Lights out!

"Statist" sometimes seems a more apt label than "liberal" or "progressive." Blind acceptance of whatever the government orders "for our own good" is the default position. Case in point, the forehead-smacking dumb editorial in this morning's Journal Gazette:

The massive home furnishings retailer IKEA announced this week that it's no longer selling incandescent light bulbs. IKEA deserves credit for being the first retailer to completely transition to energy-efficient lighting, and soon enough every store will discontinue selling incandescent bulbs.

Too many people don't know that switching to more energy-efficient alternatives will soon become a requirement rather than simply a wise choice.

We can debate all day long whether switching to CFLs is a "wise choice" or not. It could be pointed out, for example, that the CFLs are more expensive and will become more so when their competition goes away and that they do not last nearly as long as advertised, so homeowners and businesses are being forced to pay a lot more for something that provides much crappier light. The health hazards of improperly disposing of the bulbs can be examined. And even if we believe the hype about how much the bulbs will aid in energy conservation and saving the planet, the tradeoff is that the ban has resulted in the closing of the last GE light bulb factory and relying on China for our CFL bulbs.

But why bother with a pesky debate and weighing the pros and cons of something. After all, it's a "requirement rather than simply a wise choice." Quick, hide the incandescents, the light bulb overlords are at the door!