Electricity Shortage

How Many Dim Bulbs Does it Take
to Ban a Light Bulb?

Climate Change Rhetoric a Cover for Power Shortage: McKeever

February 21, 2007 - Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever today condemned the idea, floated today, of banning incandescent light bulbs.  Yesterday, legislation to impose such a ban was introduced in Australia.  Canadian Press yesterday reported that Premier Dalton McGuinty "...said...that Ontario has to start being a responsible global citizen", that he is working on an "aggressive plan" to "deal with greenhouse gases", and that if Ontarians replaced one incandescent bulb with a flourescent one, he would be able to shut down one coal-powered electricity generation station.  Canadian Press today reported that Liberal Environment Minister Laurel Broten referred to an Ontario ban on incandescent light bulbs as "on the table" for consideration.  Blasting any illusion that he is an advocate of free market economic policy, Progressive Conservative leader John Tory went so far as to say today that "Ontarians want to be part of a solution to climate change", and that a ban on incandescent bulbs should be imposed "...as soon as possible".  

"So much green Blarney*, and it's not even St. Patrick's Day yet", said Freedom Party of Ontario leader, Paul McKeever.

"There is no conclusive evidence that turning off a coal-powered electricity generation plant will change the climate.  There is even less evidence that Dalton McGuinty would shut down another coal-powered plant as soon as we all replaced one incandescent bulb with a flourescent one.  In fact, I dare him to promise that he will close a coal-powered plant within three months of the effective date of an Ontario ban on incandescent light bulbs.

"The simple and obvious fact is that both Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Tory are proponents of electricity rationing as a response to the power shortage caused by the Progressive Conservative's de facto nationalization of the formerly privately-owned electricity system, and decades of price controls and subsidies for electricity.  Having scared-off any interest in investment by the private sector, we're now facing years of electricity rationing.  And, because the PCs, Liberals, and NDP are all as guilty as hell for the predicament we're now in, they're now resorting to trendy green lies about why they are imposing rationing measures.  Banning the light bulb would have been proposed even if climate change palm-readings were not enjoying such good ticket sales.

"Here are some sobering facts.  Banning 50 cent incandescent bulbs will relieve $4 fluorescent bulb manufacturers of price competition: the price of flourescent bulbs will most certainly be higher than they would have been but for the ban on incandescents.

"Banning incandescents will also relieve bulb manufacturers from competition on light quality: the currently harsh quality of the light provided by non-incandescent bulbs will not improve as quickly as it would have but for the ban on incandescents.

"This ban is a bad and harmful idea. 

"We need more competition and private-sector involvement in power generation and delivery, not less competition and more government involvement in light-bulbs. 

"We need more power, not more rationing.  We need to win the trust of private sector power generation investors by offering iron-clad contractual agreements not to interfere with the market price of electricity.  

"In terms not of air quality but of climate, we need less green posturing and appeasement of deep ecology zealots.  We need a firm government commitment not to impose any climate change policy in the absence of conclusive evidence that climate change threatens the life, liberty or property of Ontarians.  And, if and when we obtain such evidence, we need a firm government commitment not to impose any climate change policy in the absence of evidence that the proposed policy will actually defend Ontarians' lives, liberty or property."

"Anything less is a disservice to Ontarians, a threat to our economic well-being, an assault on reason, and a denial of the facts and demands of nature."

*On Blarney

Wikipedia explains "Blarney" this way: "By kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, it is claimed that one can receive the "Gift of the Gab" (eloquence, or skill at flattery or persuasion). The legend has its roots in the response of the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth I to Cormac Teige McCarthy's attempt to sweet talk his way out of a sticky situation, during negotiations of the takeover of the Blarney Castle by the occupying English forces."

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