Stock Up on Light Bulbs

On January 1st the government will make the sale of 100 watt bulbs illegal, because they are mandating that everyone buy those ugly, expensive fluorescent bulbs filled with mercury which are environmentally toxic. Why? To save the planet of course! Another example of bureaucracy at its finest.

In the midst of an economic crisis, troubles in Afghanistan and various terrorist threats around the globe, the last thing on the minds of Americans is the light bulb. That didn’t stop the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) earlier this month from releasing 91 pages of regulations that will force manufacturers to revise their packaging and make costly compact fluorescent bulbs appear more appealing to consumers.

Congress ordered these changes in 2007 as part of its decision to force the dim, overpriced, mercury-filled product on a public that so far has refused to embrace it willingly. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, bureaucratic rules will phase in, and 100-watt versions of Thomas Edison’s venerable invention will be first on the contraband list. Sylvania, the largest light-bulb company in North America, found in a telephone survey last year that three-quarters of Americans have no idea that Congress is coming for their light bulbs. If you like a safe, warm glow with your lighting, now would be a good time to start stocking up on incandescents

I’ve been saying for years, these big government types will systematically take away your freedoms and rights all in the name of “saving you”. The larger a government gets, the more feral and corrupt it gets. That is why limited government is the only solution to tyranny. We need government of some kind, but it needs to be tied down and politicians need a very short lease. Our so called leaders are ignorant, corrupt ideological cranks and they cannot be allowed to get away with the nonsense they are doing any longer.