LED lighting, and a small ranty rant,

[kandrathe]

I don't see the adoption of tech over time as automatic. Or a given that the better technology would win over time.

Ignore the technology. Ignore the manufacturers. Reward the adopters. Taxes, or the lack of them are what they can use to motivate people to change. But, as our current corrupt government does, they reward the consumer, and not the non-consumer. What they need to do is give people tax rebates for the number of KWh reduction between this year and the prior year. If you reduced at least 5% you get a rebate, every 5% thereafter is an increasing rebate.

Invizo hand of the market at it's best and benevolent right? Praise be to Galt. Uh, no. Some of the big companies devised a better standard because they saw that if they don't clean up some of the snake oil, the big bad gov't may come in and do it for them.

Who turned the big bad beast attention on these 'poor hardworking businesses'? Many of the smaller companies who made the end products, who are also enthusiast themselves, and many of their customers as well.

I don't see that as meddling, or flagrant abuse of power by gubment. Unless you feel melancholy and nostalgic for the days of Standard Oil, old AT&T, and Microsoft right before it's antitrust case.

Governments are so intertwined with the economy now (the US spends about 25% of the GDP). In fact, the worst monopolies are created by and sustained by government. Check into the Kingsbury Commitment, Railroad land grants, mining contracts on public land, land rape by the BIA.

And, Microsoft.... No, antitrust laws are supposed to protect consumers. The facts show that Microsoft is being condemned by its rivals and by the government for being too successful, too efficient and too competitive, behaviors that have benefited consumers immensely. If the government really cares about consumers, it should leave Microsoft alone, and break up real monopolies - the anti-consumer, coercive monopolies that the government itself has created like medicare, social security and the public schools.

While there was no ban on CRT, it did lead to an 'environmental recycling fee' aka Eco Fee in my area, which was a fiasco a couple of years back.

Now I actually support an electronic recycling program, but this was ludicrous. It was revised after a huge public backlash, but the eco fee remained.

My beef is that one of the original intent on applying an eco fee to CRT TV\Displays was the amount of lead, glass, and other components that needs to be recycled properly. No problem, I actually support that.

When LCD panels with CCFL lighting came out, they switched it to well it has mercury, so we need to safely deal with that. Sure, I can see that.

But when LED lit monitors\tv came out? Why does the eco fee still apply to that? The solders used were no longer lead based, many models don't even have glass. Is it the plastics? Well there are great research into making more easily recyclable plastics as well. So why am I paying a CRT tax on an LED product?

It's not a ban, it's worse IMO. It's a legacy tax, but more importantly it's not a very transparent one and needs more accountability to it. I don't mind paying a bit more if it means electronics are not being melted down into a river. I do mind if it's a poorly disguised rendition of this.

I'm with you on this. I don't mind paying the cost for environmental stuff. If they do things correctly (reselling the recycled materials), then the cost should be minimal.

Which is why I don't share some folks 'over 9000' outrage of 'they're banning incandescent bulbs! MAH FREEDUMBS!!111'. Because there are much worse things on the sideline, that are actually happening right now.

There are worse things going on. My hair isn't on fire either. But, I still see it is an unnecessary abuse of government power.

Ah come on, hyperbole aside the chances of that are very low. What's more probable is you or the mail order online company will say it's for an appliance use, or manufacturers will produce a 99% watt or 101% watt incan.

Or register it under 'Curio and Relic technology sample'.

When you get on the bad side of 'gubment they toss your butt into jail.

See: Steve Tucker served a 10-year prison sentence for selling light bulbs.

Besides, why are you exporting good Merkin jobs to Mexican robots by buying foreign incandescent bulbs?

Because Mexico has more freedom? They have the freedom to make and sell incandescent light bulbs.