Those of us steeped in Minnesota and/or wingnut politics know the name Michele Bachmann. The first-term Congresswoman from the suburbs of St. Paul has been a reliable source of misguided policy, but her latest effort is the kind that should be of concern to independent voters: repealing the phase-out of incandescent light bulbs out of concern for personal freedom and pollution.
More after the jump...
Today in the Star Tribune Bachmann's legislation to reverse the switch to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) was announced. Thinking like this helps make ice-shelf meltdown and $100 oil possible:
Titled the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act," the bill seeks to repeal the nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs, the kind that have been used for more than a century -- pretty much since the invention of the incandescent light bulb.
Bachmann, a first-term Republican, is challenging the nation's embrace of energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights, saying the government has no business telling consumers what kind of light bulbs they can buy.
"This is an issue of science over fads and fashions," Bachmann said in an interview Tuesday.
There is ample evidence that CFLs, while a source of heavy metals, not only save energy but also create a net reduction in the release of mercury and lead. As one tongue-in-cheek comment said on the news site, "Way to (go) Michele - Now Bring Back Lead Paint and Asbestos!"