Statists doing what liberal statists do. Legislating our freedom of choice from the bench, from the pulpit, from the State. Rome is burning to the ground, as it were here in California. Businesses are being shuttered, taxes are skyrocketting. And top-down, regressive, entitlement-mentality, master-centrally-planned, profit-hostile ninnies and morons in both the government and electorate that have encouraged and/or sat idly by as this has taken place are to blame.
It wouldn’t be so frightening and disheartening if it were confined to just one state, one region. But the agenda of the Obamanation is just a Federal extension of the moral/financial bankruptcy that CA is in the midst of. I know for I have lived it here and see every tell-tale sign. America, I am your canary in the coal mine of Socialist Dystopia Hell.
And of priorities. As I opine above Rome is burning. The flames have consumed nearly all in sight and a priority is ushered in, a new law set in stone. Reuters today :
In a 5-0 vote, The California Energy Commission today approved the country’s first efficiency regulations for TVs of up to 58 inches. The new Appliance Efficiency Regulations will require new televisions sold in California to consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less electricity by 2013.
“The real winners of these new TV energy efficiencies are California consumers who will be saving billions of dollars and conserving energy while preserving their choice to buy any size or type of TV,” said Energy Commission Chairman Karen Douglas.
And what a quote from Chairman Karen Douglas. Chairman Douglas thinks that it is a win for consumers to be forced into less choices with their hard earned dollars. Chairman Douglas resides in a state of Chairman-planners that think they control every aspect of life for every citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Chairman Sacramento, think that they know better for every aspect of governance of the to be suspect masses. They despise you, they despise me. It is their DNA.
I’ll never forget the quote from Milton Friedman that I read in Forbes magazine, I couldn’t find a link therefore I am paraphrasing:
It is a sad state of affairs when one looks at China, and particularly the Shanxi Province as being more capitalist than many aspects of California….
RIP Friedman and the once-quaint notion of freedom and free markets…..
10 comments:
Why don't they just come out with it already and get to goose-stepping like we know they want to. I don't get it. Other than the willful destruction of what's right and good in this world, I don't get it. Seen 2012? Get outta there rebel!
What is next, I think I am scared to ask! Good post!
Hahaha… what a stunning pack of numbn**s your politicians are. "Fiddling while Rome burns" evokes exactly the correct image.
I remember a time not so very long ago when California was the 7th most productive economy in the WORLD. Anyone know what it is now? (that's a real question, not a rhetorical one)
You live in California. Let's say the Super Bowl is a week away, and you go to your Best Buy and look at one of these underpowered televisions. Knowing your big party is a week away and you want the best picture, don't you just start driving east and get a TV? Even though, I have my doubts about the Fourth Amendment, they still need a warrant to come into your house to identify you as a TV criminal.
Now you laugh, but Mayor Daley in Chicago started to see tax revenue drop after they passed their high sales tax. People were driving to the burbs where sales tax was up to 3% or so less. They were buying all the major purchases in the burbs to save lots of money from Chicago's oppressive taxes. Daley wanted to find a way to find out which residents were using their freedom to purchase outside of Chicago and make them pay the difference on the sales taxes to the city. I don't put it past liberals in California to catch you cheating on your TV purchases. I hope the rest of the country doesn't follow, but I have a feeling based on cap and trade and emissions standards the rest of the country will suffer thanks to California's regulations.
Unfortunately, CA seems to be a microcosm of a socialist experiment. A very bad socialist experiment…
My sister-in-law actually had common sense until she moved to Silicon Valley. Now it's a bunch of liberal mush. I still love her, but I wonder just what happened to someone so smart.
LCR – right on!
Governor Schwarzenegger is shooting himself in the foot anyway!
1. Taxation, while not the right way either, is better for everyone, if energy really needs to be saved.
TV set taxation based on energy efficiency – unlike bans – gives Governor Schwarzenegger's impoverished California Government income on the reduced sales, while consumers keep choice.
This also applies generally,
to CARS (with emission tax or gas tax), BUILDINGS, DISHWASHERS, LIGHT BULBS etc,
where politicians instead keep trying to define what people can or can't use.
Politicians can use the tax money raised to fund home insulation schemes, renewable projects etc that lower energy use and emissions more than remaining product use raises them.
Also, the energy efficient products can have their sales taxes lowered.
