No One Asked Me But… (April 27, 2011)

By Dr. Larry Moses

No one asked me but…Senator John Ensign resigned.

While it was the right thing to do, it was two years late. It was a decision made, not because he finally realized he had let the people of Nevada down, rather it was made purely for political reasons. By allowing the Governor to pick a replacement, it will give the Republican candidate the advantage of being the incumbent. In American politics, that is worth a huge advantage in an election, for more than ninety percent of the incumbents are returned to office.

There are those who feel the public has been too harsh on Ensign holding him to a standard higher than they had for President Clinton. However, one must remember Democrats have never felt personal morals are the concern of the public while Republicans have always held themselves up as the moral defenders of the State. When one does that, they have an obligation to maintain the high moral standards they profess.

The argument that Ensign has done no worse than others is not the point. He aligned himself with the moral right and failed to live up to the standards on which he campaigned.

No one asked me but… I would like to jump into the Fluorescent vs. Incandescent light bulb controversy. This was set off by The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Don’t blame this one entirely on the tree huggers. While the purpose of this is to save energy and to cut down on pollution from the energy produced, it was signed into law by George W. Bush.

The bill establishes new efficiency regulations for the manufacturers of household light bulbs ranging from 40-100 watts. The regulations will be phased into law between 2012 and 2014.

While incandescent bulbs have not been banned per se, the fact that the cheapest incandescent light bulbs cannot produce the light per watt required by this federal law it imposes a ban on them. There is no direct demand that incandescent be replaced by Compact Fluorescent lamps (CFLs); however, that is presently the best option available, short of repealing this nonsense. LED lighting is an option but it is very expensive. If you insist on incandescent, you can turn to tungsten halogen light bulbs that use approximately 30 percent less energy than the equivalent traditional light bulbs. There is a real fire hazard with these, as they burn much hotter than the standard incandescent light and they too are expensive.

Presently the only real option is the CFL, which brings up a discussion as to the disadvantage of these squiggly new light bulbs.

Gone are the days of instant on. Those who have decided to go to the CFL now have the pleasure of turning on their lights and waiting for the bulbs to come up to speed. Now I would not suggest that this is a great deal of wait time, but for a generation who changes out their computers because the old model takes a nano-second longer that the old one, the lag time is significant.

For us old folks, have you looked at the configuration of the new bulb? What do you do with your lamps shades that rest on the bulb? Many of the lamps in our house will become obsolete with the exchange of the bulbs.

One of the major inconviences with the new CFL is disposal. How do you get rid of the old incandescent? You throw them in the trashcan.

How many of you are old enough to remember using the light bulb to darn your socks? My mother taught all seven of us kids how to repair the heels of our socks using an old light bulb. Does anyone darn socks anymore? That is a thought for another day.

How do you get rid of these new bulbs? The EPA has suggested that municipalities establish recycling centers. However, until then, expired CFLs can be placed in the garbage for pick up, the bulb must be sealed in two plastic bags (that’s okay I know where the bag farm is) and put in a trash container outside the house for the next scheduled pick up.

These bulbs must never be placed in an incinerator. Remember the days as a kid burning trash and listened to the bulbs explode.? What am I thinking you are not allowed to burn trash anymore.

The real issue is how do you clean up a broken CFL? After reading these instructions, I might suggest you purchase a hazmat suit along with your CFL.

Step one, when you replaced a bulb, don your hazmat suit in case you drop and break a bulb. (I just made this one up this is not in the official instructions on how to clean up a broken CFL.) However, after reading the official instructions, one might think maybe it should be step one.

The official directions follow: Have people and pets leave the room. Air out the room for five to ten minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment. Shut off central forced H&AC system. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb. Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder. Use disposable cardboard and duct tape, not broom and dustpan. Place cleanup materials in a sealable glass container. Promptly place all bulb debris and clean up material outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors. For several hours continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off.

Just to make you feel better about this whole thing, these bulbs are all made in China. The land that has given us toys that have poisoned our children, food that has kill our dogs and cats, and tires that tend to explode under normal use. I don’t know about you, but I feel better already.

No one asked me but…Just a quick reminder that I will be at Books, Etc. Saturday, April 30 from 10 AM to 2 PM selling and signing my new book Promises. My wife has promised cookies will be made. I suggested she make thousands to feed the multitudes. She suggested two dozen so we could have some to bring home. Hope to see you there.

Thought of the week…“We now know a thousand ways not to build a light bulb”

– Thomas Alva Edison