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Light Bulb Ban Produces Hoarding In EU, FUD In U.S.

Posted by timothy on from the top-down-is-the-current-paradigm dept.

Lucas123 writes "The very thought of losing that pear-shaped giver of warm, yellow light drove Europeans to hoard Edison's invention [Note: Or possibly Joseph Swan's invention; HT to eldavojohn.] as the EU's Sept. 1 ban on incandescent light bulbs approached. China's ban on incandescent lamps starts Oct. 1. And, in the U.S., the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 effectively began banning the 100W bulb this year and will ban the most popular bulbs — the 75W, 60W and 40W screw-in incandescent bulbs --over the next two years. The end standard requires bulbs to use 65% less energy by 2020. But Republicans in Congress continue to fight the ban by hamstringing the energy efficiency standards through appropriations legislation, cutting off funds for the enforcement of the light bulb ban."

3 of 1,080 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So you're a twat. by cayenne8 · · Score: 0, Troll

    You'll use those bulbs for the same reason why a four-year-old won't share their toys: because they've been told to.

    The trouble with your analogy is that I'm a grown adult...and the government is NOT my fucking parent....

    Who the fuck are they to tell ME what light bulb I can or cannot use???

    What happened to the free market in the US?

    This is not something I voted for in any of my politicians....

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  2. Re:republicans by heezer7 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Screw both parties. Why should the government tell me what kind of light bulbs I can and cannot use? (From some one that just bought 20 LED recessed fixtures)

  3. Re:So you're a twat. by cayenne8 · · Score: 0, Troll

    When large corporations are mass-producing products for consumer purchase that are bad for those consumers--individually or as a group--regulations are key to help ensure that those corporations are not sucking long-term value out of society in exchange for short-term profits.

    Wait...did I miss something? How are incadescent bulbs bad for consumers? Do they cause cancer? Do they contain dangerous chemicals like mercury in them? Might they cause birth defects in children?!?

    And....the govt is now the nanny? If that's the case, why haven't they banned tobacco entirely? Why have they not banned all bad foods? You know..things that have been shown to directly be bad for the consumer.....

    I'm sorry...comparing incandescent bulbs to asbestos is not a valid analogy. Regular light bulbs haven't been shown to be harmful to humans at all.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........