The Post

The Post When toys were recalled because the paint used to decorate them was found to contain lead, I don’t recall many people being outraged that these items were taken off the market. They were hazardous and could cause lead poisoning — that seems like a pretty good reason to remove them from store shelves.
So when the government decides on energy standards that aim to help our environmental situation, why does everyone suddenly gather ’round the incandescent light bulb as if it’s not emitting carbon into the air and adding to emissions?
According to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which is humongous, light bulbs must have a certain energy efficiency level between 2012 and 2014, depending on the size of the bulb. Edison’s 125-year-old incandescent light bulb won’t be making the cut, so its production will cease in the coming years.
I got a little ticked off when I saw that one writer went so far as to call it “the new Prohibition.” Now this just may be semantics, but words hold very specific connotations, and these connotations can bring about the wrong conclusion on a first glance; the fact that people are crying out about this as if the government has turned from a representative democracy into a scene out of 1984 (complete with a Ministry of Light Bulbs) is ridiculous to say the least.


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