Talkin Bout A Revolution

The Left likes to think of itself as revolutionary. In the song below, Chapman sings about a class-based revolution. Never happen. America's poor are too well off and have ample representation in government.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, some idiot the people were dumb enough to elect has sponsored a bill to eventually outlaw incandescent lightbulbs.

Harrison, a Democrat, has authored legislation that would ban the sale of the familiar household bulbs in North Carolina on Jan. 1, 2016. The bulbs, she says, are inefficient energy hogs that can be replaced by more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

"I sort of feel like we're going this way anyway," Harrison said. "The market may drive this."

Compact fluorescent bulbs can screw into fixtures originally designed for incandescent bulbs. They cost more per bulb but last longer and use less energy to produce the same amount of light. But they contain mercury, a concern when the bulbs burn out.

North Carolina would not be alone in banning the bulb. Australia plans to ban the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2010. Bills to take similar steps have been introduced in California, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Measures like Harrison's are being pushed by several groups and businesses, such as Philips Industries, a company that makes the energy-efficient lighting and incandescent bulbs.

If we ever again see revolution in America, it won't be from the Left. It will come from people on the Right and in the middle who grow tired of oppressive government control and outrageous taxation from a group of idiots far less qualified to make decisions for individuals, than are most common people.

Update: I should add a caveat to this. The exception would be if we continue our irrresponsible immigration practices and end up in a time of deep recession with what would amount to a significant, mostly third world population suddenly unemployed. Under those circumstances we could see a socialist revolution that would end up being as much a civil war, as a revolution.

Comments

[jackson80]

ok, how many liberals does it take to screwup a lightbulb?

you, supply the punch line, thanks.

[Mullah Cimoc]

Cimoc say all ameriki nation destroy for iraq war. this him punish for the cruel.

wishng ameriki man fight for destroy all israeli intel networks in usa.Israeli him for control the usa media and make sick the mind of the ameirki man. also the woman so slut with 'LBT (low back tattoo) in all woman of ameriki girl like the prostitution.

stop1984now@yahoo.com

[templar knight]

Question: How many Muslims will it take to get the World back to the 7th C., when there were no light bulbs?

[iftheshoefits]

Banning incandescents is a real hoot. It would have to be done at the federal level or it would be totally ineffective, kind of like one state banning fireworks so everyone goes across the border and loads up. Unless they set up carbon police at every state border crossing and stopped and searched everyone's car.

If congress did ban them nationwide, (and the president signed it as well) can you imagine the black markets that would crop up? It would make alcohol prohibilition, and the drug trade for that matter, look like child's play.

Congress will never ban them. Any bill that ever got introduced in that regard would get defeated in the house by 498-2 or something like that, because any congressman willing to take away people's light bulbs would be automatically voted out of office within two years. Except maybe in San Francisco.

We use CFLs for about 85% of our lights. They're great, but you have to be willing to shop far and wide, and try a lot of different types, in order to find ones that will work in some oddball situations. And they just don't work at all, to the point of being unsafe, in some places. Incandescents will not go away for a long time.

And in a couple years, the incandescent manufacturer's are coming out with high efficiency incandescents which are in between standard incandescents and CFLs in efficiency. So no need to worry.

[Purple Avenger]

My whole house is fitted with CFL's and I encourage people to use them because they work.

HOWEVER - there are many applications where an incandescent ultimately uses less power (when manufacturing costs of the bulb are considered) over the lifetime of a structure than a CFL would. Rarely used attic lights, closet lights in a spare guest room, infrequently entered storage closets, etc.

If a bulb burns is used for only 10 minutes a year, it matters little if its a CFL, incandescent, or 500W high pressure sodium flame thrower.

CFL's are just an interim technology too. LED is the real future. Replace all the street lights, parking lot lights, and exterior 250W security lights in the country with LED lamps and you'll be making a real impact.

[greenwing]

Isn't this the type of legislation that adversely affects the poor more than the middle class? Will it be coupled with a tax credit to pay for buying these bulbs? Or will they try to legislate the cost of the bulbs also?

I use them in most places (although there are some where they do not fit or just plain look stupid) but I am able and willing to pay the increased upfront cost in order to save electricity charges later.

I don't think any of us want or need the government to tell us what type of light bulbs to buy.

[Jeff]

I use those lights already (well I am using them as they burn out) and they are great. But this is typical liberal thinking, "you are too stupid to make the right decision with anything, you can't even choose your lightbulb."

