From the Miami Herald, but I like HuffPost Hill's take better:
Joe Barton, best known for apologizing to BP executives last year after the Gulf oil spill and now CLEARLY trying to get his face on a coin one day, is making it his life's mission to do away with government regulation of light bulbs. "This is about more than just energy consumption," Barton told the Fort Worth Star Telegram (and isn't it ALWAYS about more than energy consumption with a guy who apologized to a company that devastated an entire aquatic ecosystem?). "Voters sent us a message in November that it is time for politicians and activists in Washington to stop interfering in their lives and manipulating the free market. The light bulb ban is the perfect symbol of that frustration [Editors Note: We shall overcooooomeeeee]," he continued. "People don't want Congress dictating what light fixtures they can use." AMEN.This has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with three things: 1) Who's donated money to Joe Barton; 2) Who can Joe Barton get to donate in the future; and 3) An ongoing GOP effort to deny anything having to do with the environment. It's not entirely clear why the GOP feels the need to pander to the flat-earth crowd (#3), except that of course it reinforces #2.
PS While I use CFLs, mostly, I will say three things: Still creeped out by the warnings about airing out your room for 15 minutes if you break one; still creeped out that they're too dangerous to throw in the garbage, but I'm not supposed to worry about breaking one in my room; and not at all pleased how they make my bathroom look (it really is hideous), and I've tried various kelvin colors, finally went back to incandescent (for now) in the bath. Still, I get that it's good for the country, and even better for my electrical bill, so I do use CFLs when I can.
Another PS, don't even both getting dimmable CFLs. Fugly as hell.
