Bachmann to Democrats: Get Your Hands Off Our Lightbulbs

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is trying to restore some sanity to our government:

Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann on Tuesday reintroduced the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act," a bill to repeal a 2007 law mandating that incandescent light bulbs be phased out.

"The government has no business telling an individual what kind of light bulb to buy," she said in a news release Wednesday. "In 2007, Congress overstepped its bounds by mandating that only 'energy efficient' light bulbs may be sold after January 1, 2012. This mandate has sweeping effects on American families and businesses and needs serious consideration before taking effect."

Bachmann says the mandate should only stay in place is (1) there is proof that alternate bulbs save consumers money, (2) there is proof that alternate bulbs significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and (3) that it's shown that alternate bulbs "would not lead to a health risk for consumers, particularly those in hospitals, schools, day care centers and nursing homes."

Unfortunately, the Democrats have already managed to kill the U.S. incandescent lightbulb industry. The last factory in the U.S. that was making the bulbs closed last September and I can't imagine any company is going to invest in starting up a lightbulb factory again knowing they can be shut down at the whim of Democrats.