Is Upton Walking Back His Support for Light Bulb Ban?
- Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:49pm by
Meredith Jessup
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Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., is just one of many Republicans vying to take over the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee when the GOP reclaims the majority in the House of Representatives in January. However, many outspoken conservatives have recently come out in opposition to Upton’s bid, citing his controversial support for a ban on incandescent light bulbs as just one of many objectionable positions the Michigan Republican has taken contrary to conservatives’ traditional limited government mantra.
But now, faced with growing criticism and mounting opposition to a possible chairmanship, Upton is hinting that he may be flipping the switch on his own incandescent bulb ban. The Washington Times reports:
Three years after he led the charge to require consumers to ditch their comfortable old incandescent lights in favor of those twisty CFL bulbs, Rep. Fred Upton now wants to be the man to help undo that law as the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. …
“We have heard the grass roots loud and clear, and will have a hearing early next Congress,” said Mr. Upton, a Michigan Republican who is facing several others in his party in a bid to earn the gavel of the powerful committee. “The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties – and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best.”
Upton is facing pressure from conservative bloggers, tea partiers and conservative organizations, including FreedomWorks who has launched the “Down With Upton” campaign. At press time, more than 35,000 individuals had signed a petition urging the House Republican Steering Committee to oppose Upton’s bid for chairman.
A Steering Committee vote is scheduled for Tuesday to decide who will chair the various committees in the upcoming 112th Congress.
Is Upton’s apparent backtrack on the light bulb ban the mark of a commanding leader listening to his grassroots constituents, or is it a symptom of a weak-kneed legislator who leans according to political winds? What do you think?
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Comments (94)
Nigel2
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:23amAnother shining example of the professional all American leadership team Obama has built around him. I am counting down the hours till November 2012.
Report Post »Nigel2
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:25amoops, this was supposed to go on the “internet a right for every nappyheaded child” thread
Report Post »CYCLONE
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 7:43pmthat’s alright Nigel… Uncle Ted will throw us a Palin Caribou Buster of our own… and then it’s time for a little “WANGO-TANGO” on the FCC !!!!
… and a little Caribou/Jackass Tartar…!!!
Report Post »paulnashtn
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:19amAn election only tells you that people do or do not appreciate the job your doing, it cannot change your basic beliefs and Fred Upton believes in a big controlling government and/or that Washington knows best
Report Post »old construction worker
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:14amCongress – Set my CO2 free. Declare CO2 a non pollutant.
Report Post »mrmikejohnson
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:59pmLiberals want to make lightbulbs illegal, but drugs legal. Hmm. Can you imagine someone getting busted for selling incandescent light bulbs on the black market to people who want to see better?
Report Post »M
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:57pmWell buying your light bulbs at Walmart may get a little more intrusive.
Big Sis to address public via telescreens at checkout lanes.
WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the Department’s national “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign to hundreds of Walmart stores across the country—launching a new partnership between DHS and Walmart to help the American public play an active role in ensuring the safety and security of our nation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czoww2l1xdw
http://drudgereport.com/flash2n.htm
http://www.infowars.com/big-sis-invades-wal-mart-if-you-see-something-say-something/
Report Post »crossdraw
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 10:54amMakes you wonder what Wal-Mart received for their bending over to the gummit? Actually she told us to PROFILE.
Report Post »IndyGuy
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:56pmPerhaps Upton should do what he can to help re-open the bulb factories that he helped close…
Report Post »drawls
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:44pmUpton is nothing but a rino, don’t ya know. Buy changing the bulbs many americans were put out of work. The bulb upton supports is made in china, only. People without jobs don’t really give a crap about the environment. Ilovethiscountry, why don’t you try loving the americans in it.
Report Post »IndyGuy
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:12amI’m with drawls…
Report Post »Conserving Ink
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:42pmIf you need a poll to know what you believe, you don’t believe anything.
Report Post »_________________________________________________________________
http://conserving-ink.blogspot.com/2010/12/government-we-didnt-elect.html
GeauxAlready
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:38pmWatching any politican these days is like watching a monkey hump a football. You see it, but you just can’t believe it…………..
