OK, if you haven’t changed already then you are just ignorant. I save on average $40 a month on my electric bill since I switched. Granted, I have a tendency to leave too many lights on 24/7. But, if you can’t tell that there is a difference between using a 90 Watt incandescent and a 15 watt flourescent or a 5 watt LED then I feel sorry for you. Also, put your wall warts on power strips and turn them off when done, big savings there too.
1) I HATE the light from fluorescents. That includes my house, schools, stores, wherever. It irritates my eyes and makes my eyes tired.
2) I have tried these CFL bulbs, in fact I am typing this with 3 of them hanging over my head at the moment. I can honestly say I haven't noticed any decrease in my electrical bill. But my bill is usually about $60-75 a month so if I saved $40/month like you I'd be cutting my bill in half. Not only unlikely, but like hell a light bulb switchout is going to do that. Maybe if you invent a CFL dishwasher or clothes dryer we can talk.
3) The CFL bulbs suck out of doors. Where I live (Rochester area) it gets down to -10 easily in winter. My porch lights, which I have switched over, need replacing quite often--more often than the old incandescents did. Yeah, I'm saving a lot of money there.
4) The CFL bulbs suck when hanging upside down. I have replaced them in my basement and garage more often since the changeover. If I hadn't bought the "economy super environment saver" package from BJ's I would have switched back already.
5) The CFL bulbs take forever to warm up. This is completely impractical in a room where you walk in, do whatever (e.g. laundry room) and walk out. As a result, I just leave the damn things on instead of dealing with the hassle. I guess that isn't very efficient, is it?
6) It's about FREEDOM--freedom to purchase whatever the hell you want as long as someone is FREE to produce it and wants to produce it. This, to me, is the most important point. Since we are on FREEREPUBLIC, I would think it would be important to you as well.
I'm glad you save $40 a month. But I would gladly give an extra $40/month to be free of one more government intrusion into my life. That is all.