Free Republic

Regardless of party affiliations, true conservatives have made the old fashioned light bulb—an unassuming household item—into a symbol for something much larger. But what, exactly? At the risk of sounding melodramatic, it has become symbolic of the fight between liberty and tyranny. The light bulb ban provides a useful window into the mindset of liberals. Here’s how they see the issue: energy-saving bulbs are better, therefore the others should be illegal. The pattern repeats itself in nearly every other realm: they determine the best policy, then impose it in a top down manner with no regard for states, localities, or...

“I am proud to sign this bill into law,” reverberated President Obama at a signing ceremony. “Border security has been a top priority of this administration, and we will never rest until our borders are secure. I never said that if you like your light bulb you could keep your light bulb, somebody else said that,” grinned the president in a good-natured joke at his expense. Looking over his shoulder at a small audience of citizens representing Democrats United for Limited Lighting (DULL), a young pregnant woman passed out, but was caught before falling to the floor.

No rules yet for recycling mercury-containing alternatives A federal ban on inefficient light bulbs goes into effect Jan. 1, 2014, almost seven years after it was announced with fanfare by a then-rookie Conservative government. But the tough regulations are being watered down, and there are no federal rules yet on recycling a class of bulbs that meet the new standard but contain toxic mercury.

January 1st, 60 watt and 40 watt incandescents become unavailable. As soon as I hit "post", I'm out the door to Home Depot!

If your New Year’s resolution is to change your light bulbs, don’t worry—the federal government’s here to help. Beginning January 1, 2014, the federal government will ban the use of 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent light bulbs. The light bulb has become a symbol in the fight for consumer freedom and against unnecessary governmental interference into the lives of the American people. 2007, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law an energy bill that placed stringent efficiency requirements on ordinary incandescent bulbs in an attempt to have them completely eliminated by 2014. The law phased out 100-watt and...

A modern day Edison has a bright idea: a way to keep the incandescent bulb burning brightly, despite a government law set to go into effect New Year’s Day that effectively outlaws the most commonly used lightbulbs. Most bulbs, that is. Not those made by lightbulb savior Larry Birnbaum. “When the government decided to ban incandescent lightbulbs, they left a loophole in the law. An opening,” Birnbaum told FoxNews.com. “What that was was rough service.”

Starting next year, it's lights out for certain types of light bulbs in the United States. You'll no longer be able to buy an incandescent light bulb starting January 1, 2014. Under the Energy Efficiency and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by then- President George W. Bush, light bulbs must become more efficient in terms of energy used for generated light. That means incandescent lights are phased out. And you'll reduced to choose between a compact fluorescent (CFL) or light emitting diode (LED) bulb. For example, instead of burning 60 watts when you turn on the lights, you...

DALLAS -- The parks and recreation department is warning residents near a south Dallas playground to be on the lookout for symptoms of mercury exposure after light bulbs were illegally dumped at the playground and a vacant lot across the street. Nearly 1,000 electrical and fluorescent light bulbs were found Thursday at the Peary Play Lot in the 2800 block of Peary Ave. near Malcolm X Boulevard.

Fluorescent Lamps contain and operate on exciting MERCURY VAPOR, which then causes the phosphorous on the glass to fluoresce, and thus the incorrect name given to these mercury vapor lamps Mercury is a well known highly toxic poison and one 4 foot T8 lamp contains about a MILLIONS of times the concentration of Mercury in air that is the maximum safe level. Mercury gas is much heavier than air and, it will thus remain near the ground level and will easily entrain itself into anything it touches , including carpets furniture and flooring. Mercury gas is odorless and colorless, and...

Texas Republican Michael Burgess just won another round in his fight against federal standards that could force consumers to abandon inefficient incandescent light bulbs for more expensive LED and fluorescent alternatives. The House voted Wednesday to adopt an amendment by Burgess that would bar the Energy Department from using any funds to implement efficiency standards for light bulbs, six years after Congress first mandated the change. The provision in a 2007 energy law was designed to encourage manufacturers to produce more energy efficient light bulbs; although it didn’t rule out traditional incandescents, they would need a redesign to qualify under...

(CNSNews.com) - As part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Collins Inc. of Clinton, Iowa has agreed to a “re-lamping” of its facility with low-mercury fixtures at a projected cost of $76,952. The re-lamping will be a greater expense than the civil penalty to be paid. “A re-lamping project involving the replacement of high-mercury fluorescent fixtures and bulbs with low-mercury fluorescent fixtures and bulbs at its facility with a projected eligible cost of $76,952.00,” The EPA settlement says. The “re-lamping” will cost more than the $31,379 administrative civil penalty paid by Collins Inc., a manufacturer of metal...