Report Post »crossdraw
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 10:50amThat was funny. Thanks for the endorphin rush. Endorphin usage! Is that against federal law?
Report Post »American_Woman
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:35pmHe should thank the light bulb that just lit up inside his head.
Report Post »ilovethiscountry
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:29pmThe incandescent bulbs are better than the cf bulbs. There is no mercury in them. Mercury harms the environment.
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:17pmOh good. That’s all I have to say.
Report Post »J.C. McGlynn
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:16pmA bonehead who a special post sees the light of his stupidity.
Report Post »bitterclinger
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:16pmToo little too late, Fred. If you were stupid enough to make such an unconstitutional decision, you need to go. The last U.S. incandescent factory closed a couple months ago in Winchester, VA. I’m sure the folks who lost their jobs will be happy to hear of your change of heart.
Report Post »bigdaddybernie
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:08pmWHO is this guy???????????????????????????????????
Report Post »IndyGuy
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:07pmUpton is certainly not the brightest bulb on the tree…
Report Post »CatB
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:03amSorry but in Michigan he may be … many of the brightest and best left years ago!
Report Post »EgoBrain
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:14am@CATB~ That would be me. Bright and best, ex ‘Gander.
Report Post »tr68gt
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:06pmIf he thinks it’s just about light bulbs, he’s got a lot to learn. I say no to him being the chairman, but if he truly wants to be a part of undoing this ridiculous farce, let him. But next time around, people like him gotta go!
Report Post »KE_in_IA
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:06pmMaybe I didn’t need to hoard these many hundreds of lightbulbs after all. Oh well, at least my future grandkids will never have to worry about buying lightbulbs.
Report Post »joseph Fawcett
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:04pmweek knees is my vote, I would have had more respect for him if he would have stuck to his guns. I just don’t trust the guy, he would have a hearing and then continue with the ban. Just like the dems do. Are we going to fall for this kind on nonsense anymore. Wen have to hold them up to their commitments and positions. They should think twice and thrice before taking a position and that way they will never have to back track. This ban was bad form the begining and now it should cost him the chair/gavel as the case maybe. Hold him accountable I say!
http://www.josephfawcettart.com western artist
Report Post »12 gauge
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:02pmkeep hazmat on your speed dial, you‘ll need ’em if you break an aLgore global warming light bulb.
Report Post »FED-UP-AND-READY-TO-TAKE-ACTION
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:59pmBetter late than never. So he now see’s the “light”…..VICTORY OR DEATH
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:56pmHmm…let me see what I would prefer….A nice, safe, old fashioned light bulb that costs me about a buck to replace, or a snazzy, high-tech CFL bulb, that costs five times as much, won’t work in my porchlight when it gets cold outside…and oh yeah, if I happen to break one by accident, I need a hazmat team to come remove the toxic mercury from my abode……..Oh well, if they ban normal light bulbs, soon I can just use the light coming from the pile of worthless dollar bills I will burn as a safe and cheap substitute…….
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:54pmagreed, see the sacacism
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:58pmIs there other toxic items in these bulbs aside from the mercury?
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:10amOne of the facilities in our town replaced their lightbulbs in the auditorium with the cfs. What a nightmare. Previously, changing a bulb involved a long handled, telescoping rod with something that looked like a rubber plunger on the end of it. A bulb could be changed by one person in a relatively short period of time.
The new bulbs required adaptors and entailed bringing in a small two man lift to get up there to do it. Once they were all replaced, everyone was thrilled. They wouldn’t have to change another light bulb for years. Two weeks later, the first one blew. A week and a half later, a second one. By the end of the first month, four of the bulbs were out. They had to rent the lift again and guess what happened when they were taking out one of the “long lasting bulbs”? When they finally could get back into the auditorium, it was decided that they would simply take out the “new, improved” bulbs and replace them with the old type simply because they had already spent more money than they would have saved in the first three years. Ya gotta admire the ingenuity, In a mere sixty days, these super efficient new bulbs cost the city more than it had spent in the three previous years. Now, how efficient is that?
Report Post »EgoBrain
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:12amI hate those CFL’s. Not one, not ONE, has ever lasted a year in any house I’ve lived in.
