercury laden bulbs in to the landfill?
Petronius| 12.14.12 @ 2:55PM
We don't want CFL's costing $5 each that don't light up instantly and weeniemobiles. WE want bright lights at 1/10th the cost when we flip the switch and V8's under the hood that run like NASCAR winners did 45 years ago.
Marc Jeric| 12.15.12 @ 10:23AM
Mullah Obama, our marxist Muslim President from Kenya, should be encouraged to pursue his green energies projects. You see - such energies do not exist; they are totally alike to those medieval pursuits for perpetuum mobile (machine once started works forever with no further inputs); transforming lead into gold; and philosopher's stone (thing gives you eternal youth).
TLP| 12.15.12 @ 6:25PM
Another one in the can.
144 Comments, and just 17 were Certified Entries.
I blame myself.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the Back and Forths. Hell, they're funnier than the Entries, but I feel like you're starting to perform like you've been on Unemployment for the last 3 Years.
Something's wrong.
No Drunken Sailor. No John II. No KennesawJack to speak of. No Bob Grant. No Nick. No Tina B. Although we did get Al Adab back, for about 5 Minutes.
We had over 300 comments last week. 160 more than we did this week.
Something's wrong.
With that in mind, I am discontinuing The Contest until further notice.
For everything there is a Season.
Apparently, this is not the Season for this, anymore.
The Winners are Everybody who showed up this weekend and put in the effort.
The only Losers, are those who sat out, for whatever reason they might have had.
TLP| 12.15.12 @ 6:37PM
The old song tells us that: You don't know what you've got, til it's gone.
We'll see.
Maybe, after the Holiday's are over?
I wanna thank everyone who showed up these last two days, and Damn everyone to Hell, who didn't. (Just Kidding)
God knows, this lasted way longer than I ever dreamed of, but I'm not what you would call: A Dreamer, and I can read the writing on the wall.
Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and remember all of those Families who just Lost EVERYTHING, in Newtown, the next time you start feeling sorry for yourselves.
Life is Precious.
Life is Short.
Live it, while you can.
And, don't take anything for granted.
Au revoir.
Tim.
TLP| 12.15.12 @ 6:39PM
How's that, for The Airing of Grievences?
Cats1cowboy| 12.16.12 @ 1:11AM
Ethanol only lasts several days before it starts gumming up my lawn and garden equipment. Urgent message to the feral government - QUIT HELPING!
TruSkeptik| 12.16.12 @ 10:40AM
Can't believe how much ink is wasted on this scam. In a nutshell, during the warming phase of earth's predictable warming/cooling cycle, the left raised a hue and cry about greenhouse gases, enlisting as it always does the stupid, the greedy and the perverse. When the cycle reverts to the cooling phase, the left will take credit for it. Thus, the stupid, the greedy and the perverse will be vindicated, the left will be hailed as heroic and the world economy will be left the poorer. Forward!