First They Came for the Toilets…

The state of California is poised to claim yet another feather for its environmental-pioneer cap with a proposed ban on the sale of incandescent lightbulbs. Under the “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act” (seriously, that’s what it’s called) it would become a legal offense to sell an incandescent lightbulb.

The argument goes that compact fluorescent bulbs are so extraordinarily superior, there’s no reason not to ban the old fashioned kind. As usual, however, advocates are quiet on why such a transcendently perfect product would need the government compelling people to purchase it. Read Sam’s consumer testimonial here.

So good, competing with it will soon be a crime

This, of course, reminds one of the 1992 Energy Policy Act, which gave this great nation the gift of the low-flush toilet, and banned the sale of its traditional counterparts. Our good friend and CEI alumnus Ben Lieberman has written passionately on this issue over the years.