Liberals force new "hidden tax" on working people with whacko enviro law.

[Christians4LessGvt]

Time to stock up on light bulbs
Government ban on mercury-free fixtures takes effect Jan. 1

Sat Nov 26, 2011

Within four weeks, it will be a crime to manufacture a 100-watt version of Thomas A. Edison's brilliant invention. Thanks to a Democratic Congress and the signature of President George W. Bush (moron!) in 2007, anti-industrial zealots at the Energy Department received authority to blot out one of the greatest achievements of the industrial age. They're coming for our light bulbs.

Know-it-all bureaucrats insist that foisting millions of mercury-laden fluorescent tubes on the public is going to be good for the planet. The public obviously does not agree. Voting with their wallets, people have overwhelming favored warm, nontoxic lighting options over their pale curlicue imitators. Beginning Jan. 1, Obama administration extremists will impose massive financial penalties on any company daring to produce a lighting product that fully satisfies ordinary Americans.

The Republican House hasn't done enough to stop this. Rep. Michael C. Burgess, Texas Republican, added language to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill to prohibit the ban's implementation. A Senate committee deleted this sensible amendment in September, and it's been quite a while since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has allowed an up-or-down vote on a funding bill.

"This was bad policy in 2007 and worse policy in 2011, especially considering Congress' awareness of the American people's opposition," Mr. Burgess told The Washington Times. "Harry Reid has literally removed Americans' choice over what to put in their own homes. This issue is too important to our core values as Americans not to pursue."

Unfortunately, the Republican leadership hasn't made this a priority. Many in the GOP remain cowed by the fraudulent claim that these are just harmless "energy standards" and opposing them would be a crime against the environment. The reality is that this ban is yet another example of the sort of job-destroying regulations that enrich the administration's friends at the expense of consumers. Specifically, the rules turn a 50-cent light bulb into a purchase of $3 or more.

Rampaging bureaucrats aren't just satisfied with foisting inferior light bulbs on the public. The Energy Department uses the force of the federal government to redesign an entire suite of consumer products to meet their personal preferences. In nearly every case, their meddling makes things worse. Current regulations micromanage the function of ceiling fans, clothes washers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, faucets, freezers, furnaces, heat pumps, lamps, pool heaters, power supplies, refrigerators, room air conditioners, shower heads, stoves, toilets and water heaters. Enough is enough.

All of this is entirely unnecessary. The public is more than capable of encouraging the development of efficient products. House Republicans need to force a repeal of the light-bulb ban into the final budget deal so people will know each time they throw a light switch that their representatives see their concerns.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/26/time-to-stock-up-on-light-bulbs/

[kimba1]

actually I will stockup
seriously the 100w tag is bogus on those energy savers. it simply doesn`t crank out the same amount of light. I used them for stuff that need serious lighting . like computer repair

[Xavier_Onassis]

This isn't a tax, and it is not class-specific.

The title of this is bogus. If you like old style light bulbs, stock up on them.

Big deal

[Christians4LessGvt]

This isn't a tax, and it is not class-specific. The title of this is bogus. If you like old style light bulbs, stock up on them. Big deal

Yeah "big deal" as enviro whackjobs & govt takes away more freedoms day by day.
Because they "know whats best for the peasants".
Yes it is taxing on people for "know-it-all" bureaucrats to force people to pay more.
It is gvt forcing citizens to pay more money out of their pockets for something gvt decides is best.
And it is more taxing on working people becuzz they are the least able to afford this nutty stuff.
Just like corporate taxes are an immoral hidden tax on working people.
Retailers just pass on corporate taxes to the consumer...the soccer Moms.
Big Gvt supporters like "hiding" taxes so it doesnt look as bad as it is.
So they pretend they are "making the corp pay up" when its really the soccer Mom paying.
Its a disgrace to hide behind do-good-ism while screwing working people!

[Xavier_Onassis]

The same people pay for the lightbulbs as pay for the electricity to light them. The newer bulbs use much less electricity and last much longer. In the end, people pay less.

No money goes to the government, so it is not a tax.

You do not know what you are ranting about.

[sirs]

Yea, these new bulbs last sooooooo much longer.....we're getting maybe 7months out ours.  And the money goes not to the government, but to those folks who *surprise*, donated BIG time to the Government.  some more crony capitalism on display

[Amianthus]

Yea, these new bulbs last sooooooo much longer.....we're getting maybe 7months out ours.

