Where is the Outrage?
By Bob Frazier Posted in Miscellanea — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Congress on Tuesday passed a new energy bill and sent it along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Whitehouse in a hybrid Prius car. President Bush signed the measure into law.
The bill mandates a fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon in the year 2020, and by the year 2012 the “inefficient” 100-watt incandescent light bulb will be history. A .50 cent light bulb today will cost $3.00 (in today’s dollars) when this is implemented.
There is so much that could be discussed with this terrible bill, the jobs they will cost, hardship on the poor, the questionable science behind some of this. But my goal here is not to discuss this pathetic legislation, but to ask where is the outrage among conservatives and libertarians?
Our less socially conservative and libertarian friends are quick to make their presence known when the issue of sex or end of life issues come up. Also when the issue of illegal drugs is discussed. So it becomes clear that they wish to object when others support moral values or complain that the government is doing things that attack these traditional values. But here a choice, which has nothing to do with moral values, is being taken away from you. It’s a flat out attack on your Liberty and free markets. So where is the outrage? Your silence is deafening.
Here we have a situation where a perfectly fine product (incandescent light bulbs) is being made illegal, taking away our choice of whether or not to purchase them. This happened a few years ago with the water flow in toilets. And we all ended up with a clearly inferior product. But we were given no choice. And the same with this. No market solution is to be allowed with regard to these light bulbs, that free market of which so many of you preach when we talk about “free trade”. So where is the outrage? Your silence is deafening.
Unless I’ve missed it, I have not seen one posting on this subject on Redstate since it was announced. Not much in the press either. The new MPG regulations will spell the end of the SUV and all but the smallest cars. You again are being denied choice in the kind of car you would like to buy. If the talk was of banning imports from Japan, would you free traders be up in arms? Yet isn’t this an affront to your Liberty? Or is it only on moral values that we are “conservative” or “libertarian”? I didn't think so. So where is the outrage? Your silence is deafening.
In Ohio a referendum recently passed that banned smoking in all public places. You can’t even open a cigar bar with the understanding that it will be a smoking establishment. Our federal government even talked about a $10 tax on cigars in order to pay for health care (a tax that would obviously bring the cigar commerce to a stop). These are direct assaults on your Liberty. Free commerce. So where is the outrage among Libertarians and conservatives? Your silence is deafening.
I suspect if I wrote about the young Spears girl and the 19 year old father who should be charged with statutory rape, you civil libertarians would come out of the woodwork. But the real threat to our Liberty are not people who support public and private morality. It is those liberals in Washington who think they can do a better job telling us how to live our lives (regardess of morality or moral issues) and pass legislation (including politically correct legislation) that takes away from even a choice.
This is just the latest example of what is happening in this country. So I ask again my Libertarian and Conservative friends, where is the outrage? Your silence is deafening.
the reasons he mentioned, and including the reason you mention.
But if fluorescent bulbs were a superior product, people would already be buying them. The market should decide what kind of bulbs we buy, and what kind of cars we buy.
If foreign makers are on pace to blow us away on fuel economy, let us respond, or let us get blown away, or let us find another market niche in which to compete. Don't let the government preclude any possibilities.
Indonesia is now the third largest producer of greenhouse gases. The gases are produced by clearing peat bogs and burning forest to make room for oil palms. The palms are in high demand for...biodiesel.
Ethanol is equally environmentally unfriendly when you consider the fuel and water needed to make it. But I digress and do not want to hijack Bob Frazier's blog.
I personally feel that energy efficiency is desirable, but Mr. Frazier does pose a legitimate question as to whether or not it is the governments responsibility to legislate it.
better gas mileage implemented over a decade from now and better lightbulbs are worse because ?????
Yeah, I don't get why we're oppossing that either.
As for the light bulb situation, why not let the market decide? If it's as good as they claim?
Did not want to get into the specifics of the bill, but its flawed as well with the MPG in that little else is done. No drilling. Nothing to refine coal into oil. If its a issue of national security, then this is a really pathetic bill. All it will do is hurt the American car companies who will need to build tanks and trucks in time of war.
Mileage standards will require that larger cars be abandoned. You may be ok with that, but I am not. If small cars are so much better, let the market decide, not bureaucrats in Washington.
of this... how "green" is the White House? When does this become an issue for the Liberals and Demos?
R.J.
That's why it's a failure. This will only continue to get worse until the folks in power pull their heads out of the sand and realize they're being scammed. There's plenty of evidence that points to the lack of AGW evidence but thanks to our short-attention-span pop culture that believes everything they hear on CNN, we're just going to have to hope for the best.
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Most of our own candidates have been brainwashed as well.
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the reasons you mentioned. The biggest flaw in the energy bill is its continued subsidy to ethanol, completely ignoring the huge impact that this is having on food inflation and that ethanol isn't even a very efficient energy source. The florescent light bulb mandate isn't that bad, as it should lower demand for energy and thus lower the price going forward (plus they really are a superior product and the cost will come down with economies of scale). I also have no problem with the mileage standards, as the foreign makers were already on pace to blow this away anyways and our gasoline consumption really is an issue of national security and economic security.