Next time I go to San Fransisco I am smuggling traditional lightbulbs in bags of marijuana.

What's next? Maybe we should go without heat for a few days, turn the power off for 8 hours a day. Maybe these morons can tell me what to eat and when (there's no fois gras or transfat on the lib menu). If you couldn't see it before, this is what libs want, full control over your life, you wallet, your kids. Everything. I thnk this is why libertarianism is picking up. I would say I am turning into a fiscally slighy right of center, socially conservative, libertarian. Never thought it would be that way. The libertarians used to be on the fringe, but I'm so scared of 1984.

[Phoenix]

"I would say I am turning into a fiscally slighy right of center, socially conservative, libertarian."

It's getting a little harder to use one term to describe your political affliation, Jeff, isn't it? A little bit of this, a little bit of that.... But that's the only way to do it these days otherwise you've abrogated your ability to think.

[Buzzy]

It ain't about the light bulbs it's about the collective and control.

We're closer to a class revolution in this nation than ever before but it won't be Americans firing the "shot heard across the nation" it will be socialist Hispanics reclaiming vast areas of America in the name of La Raza.

The flood of "hard working" Mexicans yearning for a better life is riddled with MEChA activists. During Mexico's last election these activists organized hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of illegals here to vote socialist in Mexico's election. Yes, there were Obrador banners all over the area.

I have long viewed the Democrats desire to give the American vote to Mexicans that are not citizens and are not even here legally with suspicion but when Bush went down that path I was shocked.

Mexico came within a hair of being a socialist nation last year and everything I see tells me it will become a socialist nation probably before their next election. Several Mexican states are in open rebellion and with government corruption and the huge number of poor the socialist ranks are swelling greatly.

All the while the NAFTA highway creeps closer to my home.

If it was left up to me every illegal and every visa overstay would be on the fast track of the deport express right now. But then again what do you expect I already live in a Mexican war zone and some of us fight those battles every day.

[Jon G]

I'm in complete agreement with ya Dan. Forcing us to stop buying incandecents 9 year from now is a complete overreaction. It's time we put those leftist organizations like GE, Philips, Walmart and Westinghouse in their place, Selling us products that can save us money - what the hell kind of capitalists do they think they are? As Americans, it's our damn duty to use all the energy we can.

[Jon G]

Whoops , forgot to mention this: Buzzy - you're an idiot.

[bloodrage bob]

see how the liberal here immediately wants to ban the old lightbulbs? make it a crime to have one? start a "war on incandescents", to go along with all their other attacks on freedom?

take a lesson, kiddies.

[BobInStamford]

Hmm, more mention of a redneckolution. A scary thought. The White House replaced by a trailer, free meth and Dale Earnhardt statues all over the place. Lets hope that Pelosi allows you patriots to fully and completely lose your war against the 3rd world goatherders so this doesn't happen. Resume your surge, heros!

[energy probe]

I love how the environmentalists says that everybody must use the compact fluorescent lamps but censor the fact that they contain mercury that has been banned in many other products like batteries.

What happens when billions of these toxic lamps end up in landfills and the mercury seems into the watertable?

[Zifnab]

First they came for our lead-based paint, and we said nothing.
Then they came for our asbestos, and we said nothing.
Now they come for our incandescent light-bulbs and I can stay silent no longer.

Viva la Revolution! Where's seeker's rifle? We need to drive those damn VW driving hippies back into the sea!

[Y]

"What happens when billions of these toxic lamps end up in landfills and the mercury seems into the watertable?"

They'll probably ban them.

[southdakotaboy]

Y The left never lets unpleasent things like facts or reality get in the way of aperfectly good plan.

[templar knight]

Yeah, BrainlessBob wants a ghetto, crack, and Che statues put up right now. And a barrio for the illegals, and some of that marijuana for the intellectuals(like himself), and welfare for everyone but Rethuglicans, and no meat dammit, and polar bears in every swimming pool, and Al Gore for maximum leader, no more of those bad light bulbs, and no more electricity, except for him and AlGore and their cronies, and everything he says. That's all he wants. Except he might come up with something else, he's got to go read the NYT and see what else he wants.

[Zifnab]

See, that's the spirit Templar. Surge on!

[templar knight]

Nabby, someone has to work, and that someone is me, so I'm off. You and BrainlessBob work on that Che statue while I'm gone.