Stupid Energy Bill

This really irritates me. Congress just passed -- and Bush signed into law -- a new energy bill. Among its provisions is the mandate that incandescent light bulbs will be phased out in the next few years in favor of the newest fad, those spirally 'green' light bulbs.

Here's the problem - while global warming fanatics will tell you that this will reduce energy costs, it also poses some other problems:
- the light provided by these bulbs is uncomfortable for some people
- mercury is found in these bulbs

That's right, if the bulb breaks on you, you could actually get poisoned. Oh, and the light sucks. Oh, and you have to jump through hoops to dispose of them. Other than that, they're great - they'll save you five bucks per month. By the way, those same global warming supporters said that getting rid of incandescent bulbs would be 'voluntary'. Uh-huh. Funny how that volunteer thing mysteriously becomes a mandate once the legislation actually goes through.

Another provision in this bill requires better fuel standards for vehicles that will screw you, the American consumer (which I've already addressed). In response, Jerome J. Schmitt also poses a great question: "Now that the environmental lobby has coerced congress into mandating a six-fold increase in use of ethanol as motor-fuel, will they now decry the increase in acreage devoted to the corn-crop as well as the use of fertilizer and pesticides?"

There's my two cents.