Obsessing About Light Bulbs When the Economy's ...

You have to wonder where the line is for our Republican brethren. Even something as niggling as light bulb standards--which would save billions of dollars almost immediately and would strike a small blow toward reducing energy consumption--is now being opposed by a nutcase in the House or Representatives.

The House will vote Tuesday and the result could be a repeal of efficiency standards that won't even take effect until 2012. Repubs say the regulations would be an "assault on personal freedom," which is what they say about all regulation. And yes, I suppose that's what it is. You can't walk out and kill anybody any time you want and that's an assault on personal freedom (I know some dog owners I'd occasionally like to off, but regulation prevents it). My personal freedom would allow me to take your car if I wanted, but regulation says "no." The benefit, the argument goes, outweighs the downside.

Estimates are that we'd save about $6 billion 2015 with the new bulb standards, but Rep Joe Barton of Texas says that's not nearly as important as the inalienable right to screw in any kind of light bulb you want. He prefaced his remarks with the mantra, "Voters sent us a message in November and blah, blah," which is a real stretch at best. The message voters sent was that they didn't like the government, but didn't know how to replace it with something better, so they voted Republican. Many are regretting that now. Dick Cheney once said that the party that gets 50 percent plus one vote has "the right to do anything it wants" and that is how Repubs think when they have a controlling interest (which they seem to have in Congress, even though they don't actually).

I'm wondering what the people in Joe's district are thinking right now. He's obsessing about light bulbs and the economy is about to go belly-up. Odd priorities.