Report Post »I have a stash of oldies, if anyone wants to trade for food supplies.
watchmany2k
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 1:25am@Taquoshi
They should have used LED’s a bit more expensive, but will last a LOT longer.
The Incandescent bulb may have a few places left to use, but in general you are wasting money with them if you pay the electric bill.
Read my LED 101 spouting at my site http://www.watchman2012.com
Report Post »It’s all about the quality of MFG.
ADMIRAL747
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:55pmSure they’re more efficient but you need a CBR suit to dispose of them. More government intervention in the market.
Report Post »Ialmostforgot
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 7:57amNot to mention they are dangerous to children. Those twisty glass tubes break real easy when you try to unscrew it. Sharp edges, little fingers, not good.
Report Post »Redd
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:55pmOnly a moron would have pushed for the light bulb switch. Take a backseat upton.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:02amNote that the moron is from Michigan .. I was born in Michigan but I had enough a few years ago and left .. even the “right” is left in Michigan.
Report Post »Rob
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 10:51pmDamn anti-American morons. GET OUT OF THE FREE MARKET!
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {mix art}
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:13pmOne thing the people of America do understand is that when Congress starts to meddle in things, the results will almost always be expensive, tick everyone off, and be as effective as a roomful of wet and moldy rugs hung over a dining room in which a formal affair of state is being held.
Actually having the congress meet in such a place may not be a bad idea.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on December 6, 2010 at 11:45pmAgreed
Report Post »CatB
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:00amI agree .. I noticed that “old” lightbulbs have gone up in price … already. If they are blackmarket then I expect they will “necessarily skyrocket”
Report Post »M31Sailor
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:00amTime for all good Americans to go to the US Capitol with one CFL bulb each and drop it in the chamber. See how long it then takes to get these Chinese light bombs banned. This joker just wanted to be liked by Nancy, Harry ,Barry, Fwank, and the rest of these scumbags. He should be on the mercury cleanup committee.
Report Post »Nightstalker
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:10amUpchuck is flipping sides like a true rino!
Report Post »He wants the chairman seat and would sell his mother to a Bangkok
pimp to get it!
Just like Spector, or Murkowski, slime bag power junkies!
CatB
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 12:10amToo bad they already closed the plant that makes the old bulbs .. think those jobs will ever come back to America … doubt it!
Report Post »Dustyluv
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 6:55amI hope they keep the ban in place. I have enough of the good bulbs to last me until about 2050. I was hoping to make a bundle when the ban goes into effect.
When I travel to a hotel I always take my own bulbs and replace those idiot bulbs while I am there so I can see…I hate those things as much as the toilets you have to flush 3 times…
Report Post »shorthanded12
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 7:26amCan we get all these ANTI American Government Officials to denounce there citizenship and kindley leave the country.
Report Post »Konservative PUNK
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 8:25amGood call M31. Those twisty bulbs are full of toxic gas. I would love to see “Fwank” blow a gasket!
Report Post »Konservative PUNK
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 8:33amBawney Fwank
Report Post »marty1971
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 2:56pmMy favorite quote of the article
“The last thing we wanted to do was infringe upon personal liberties – and this has been a good lesson that Congress does not always know best.”
NO KIDDING !!! Did you figure that out on your own genius? What a pompous A**
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 3:26pmWell I wish they would make up their minds so I can quit stocking up on them.. LOL.. Hey did any of these nitwits think of what happens if we only get our bulbs from CHINA and they decide not to ship them..? back to candle light??
Report Post »CYCLONE
Posted on December 7, 2010 at 7:39pmSnortin’ Mercury… Drinkin’ Cocaine… !!!!!!!!!
Report Post »tradexpertbuysell
Posted on December 8, 2010 at 12:37amHey Freddy!
May you serve as a diciplinary example of what happens to someone who defies the Constitution and votes for unconstitutional measures to try to control free markets where the wallet decides and not some overpaid idiot in Washington DC.
I also feel your own wealth should be taken and given to the 1000s that have lost their jobs over this. That would be the only form of wealth redistribution I would be for! Also may part of the consequence of your stupid “I’m better than you” legislation should be you getting fired like any incopetent executive would be in 2012 or preferably sooner!
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