Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A Lightbulb Tea Party?
Fox News ^ | December 21, 2007 | A Lightbulb Tea Party?

Posted on 12/21/2007 5:36:22 AM PST by libstripper

“No man's life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session.”

That comment by New York State Surrogate Court Judge Gideon Tucker in 1866 aptly summarizes the so-called “Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007,” signed into law this week by President Bush.

First, the law requires auto fuel efficiency standards to increase by 40 percent by 2020. Unfortunately, this goal is presently only achievable by reducing vehicle weight — but lighter cars are deadlier cars. So what’s the purported benefit of mandating 4,000 or more deaths per year?

The law’s supporters claim that it may reduce national oil consumption by about 5 percent (400 million barrels of oil per year). Doing the math, your life is now worth about 100,000 barrels of oil. In touting the law, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “it is an environmental issue, and therefore a health issue… it is an energy issue, and it is a moral issue.”

But what exactly is the morality of risking thousands of lives every year to reduce oil consumption by an inconsequential amount?

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 110th; cflbulbs; energy; lightbulbs; nannystate
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last
To: Calpernia

Grow lights for the weed....


21 posted on 12/21/2007 6:18:03 AM PST by IYAS9YAS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: IYAS9YAS

That would be under gardening lights ;)


22 posted on 12/21/2007 6:18:41 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
aquariums
brooders
incubators/hatchers
gardening lights
reptilian lamps


Easy-bake ovens. :)
23 posted on 12/21/2007 6:21:45 AM PST by Horkster (What can I say? My wife gave birth to girls...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia

Yeah, but said my way, it has a more immediate impact (can you imagine stoners trying to wrap their brains around “gardening lights” - takes ‘em too long).


24 posted on 12/21/2007 6:21:58 AM PST by IYAS9YAS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Erik Latranyi

Better late than never, don’t you think?


25 posted on 12/21/2007 6:24:21 AM PST by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: libstripper

All this crap was hit upon so well by Mad Magazine way back in my youth. The cartoon was a hippie musician intro’ing his latest song blasting the man and evil corporations (especially power companies) - then without skipping a beat, states that he needs to plug in his guitar...


26 posted on 12/21/2007 6:25:32 AM PST by IYAS9YAS
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Horkster

I had one of those growing up. It was my favorite toy.


27 posted on 12/21/2007 6:27:38 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: libstripper
We now know the answer to the question:

How many Congressman does it take to change a light bulb?

28 posted on 12/21/2007 6:28:32 AM PST by AU72
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia

We should start some type of thread listing all the applications the loss of the lightbulb will have.
This will impact things people won’t even think about offhand.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ovens
refrigerators
walk-in freezers
lights that need to be dimmed
lights that need to not emit a ton of EMI and audible noise
lights that need to not be a fire hazard


29 posted on 12/21/2007 6:30:51 AM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: fewz

Not millions, but are you willing to pay $30,000 for a basic compact car? That is the estimate I heard from the auto industry last week.


30 posted on 12/21/2007 6:34:58 AM PST by mak5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: loungitude

>>>>lights that need to not emit a ton of EMI and audible noise

Example?

Oh, some therapies use heat lamps too!


31 posted on 12/21/2007 6:43:11 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: libstripper

I would agree in the past that going to lighter cars would cause more injuries and deaths from automobile accidents, but automotive safety design has advanced quite a lot in the last 15 years. The reason is simple: crash test certification by the NHTSA and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) here in the USA and the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) for European-market cars. This means today’s small cars sport safety features like front and side airbags, better side protection, crush zones to reduce the force of the impact on passengers, rollover protection and even less severity of impact on pedestrians. In fact, if you’re driving the current Honda Fit, you could likely survive an impact at the most common speed for side impacts (about 28-33 mph at intersections) even from most pickup trucks, thanks to side protection on the doors and side curtain airbags to absorb the force of the impact.


32 posted on 12/21/2007 6:45:53 AM PST by RayChuang88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
I have used CFLs because of their few benefits. I have observed that they emit audible noise, far greater than an incandescent bulb.
They disrupt electrical measurements in a lab environment, and they trash AM radio reception.
33 posted on 12/21/2007 6:50:38 AM PST by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Ann Archy
MERCURY is in the new bulbs and you must take them to a HAZARD DUMP!

The next protest may have to include popping a few fluorescent bulbs on the Capitol Hill steps - eh?

34 posted on 12/21/2007 6:50:48 AM PST by Libloather (Hillary donors find their way to the cover of Time. And the very next day they're doing it...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: RayChuang88
No certification will ever convince me that today's cars are safer than our classic steal.

And the craftsmanship can't be topped!

35 posted on 12/21/2007 6:50:55 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: loungitude

>>>They disrupt electrical measurements in a lab environment, and they trash AM radio reception.

I didn’t know that. Thanks!


36 posted on 12/21/2007 6:57:18 AM PST by Calpernia (Hunters Rangers - Raising the Bar of Integrity http://www.barofintegrity.us)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Calpernia
Actually, older cars are actually less safe for these reasons:

1) There's no "give" in the body to absorb the force of the impact--the impact forces transmit all the way to the passenger with deadly results.
2) The interior of the car are full of hard parts that could cause serious or lethal injury when the passenger suffers what's known as the "second impact" when they're jostled around inside the car.
3) The design of the safety belts on older cars may not properly reduce the force of the "second impact" inside the car.

37 posted on 12/21/2007 6:58:51 AM PST by RayChuang88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: RayChuang88

This may be true but after this slow speed crash you’ll more than likely be getting another new car at a guestemet of what $20-30,000?


38 posted on 12/21/2007 6:59:06 AM PST by repubpub
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: repubpub

But that’s still cheaper than a serious injury that could could cost six figures to heal.


39 posted on 12/21/2007 7:00:07 AM PST by RayChuang88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: Libloather

“The next protest may have to include popping a few fluorescent bulbs on the Capitol Hill steps - eh?”

CFL Light bulb breaking “terrorists” could bring DC to its knees in a coordinated attack on several locations at once. HAZMAT would be overwhelmed. I hope the bad guys don’t use it as a diversion to tie up resources as part of a real bio/chem attack.


40 posted on 12/21/2007 7:01:17 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0 (Global warming is the new Marxism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-67 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson