The Nanny State Lives

California may ban conventional lightbulbs by 2012

That was the headline on Yahoo this morning, the story is from the Reuters.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D) Van Nuys introduced the measure which would (I imagine) prohibit the sale of incandescent light bulbs but we won't have to worry about the police breaking down our doors to search for them.

But what happens if I buy the bulbs while out of State and bring them back for my own use? Will I be subject to a fine or jail time? What if I use my computer and order them on line?

And finally, what will California do when people start tossing the compact fluorescent lightbulbs away because they have burned out? These contain mercury, incandescent bulbs don't. That is an environmental problem waiting to explode.

I hope the people of Van Nuys are proud of him, I wish he would treat the citizens of California as adults and not as wayward children.

Full disclosure, in my house, I have replaced all the incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs back in 2002, with the exception of lights on a dimmer switch and 4 halogen fixtures that won't accept the new bulbs.