Posted 1/31/2007 05:29:00 PM by Douglas

I've been on record as being a fan of compact fluorescent light bulbs, but this crap from the nanny-state out in California goes too far.

Traditional light bulbs could be outlawed in California if groundbreaking environmental legislation being proposed by a state legislator is approved.

Democratic politician Lloyd Levine said his bill -- the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb Act" -- would ban the sales of cheaper incandescent bulbs in favour of compact energy-efficient lamps.

Right off the bat, I want to punch Lloyd in the neck for the dumbest, most obnoxious bill title I've ever heard of. But it gets worse:

Levine said the ban, which would take effect from 2012, would save consumers money over the long-term despite the fact that energy-efficient bulbs are more expensive to buy.

True, but if consumers want to pay for incandescent bulbs, why not? Have the energy whores in Cali banned every Hummer dealer yet? I think not.

"When a consumer is standing in a store and they're confronted with two different products, they generally opt for the one that is cheaper and the one they've traditionally bought," he said.

"The problem is: The one they think is cheaper is only cheap at that moment in time. The other one is cheaper over the long run."

Which precisely explains why Hummers are selling like Hondas even with gas at $3 a gallon.

This sounds like a great way to set up a black-market light bulb smuggling ring into California. Maybe they can combine forces with the non low-flow toilet cartel.