Legislate in haste ... repent at leisure. In their haste to rid Americans of the unconscionable plague of perfectly safe if somewhat inefficient incandescent lighting, politicians in Washington have forced us to adopt more expensive technology in its place. Compact flourescent lighting (CFLs) are already known to be a considerable disposal risk, thanks to the mercury used in them. A new study reported earlier this week by Miami's CBS affiliate warns of an operational risk as well ... ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancers and even acute burns (via Katie Pavlich): Every time you turn on the lights, you...

UNDATED (NBC) - As we say goodbye to 2012, we're also saying goodbye to a fixture in America's lighting fixtures: The 75-watt incandescent light bulb. Under federal law, 75-watt bulbs can no longer be produced or imported as of January 1st, though retailers can still clear remaining stock. **SNIP** Traditional 60 and 40 watt bulbs will be phased out in 2014.

HOUSTON -- At the Light Bulb Depot near his home in The Heights, Randy Gingrich just bought another batch of florescent bulbs. “Since I started three years ago, I haven’t replaced a compact fluorescent yet,” he says. “So I’m happy with that.” “In my ceiling fans, each one of mine has four lights,” says Allen Tabb, who’s been selling light bulbs for 16 years. “So instead of using 240 watts of electricity, I only use 60 watts of electricity. And I get the same light output.” Sure, fluorescent bulbs are more expensive than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs and some people complain...

EnlargeWake Forest University physics professor David Carroll works with graduate student Greg Smith on new FIPEL lighting technology. Credit: Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University photographer Say goodbye to that annoying buzz created by overhead fluorescent light bulbs in your office. Scientists at Wake Forest University have developed a flicker-free, shatterproof alternative for large-scale lighting. The lighting, based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology, also gives off soft, white light – not the yellowish glint from fluorescents or bluish tinge from LEDs."People often complain that fluorescent lights bother their eyes, and the hum from the fluorescent tubes irritates anyone sitting at...

Are kids' school lunches safe? A new report from the advocacy group Mercury Policy Project finds tuna served as school lunches in some states may contain levels of mercury that the organization deems toxic. Mercury is a naturally occurring neurotoxin in the environment that can be released into the air through industrial pollution. It builds up in water and streams and turns into methylmercury, a compound which is then absorbed by fish as they feed. The report, called "Tuna Surprise" is the first to test canned tuna sold to schools, according to its authors. "Most children are already consuming only...

Several years ago, a push began in Congress to make incandescent light bulbs illegal. The measure was designed to force Americans to use the more energy efficient CFL (compact florescent light bulbs). Supposedly, CFL bulbs use less electricity and last longer. However, I find that I have had to replace some CFL bulbs almost as often as incandescent bulbs. I still have incandescent bulbs that have been in use for many years and still burning brightly. I, like many consumers, resisted the forced legislation more because of cost more than anything else and I hate it when Congress keeps interfering...

Energy-efficient CFL bulbs cause skin damage, say researchers 8:52 AM 07/23/2012 ADVERTISEMENT New research funded by the National Science Foundation has scientists warning consumers about the potentially harmful effects energy-saving CFL light bulbs can have on skin. The warning comes based on a study conducted by Stony Brook University and New York State Stem Cell Science — published in the June issue of Photochemistry and Photobiology — which looked at whether and how the invisible UV rays CFL bulbs emit affect the skin. Based on the research, scientists concluded that CFL light bulbs can be harmful to healthy skin cells....

The Supreme Court justices’ stance on President Obama’s Medicaid expansion provision could be good news for states that want to lower their drinking ages from the federally mandated 21. ... The Supreme Court ruled that threatening to take away a state’s Medicaid funding unless the state does what the federal government wants is “unconstitutionally coercive” and declared it invalid. Because any given part of a Supreme Court decision can set a precedent for future laws and can even invalidate an established law if it is challenged using the Supreme Court’s new argument, the Medicaid decision could affect the National Minimum...

A trip to Home Depot this weekend revealed the shocking news that while some incandescent (Edison) bulbs are still available, our choice of bulbs has come down to: awful compact fluorescent bulbs that are hazardous to the environment and cost more; halogen bulbs, which cost many times the price of a regular bulb; and, the new and improved $50 LED bulb. While the LED bulbs are cool, 50 bucks is an outrageous price to be on the bleeding edge of technology. And for what purpose, to cut power consumption to stop non-existent global warming? I hope you're as outraged as...