2. Product regulation, bans or taxation, are however unwarranted:
Where there is a problem – deal with the problem!
Energy: there is no energy shortage
(given renewable/nuclear development possibilities, with set emission limits)
and consumers – not politicians – pay for energy and how they wish to use it.
It might sound great to
"Let everyone save money by only allowing energy efficient products"
However:
Inefficient products that use more energy can have performance, appearance and construction advantages
Examples (using cars, buildings, dishwashers, TV sets, light bulbs etc):
http://ceolas.net/#cc211x
For example, big plasma TV screens have image contrast and other advantages along with the bigger image sizes.
Products using more energy usually cost less, or they'd be more energy efficient already.
Depending on how much they are used, there might therefore not be any running cost savings either.
Other factors contribute to a lack of savings:
If households use less energy,
then utility companies make less money,
and will just raise electricity prices to cover their costs.
So people don't save as much money as they thought.
Conversely,
energy efficiency in effect means cheaper energy,
so people just leave TV sets etc on more, knowing that energy bills are lower,
as also shown by Scottish and Cambridge research
http://ceolas.net/#cc214x
Either way, supposed energy – or money – savings aren't there.
———————-
Why energy efficiency regulations are wrong,
whether you are for or against energy and emission conservation
http://ceolas.net/#cc2x
Summary
Politicians don't object to energy efficiency as it sounds too good to be true. It is.
–The Consumer Side
Product Performance — Construction and Appearance
Price Increase — Lack of Actual Savings: Money, Energy or Emissions. Choice and Quality affected
— The Manufacturer Side
Meeting Consumer Demand — Green Technology — Green Marketing
–The Energy Side
Energy Supply — Energy Security — Cars and Oil Dependence
–The Emission Side
Buildings — Industry — Power Stations — Light Bulbs
In 1994 I ended up owning a company in Simi Valley California…had a license and management contract with them and basically I ended up with the company through default…
Loved the weather, loved the scenery, loved the restaurants…
BUT GOOD LORD….the business taxes, the employees, and when the health insurance company sent a letter out that they were now covering AROMATHERAPY…
Then when I pulled the stakes and moved everything to Kentucky and making sure that all of the employees had jobs, either with me in Kentucky or with my competitors (who paid considerably less than I did) I find out that some local official had to SIGN OFF on us moving out…
Told him to hurry because the last truck was leaving the next day….
They fined me $2,500 for not getting him to sign off…that was 1996 and still haven't paid that one…
I love to visit the place but get real…..and to think I almost thought of pulling stakes and moving west…
If the state of California measured how much electricity my stereo sucks up when I turn it on they would have a fit….it takes a lot of juice to get those tubes hot…rock on!
@ Red – With my recent great news with my Mom, I'm on my way!
@ Being Rihgt – Ugh, I know and I don't…
@ Libertarian Adv – I don't even know, pray tell!
@ Blackandgold – Yes, and look at how it has turned out, you can't escape either because you are under the umbrella of the Obamanation.
@ BB – Indeed, I wouldn't put it past them
@ TAO – Are you kidding me? A CA state official had to 'sign off' on you taking your company and leaving? That is unreal, and to think that it has gotten worse here too……
I had a stereo system like you speak of, the tubes, dials on the front, man I miss that. To tell you the truth the sound quality, clarity is still unequalled. Today's systems are too sterile.
@ Peter – Brilliant roundup here, almost better than my post, are you a CA resident too?
Does that law actually ban certain sizes of TV? Your other choice to discourage wasting energy, which has externalities for everyone until new technologies fix that, is to impose a tax on energy equivalent to the damage you're causing everyone else. I think that policy would be much prefereable to a policy out-and-out banning certain products. Maybe engineers can make energy-inefficient TVs so much cheaper that would be better servcd using cheaper TVs and putting some of the money saved into renewable energy.
I fogot about one more option: You could just pretend like energy is not really an issue b/c all of us really wish it weren't.
@ CJ – Yes, the law does ban certain sizes of flat screens in addition to certain power consumptin paramaters. I believe in energy conservation via creative engineer solutions as you do — I just don't think that Statists should be in charge of the size of tv that I want or don't want. Rome is burning and CA is banning big screens. Trust me, the irony does not elude me.
Also, these same greenies hate alternative sources too in the state, they hate innovation, capitalism and progress.
Actually they hate mankind.
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