« Being a Radically Different Doctor | Main | Fred Thompson Lears the Hard Lesson of What Happens When You Don't Get Sales Leads »

Jan18
I Love Incandescent Light Bulbs

Is that wrong?

If you ask the government, they would say "yes".  Ask most environmentalists, and they would say "yes".

The fact that those two groups both answer in the affirmative only strengthens my gut feeling that I should keep my incandescent bulbs in place.  Why?  Two big reasons:

  • The debate over the mercury danger in the new CFC bulbs.  It's strange to CFC Light Bulbme that over the years, I've grown-up with the idea that even trace amounts of mercury in water would wipe-out entire species of fish, or pose untold dangers to children.  But now, the mercury in new CFC lightbulbs is O.K.?  My fear is that years from now, as the CFC's head to America's landfills and dumps, we'll be treated to the discovery that mercury in our soil is an epidemic.  Horror stories of broken CFC bulbs, and the scary results, exist.  Mercury is nothing to mess around with, which makes me leary of the new wonder bulbs.
  • I like the way the light from incandescent bulbs looks.  Florescent lights hurt my eyes.  I don't know why, but it does.  It's a harsher light, and if I'm around it too much I start to get a headache.

Now I perfectly understand that my second reason isn't real solid.  It's a personal choice and opinion.  But I think in saying that, it might be the best reason of all to choose not to use CFC light bulbs:  It's my choice.

I live in a state (California) that recently talked about being able to control the thermostats of people's homes to control energy costs.  To me, that's un-American.  If I want to set my thermostat at 65 degrees on a hot summer day, I know that I'm going to pay through the nose for that cool air.  But it's my choice to make.  I want the freedom to make personal choices.

And that includes light bulbs.  I'm not faulting anyone who wants to use CFC's...go for it!  That's your choice, and I support you in choosing a light bulb that you want to use.

Afford me the same choice, and give me permission to remain a little skeptical of the whole Energy Star campaign to rid ourselves of the evil incadescent light bulb.

 

related entries


3 Comments/Trackbacks




But I think in saying that, it might be the best reason of all to choose not to use CFC light bulbs: It's my choice.

Dan:

Here's your homework:

1. Learn the definition of an externality. Wikipedia's is pretty accurate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality

2. Then ask yourself this: Is it always right and good to have the freedom to make the choices you want, even if other people end up paying the costs of your choices?

That happens daily around the world, under the banner of good intentions (or eco-friendly).

Why should I be forced to fill our landfills with mercury, and expose my three children to the same danger, by using a certain type of light bulb?

Why should I be forced to live by the "choice" that you are trying to impose on me?

Gotta go...I need to reload our coal furnace, and plus I have that big pile of styrofoam to burn out in the backyard... :-)

Don't forget LED bulbs are another option, which also last a long time and do not (to my knowledge) contain Hg. This post leads to some great questions about choice... I think that the premise of this nation exists to give citizens some insurance that they WILL have a choice in matters like this one. If people can choose to drive a Hummer to and from the mall (and they do, alas), then people can choose to light their homes with incandescent bulbs, CFC bulbs, tallow candles, or the light of the moon. That's the beauty of it. It isn't always right, and people need to live with the consequences of their actions and decisions, but it's how things work here. Jeb talks about consequences of regular bulbs, but also conveniently ignores the CFC bulb consequences mentioned in Dan's post... mercury is a big deal. I use CFC bulbs, and I like them (and the cost savings they bring), but I do recognize it as a trade-off.
Jerry
www.leads4insurance.com

submit a trackback

TrackBack URL for this entry:

post a comment

Name, Email Address, and URL are not required fields.





Comment Preview

« Being a Radically Different Doctor | Main | Fred Thompson Lears the Hard Lesson of What Happens When You Don't Get Sales Leads »

Advertise

sponsored ads



Incredible Hall of Acclaim.

subscribe


Prefer Email?
Subscribe below-

Enter your Email:


Powered by FeedBlitz What's this?

Current News

Support This Blog

business social media

Use these fast growing business social media sites to promote your business, feature your products, spotlight your business leaders, create links, and drive traffic back to your company site, all for free!

BIZZlogos - Add your logo - free link to your site
BIZZphotos - Add photos of your products and people
BIZZprofiles - Submit your profile and build your online visibility
BIZZspotlight - Spotlight your business with free links
BIZZvideos - Videos about businesses, products and business people.
BIZZbites - "Digg" for Business - Submit your articles and posts

know more media network

View Network Map

Network Feed List (OPML)

Know More Media Network
Feed


we support unitus

PRWeb

Influencer



TopLeadGenerators is a member of the Know More Media network of business related blogs.

Here are some current headlines from some of our business publications:

ProductivityGoal

CallCenterScript

AdHurl

TheBizofKnowledge

LandingTheDeal

CustomersAreAlways

HealthCareVox

WebMetricsGuru

TheInsurancePolicy

MarketingBlurb