Lightbulbgate: GOP works on picking head of House Energy and Commerce Committee

[BurtWorm]

Can the American people possibly lose when this contest is decided? :eyes:



http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026722.php


THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM 'LIGHTBULBGATE'.... House Republicans have not yet decided who'll chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but we're down to three finalists. The competition tells us quite a bit about the state of the GOP caucus.

A leading contender is currently the committee's ranking member, Texas' Joe Barton, best known for apologizing to BP for its oil spill and being Congress' most pro-pollution lawmaker. He'll fight for the gavel with Illinois' John Shimkus, who's made a name for himself by refuting science with his understanding of the Bible.

The third competitor is Michigan's Fred Upton, a conservative Republican, but a relative moderate by 2010 standards. He's facing far-right attacks this week over, of all things, light bulbs.

Hoping to counter attacks from his right, Rep. Fred Upton is promising to reexamine a controversial ban on incandescent light bulbs if he becomes chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Michigan Republican told POLITICO on Thursday that he's not afraid to go back after an issue he once supported but that has come under withering assault on the conservative airwaves, including on Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck's talk shows.

"If I become chairman, we'll be reexamining the light bulb issue, no problem," Upton said.

Upton's bid to be the next Energy and Commerce Committee leader has been rocked by allegations that he's too moderate for the post.

Beck called him "all socialist" for cosponsoring legislation phasing out incandescent light bulbs that made it into a 2007 energy law signed by President George W. Bush. An unsigned 22-page document highlighting Upton's voting record on a range of fiscal, social and policy has also been circulating around Capitol Hill this month.

Just so we're clear, one of the central issues for Republicans in the 21st century, when picking a lawmaker to chair a committee dealing with energy, is protection for a 19th-century-style light bulb.

...

[Angry Dragon]

1. They did say they wanted their country back

they just never said how far back...............

[gratuitous]

2. Newt Gingrich wants it to be 1932 again

Now there was a Golden Age America longs for!

[Angry Dragon]

3. You mean when prescott bush and his cronies

tried to have a military coup in this country??

[veganlush]

4. wow. n/t.

[MadHound]

5. Not that I like any of these assholes,

But frankly I'm not happy with the banning of incandescent light bulbs myself. First of all, due to an accident, my wife simply can't tolerate certain types of light, LED's and fluorescents among them. Furthermore, I think that we're going to have a huge problem with CFL's as more and more people use them. We already have a problem with people not recycling stuff, how many do you think will take CFL's to the hazardous waste center. Most will simply throw them in the trash, and they'll leech mercury into the landfill.

But at least we were given time to stock up, and by the time 2014 gets here, I will have a large enough supply of incandescents to last us the rest of our lives.

[notesdev]

6. Ditto

My plan is the same, buy up a huge stock of incandescents before the ban (and get them on the black market afterward if necessary).

This lightbulb ban is the epitome of DC corruption - there is no useful purpose served by it, but heavy political contributors (CFL manufacturers) get their payoff (putting the competition out of business).

And in the process they managed to put a lot of people out of good, productive, decent-paying work.

Congress - either party - will not have a leg to stand on to convince me they want more jobs as long as this kind of malicious destruction and corruption is left to stand.

[BurtWorm]

7. Vu1 is, reportedly, the best alternative.

It's about the same price as a CFL, lasts that long, and isn't toxic when disposed of.

http://www.vu1corporation.com/

The big problem is, I don't think it's available yet. But it's coming!

[MadHound]

8. The real question is the spectrum of the lighting

So far there is nothing out there, other than incandescents, that doesn't bother my wife and give her massive headaches. As I stated upthread, she had an eye accident, one that left her pupil unable to fully function. It remains abnormally dilated even in bright light, and the interior of her retina is scarred.

So unless the light spectrum is right, she'll have to stick with incandescents, but thanks for the tip, we'll look into it.

[BurtWorm]

9. My wife is not affected quite like yours, but she says living with CFL's is a burden for her.

For her it's because they're too gloomy. Vu1, I've heard, is much closer to incandenscent than any other kind--CFL, LED or halogen. I'm eager to try it.

[pderas]

10. Your wife is going to have a problem

Incandescent lighting is going to be phased out in the entire USA starting in 2012 and ending a couple of years later. Therefore your wife is going to HAVE to get accustomed to some other kind of lighting.

Right now Vu1's ESL technology looks like a real possibility as a replacement for incandescents. I'll only know for sure when I am able to get my hands, and eyeballs, on one.

As a kitchen designer who does lighting design, I have kept a close eye on this issue. I have become so excited about Vu1's technology, that I have actually invested in company stock (not something I do every day).

I hope you, and your wife will be able to keep an open mind about this new technology, realizing that it may be the closest to incandescent we are going to be able to get, that is affordable for the masses, and energy efficient.

We should see the first R30 replacement lamps for recessed downlights from Vu1 coming on to the market in the next few months. If they do well in the marketplace, the company is set to roll out other lightbulb replacements, eventually including the familiar Edison A bulb and fluorescent tube shapes.

Should be interesting.