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Noem, House Dim BULB Act Shows GOP Contradictions

On July 12, the House Republicans tried to suspend the rules and ram through Texas Rep. Joe Barton's "Better Use of Light Bulbs Act," a silly little effort to portray incandescent light bulbs as great symbols of American freedom. The incandescent light bulb is certainly a symbol of the current Republican majority: lots of heat and inefficiency, and generally outperformed by new ideas.

Rep. Kristi Noem voted for this exercise in patriot kubuki. Read the text of the bill, and you'll see that Rep. Noem must have thought the way to fight light bulb tyranny is to impose more federal tyranny. Not only would the Barton BULB Act repeal energy efficiency rules that President George W. Bush signed into law in 2007, but it also would have abolished all state and local energy efficiency rules relating to light bulbs.

More proof that Kristi and the Republicans believe in states rights only when states do what Republicans want.

2 Comments

  1. Donald Pay 2011.07.25

    I agree. You couldn't find a more apt symbol for the Republican Party than the traditional incandescent bulb---90 percent waste. Don't they understand that their are new incandescent lights that are more efficient? Senator Harkin is right. These people are a cult.

    [CAH: Thanks, Donald! It's as if the Bachmann GOP has oppositional disorder: they are pathologically bound to oppose good ideas, just because scientists or liberals suggest them.]

  2. Steve Sibson 2011.07.26

    Too bad the consumers can't make the choice on which bulb is most cost effective!

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