Must be buying crappy ones, then. I have yet to replace a CFL that worked more a day. They sometimes fail right away, and I take them back to the store the next time I'm there. The vast majority have had no problems. The ones that worked for more than a day are all still there, some of them at least 5 years now. And I changed out the "heaviest use" areas first, so it's not like the ones that have lasted are hardly used - one of the first fixtures I installed CFLs into is the hallway outside our master bedroom leading to the rest of the house, and it's used daily, for fairly long stretches of time. We tend to turn it on in the morning and leave it on until we leave the house, then turn it on as soon as it starts getting dark and leave it on until bed time.

I had about a dozen that failed, they all failed immediately, and they all came out of one batch that I bought at one time (when I had two failures in a row, I tested all of the ones that I bought). I bundled back up the ones that failed and took them all back and got more for free from the store. Must have been a bad lot from the factory. I'm at the point now where virtually all of the bulbs in the house are CFLs, except for two fixtures that are really hard to reach - I spent the big bucks and put LEDs in them. If they last anywhere near advertised, I should never have to change the bulbs in those two fixtures again. I did the math, and with my usage of those fixtures and my age, I'm likely to be dead before they burn out.

The biggest problem with the CFLs is that they take a really long time to warm up and produce maximum amount of light when the fixture is outside and it's winter time (it takes quite a while to warm up from -40 or so that is common here in Minnesota). I "fixed" this problem by buying programmable light switches for the outside lights we use and programming them to automatically come on about a half hour before I normally need them, so they're warm when I actually use them. Inside CFLs warm up in under 15 seconds, and the newest ones are at full light in under 2 seconds (this is one big improvement area since they were initially released). The other "fix" would be to buy halogen bulbs for those outside areas, which I have done in the "security" lights that come on due to motion sensors. I'm sure the raccoons and deer appreciate it.

[sirs]

Must be, since we keep having to buy more, as the old ones that lasted much longer, are being phased out

[Amianthus]

Must be, since we keep having to buy more, as the old ones that lasted much longer, are being phased out

Maybe you should have your electrical system inspected to determine why the CFLs don't have a longer lifespan than they do in your house. The experience of nearly everyone is that they last longer than incandescents, with the higher quality CFLs lasting longer still.

[sirs]

Yet the older ones, currently being banned, did last longer in our home.  Go figure

[Plane]

I had a lot of dimmers .

I am going to need incandesant bulbs or replace the dimmers with switches.

[Christians4LessGvt]

I had a lot of dimmers. I am going to need incandesant bulbs or replace the dimmers with switches.

Plane I think they already have a fix for that.
I am a lighted switch and dimmer fanatic
I put 15 lighted switches in my house in the last week....but not CFL compatible

Of course what you are talking about will be more expensive.
Here is a link....for dimmers that will work with the "control freak new bulb mandates"

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=31114&minisite=10025

[Plane]

I had a lot of dimmers. I am going to need incandesant bulbs or replace the dimmers with switches.

Plane I think they already have a fix for that.
I am a lighted switch and dimmer fanatic
I put 15 lighted switches in my house in the last week....but not CFL compatible

Of course what you are talking about will be more expensive.
Here is a link....for dimmers that will work with the "control freak new bulb mandates"

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=31114&minisite=10025

Be aware!

Compact Fluorescent use a ballast (the bulb's engine located inside the ceramic betwween the socket and the bulb) which starts the light and keeps it lit. Early Compact Fluorescent bulbs had magnetic ballasts that did not easily lend themselves to dimming. Electronic ballasts have reduced this problem but some work better than others. Some bulbs work with some dimmers but not others. Ballasts not designed to work on a dimming circuit and get hot enough to be considered a fire hazard.

http://www.dimmablecfls.com/

Please read the link.


     Older dimmers and older CFLs are a fire hazard, this is garunteed to bite a few people.


     If you can't get a licensed electrician to make the instalation , try to call the manufacturer to learn which dimmer switches are compatible , or buy matched sets.

      Frankly, I would only trust  matched sets to be free of hazard or early failure.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I will take note and not put them in switched with dimmers.

That is useful advice.

[Christians4LessGvt]

Be aware!

http://www.dimmablecfls.com/

Beware of what?
Dont mix non CFL and CFL products.
Lutron offers dimmers that work with CFL's.