[tinwhiskers] Re: European Union to Phase Out Incandescent Bulbs by 2012
- From: Rod <rod.dalitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tinwhiskers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:19:21 +0000
On 24 Feb 2009, at 17:41, Steve Smith wrote:
Hello Hani,
Most excellent. That reminds me of an American newspaper article a
while back. Let me share some more laughter amongst us all:
I have to agree, this is not an appropriate place. However, it is
enlightening to those of us who do not live in the USA, to help us
understand the weird political attitudes there.
For me, Occam's Razor is the guiding principle: keep government to a
minimum, keep rules as simple as possible, ensure there are no sharp
breaks which disadvantage those on one side of the other. It does not
matter much whether government helps the poorest out of Christian
charity, or to avoid breeding criminals, but a safety net of some
form is necessary. There is a lot of middle ground, and the final
Presidential candidates seem to fight to get nearer the middle, but
most political debate thrives on extreme positions.
As to removing lead from the environment, few here would disagree
that a management approach is best: evaluate the problems and tackle
the most serious. Gasoline needed a paradigm shift, to coordinate
engine design, refineries, and distribution. But that should not need
a total ban, preferably a tax applied to lead, which gives the market
an incentive. If the requirement is too reduce carbon from oil, and
electricity usage, then those end results should be taxed, leaving
consumers to optimise their own life. Banning incandescent bulbs is a
wrong answer, and it will lead to many special cases - auto
headlights? scientific and medical equipment? reading lights for the
elderly with poor sight?
regards, Rod
rod.dalitz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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