Posted on 12/06/2010 6:42:56 PM PST by jazusamo
Three years after he led the charge to require consumers to ditch their comfortable old incandescent lights in favor of those twisty CFL bulbs, Rep. Fred Upton now wants to be the man to help undo that law as the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
That about-face is not unique among lawmakers looking to atone for stances they've taken over the past decade as they seek to gain top posts in a decidedly more conservative Republican Congress, but his reversal underscores how intent the GOP is on proving it has broken with past practices.
"We have heard the grass roots loud and clear, and will have a hearing early next Congress," said Mr. Upton, a Michigan Republican who is facing several others in his party in a bid to earn the gavel of the powerful committee. "The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties - and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best."
Indeed, the compact fluorescent lamp, or CFL, has become a symbol of government overreach for many consumers, who wonder what was wrong with the incandescent bulbs that have lighted their kitchens, family rooms and bedrooms for more than a century.
The government says incandescent bulbs have too short a life span and are inefficient, wasting most of their energy on heat rather than on light. CFLs, on the other hand, can last up to 10 times as long and use 75 percent less electricity.
Still, they were slow to catch on, prompting industry, environmentalists and lawmakers to team up and give consumers a push. Mr. Upton joined Rep. Jane Harman, California Democrat, to co-sponsor legislation to phase out incandescent bulbs beginning in 2012. Their bill was incorporated into the 2007 Energy Independence...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
That is exactly what they were doing and they know it.
The new toilets failed to account for the fact that some men are built such that their needs are neglected.
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Smells like discrimination to me.
Agree with you jaz. The guy wants that power of that committee so badly. He wants to be the man, but he’s a RINO, and like all Lefties cannot be trusted at all. He speaketh for his own convenience. He’s a liar.
And hey, let's not mention the jobs his decisions have cost. It's just a pittance, really.
That’s true and in the summer months the days are much longer and bulbs aren’t used as much.
Just take notice of who has Pro-Communist/Democrat party lawn signs during election season and deposit the spent CFL's in their yard as you drive by. (just joking, Put away the flamethrowers)
I’m real happy for his conversion...and in about 20 years, if he continues to vote as a solid conservative, maybe he can apply for a leadership position. Until then...not a chance!
The ones we tried didn’t even come close but that was about 4 years ago so they may be better now.
I heard this guy on a local radio interview. He completely disowned the legislation. He said "that was Jane Harmon's bill." He hid behind industry testimony at the hearings. I guess when a captain of industry tells you something common sense should go out the window.
He is completely untrustworthy.
I use both, but if I need good lighting I get an incandescent. Outdoor lights that need to stay on a long time, I use the CFLs. Don’t have to change them nearly as often.
Choice. I don’t need the government me that they’re getting rid of adjustable wrenches because sockets are just so much better, getting rid of horses in favor of mules, or books in favor of kindles.
I actually prefer books, to be honest with you. And I like paperbacks over hardcover....much easier to hold in one hand while you drink coffee with the other. :>)
Amen!
Nope some last most don’t
I toss them in my neighbors can
It’s a waste of time anyway.
Manufacturers have ditched much of their capacity for the old bulbs as they were complicit in lobbying for the new more expensive CFLs.
CFLs will become obsolete in the near future anyway as LEDs per the free market will make CFLs go the way of 8-tracks, Beta video recorders, laserdisks, etc.
Too late...!
Light bulb factory closes; End of era for U.S. means more jobs overseas
And some women Hillary has her fitted with a badger 9
I swapped every light in the Spodefly World Headquarters and Bunker Compound to CFL. They seemed fine ... got used to it. Didn’t notice any massive swings in electrical bills.
Recently tho, I found a light that someone was discarding. Basically a pole, with a bulb on top and a cone that directs the light up. It has a dimmer built into it. I put my last 60watt incandescent bulb into it, and turned the dimmer to low ... and what beautiful light.
A soft, deep orange glow that is beautiful. Made me hate the greenish, pasty CFLs.
Also, I had a CFL “burn out” not long ago ... very spectacularly. At first it just went out. No fanfare, just stopped making light. About 5 seconds later tho there was a horrible arc welding sound, followed by the stench of frying electronics, which I assumed to be mostly toxic due to the mercury in the CFLs, so I turned on all the fans and opened all teh windows and herded the cats into a different part of the house till it cleared up
And no, I didn’t observe some government enforced disposal ritual ... I threw the son of a bitch in the trash.
*** CFLs, on the other hand, can last up to 10 times as long***
Bunk. None have lasted over a year (6 months average)and one CFL lasted only 30 days.
No one is less trustworthy than a politician who has suddenly decided to do the right thing.
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