GOP Fred Upton Retires – Banned our Incandescent lightbulb

While the headlines are about his retirement and his impeachment vote, it is that darn lightbulb that sticks in my mind. The GOP had just won a landslide. 2010. It was a heady time for the Tea Party and Conservatives:

ABC News projects Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives picking-up between 60 and 70 seats in a resounding rebuke to President Obama and the Democrats.

The GOP House victory would be the biggest gain for a party in a midterm since 1938, when Democrats lost 71 seats amid deep economic malaise during the Great Depression.

“With their voices and their votes, the American people are demanding a new way forward in Washington,” Boehner said. “The people’s priorities will be our priorities. The people’s agenda will be our agenda. This is our pledge to America, this is our pledge to you.”

……..

So what did Boehner do? Appoint Upton. According to Upton’s bio:

I serve on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.  The Energy and Commerce Committee has one of the broadest jurisdictions of any congressional committee, with principal responsibility over matters relating to healthcare, energy, the environment, consumer safety, telecommunications, commerce, manufacturing, and trade.

I also serve as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy. This pivotal subcommittee has jurisdiction over national energy policy.

Upton and Bunkerville go back a long way. 2010 to be exact when Upton made a charge to consolidate his power. My posting about this Dem in sheep’s clothing began as Boehner pushed him forward to chair the House Energy Commerce Committee and join the “Super Committee” as well.  Here is part of previous postings:

The Lightbulb Ban…One Great Reason That Fred Upton Should Never Head A House Committee

November 25, 2010

Bunkerville:

Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton has forced Americans by law to change the type of lightbulb they use. He’s running for the House Energy Commerce Committee and according to Americans For Limited Government’s Bill Wilson, he’s the wrong guy for the job. Reporter Frank McCaffrey has the story.

On Upton’s home page: http://upton.house.gov/ He asks the Dept. of Energy, “where are the Jobs”?   Sir.. they are going to Mexico, where did you think they would go?

• Upton was one of only 38 House Republicans to support the Democrats’ Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 that removed millions of acres of federal lands from oil and gas leasing, thus driving up energy costs for consumers.
• Upton was one of only 20 Republicans to vote against an amendment that would have reduced the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 funding to 2008 levels.
• Upton teamed up with Democrat Jane Harman to pass an invasive energy bill which mandates that only politically-favored “environmentally-friendly” light bulbs be used. That’s right, this guy thinks the Constitution gives him the power to tell you which light bulb you can use.
• More at A Good Choice

Postscript: Oh and all those makers of the lightbulb?

ARE THERE ANY LIGHT BULBS MADE IN THE USA?

Well, the answer is complicated. Yes, there are American made light bulbs. However, almost all of these light bulbs are ASSEMBLED in the USA from domestic and imported parts.

There were several companies that manufactured incandescent light bulbs in the USA, but those companies either went out of business, or transitioned to LED bulbs with oversea manufacturing. Incandescent light bulbs use more energy than LED and CFL bulbs and they have actually been banned in several states.

Since most consumers look to purchase a cheaper light bulb, most light bulbs are manufactured over seas in China where it is more cost effective for companies to do so.

The best of the swamp today.