avatar_mandru

The CFL Contradiction and Beyond

Started by mandru, October 13, 2014, 09:08:43 AM

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mandru

I've never understood why our Congress would think that for one second anyone would want lighting that is largely limited to a 60 Watt equivalency.  :D

Beyond that the stark contradiction underlying having the CFL (compact fluorescent lamps)  bulbs forced onto us by legislation here in the U.S. is a continuing aggravation for me.  ::)

Through the 70s, 80s and 90s there was nothing but hype and push from every governmental health office here in the U.S. driven by all of the media outlets like a constantly banging gong to remove every trace of mercury from all of our workplaces, homes and even our dental amalgams.

Any mercury was too much mercury!

Then as soon as the Energy Conservation fruitcakes (setting an ultra high bar) adopted this New Fad for mandated CFLs our elected idiots in congress fell into lock step and voted to wean Americans off of all safe incandescent light bulbs and forced the mercury in these bloody little time bombs back into our lives.  Apparently the public's life and health is deemed as being worth less than the amount of electricity we are using.

Seriously, at the time the law was implemented the official Govt. guidelines that were published for dealing with the occurrence of a broken CFL bulb in a home or school classroom described a regimen that easily competed with the proscribed military protocol for decontaminating an army base in the event of a Dirty Bomb strike.

My stock of hoarded incandescent bulbs are starting to run low.  I keep an eagle eye on the weekly hardware store ads carrying LED bulbs which thankfully are slowly becoming more reasonably priced.  But that can't happen fast enough for me as they are still too high to adopt throughout my home.

The LED bulbs may contain mercury in the electrical components but that is more highly acceptable than mercury in gas suspension as in the CFLs.


I'm convinced that the Green Movement and Gaiaists (Earth worshipers who feel humanity is an infestation needing severe pruning and who also happen to have powerful influence over our law making)  here in the U.S. won't be happy until they have us all squatting (in what remains of family units) huddled for warmth wrapped in nothing but a Dye-Free fleece blanket (made from recycled water bottles) in concrete mass complex condo-caves (to open up more green spaces) heated by a quartz infrared bulb.  We'll each have to spend a set amount of time exercising on stationary bicycles driving power generators to maintain health and supplement the national grid while watching the one channel of Govt. provided propaganda where daily citizen voting polls will be posted in which we must vote "Yes" to receive the daily allotment of nutritional gruel with mandatory birth control supplements.

Since there's not a button to place a "No" vote the failure to select "Yes" would register us as Non-cooperative Dissident Protesters who have chosen to go without the delivery of the daily allotment of nutritional gruel that is pumped into every mass complex condo-cave.  There's no need to go out.  Everything you'll ever need is provided.

Stockyard managed voting stock.  It's a politician's dream.

It's true cradle to grave tender loving care because They know best.  Isn't that what all of us from the under informed short minded masses are craving?
- mandru
Gramma said "Never turn your back 'till you've cut their heads off"

Art Blade

That was a highly entertaining rant, mandru. +1 :-X :-D
[titlebar]Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.[/titlebar]What doesn't kill us, makes us weirder.

Stiku


mandru

Thanks for the slap on the back Art.  ^-^

Yes Stiku, I'm convinced that powerless, unenlightened and stumbling around in the dark is where about 85% of the world's politicians and rulers would prefer to keep us.
- mandru
Gramma said "Never turn your back 'till you've cut their heads off"

PZ

Quote from: mandru on October 13, 2014, 08:44:22 PM
Yes Stiku, I'm convinced that powerless, unenlightened and stumbling around in the dark is where about 85% of the world's politicians and rulers would prefer to keep us.

:laugh: :-X +1 (for the most excellent rant!)

mandru

- mandru
Gramma said "Never turn your back 'till you've cut their heads off"

PZ

We've went to all LED in the ceiling canisters in living and master bedroom.  Have left halogen lights in the kitchen because of the more intense light.  We're quite pleased with the quality of the LED bulbs - especially the dimm-able kind

Dweller_Benthos

There was a small controversy back when that law was being considered in congress. One or two politicians objected to the fact that the United States government was going to mandate an item that was not made in the United States. There are no companies that make CFLs in the US and most likely will never be (unless this has changed since, I haven't kept up). We are forced to buy imports because the alternative is against the law. I watched the one guy's speech on this objection and though it was perfectly reasonable, it was ignored of course.

And you can be damn sure of all those CFLs, 99% of them are going in landfills because who is going to make the trip to take a frikkin light bulb to the hazardous waste disposal center? Even though most Home Depot and I think even Best Buy stores take them for disposal, no one is going to bother and all that mercury goes in the dump.
"You've read it, you can't un-read it."
D_B

Art Blade

Quote from: Dweller_Benthos on October 14, 2014, 08:03:50 AMand though it was perfectly reasonable, it was ignored of course.

*sigh* of course.. sometimes I wonder why a total lack of reason and a complete absence of any common sense became de rigueur for aspiring politicians. To be mercifully free of the ravages of intelligence seems to have become manifest in any politician's job description so much that it effectively is a condition precedent. Which reminds me of "elected idiots in congress" :)
[titlebar]Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.[/titlebar]What doesn't kill us, makes us weirder.

mandru

Imported CFL's?  Hmm?  Well, yeah.  ::)


It seems G.E. corp hopped to China set up shop then mass produced CFL bulbs with what is an equivalent of slave labor and then sold them back to us.

It also coincided with one of the years that G.E. paid zero corporate taxes in the wake of heavily campaigning for their all of their US based employees to donate to our current president's election efforts.  If I recall correctly from news reports the participating G.E. employee donors were published in house to shame anyone who wasn't a supporter and notify managers (who factor heavily in advancement and wage adjustments) of exactly who was and who wasn't a team player.
- mandru
Gramma said "Never turn your back 'till you've cut their heads off"

Art Blade

electricity.. light bulbs.. politicians.. do you see a pattern here?

I'd sum it up like this: power struggle. :-D
[titlebar]Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.[/titlebar]What doesn't kill us, makes us weirder.

Stiku

There is 3mg of mercury approx in every CFL, also the mercury that is in the modern age CFL doesn't vaporise on room temperature, when the bulp is broken(breaking a CFL, would actually required you to break it), the electrical components will actually destroy the circuitry before letting the bulp draw overcurrent. 8-X

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