Stick to What You Know

I usually enjoy listening to Petros and Money (Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith) on Fox Sports Radio.

Minutes ago, I heard Money bitching about light bulbs.

According to Money, the government will ban the incandescent light bulb starting next year. (I haven't taken the time to verify this claim, because I barely have time to eat and sleep and go to the bathroom these days, much less check everybody's facts.) Those of us who wish to light their homes at night will have to opt for the compact fluorescent light bulb once the ban is in effect.

Money claims that some people who are upset about this are stocking up on incandescent light bulbs.

So what's wrong with the CFL? According to Money, they flicker, and the light they produce is too blue for his taste. In short, the CFL is just like those long fluorescent light bulbs all of us are accustomed to seeing in certain public buildings.

Money doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about.

I've used CFL's in my home since 2006, and they are more or less just like the incandescent light bulb. Except that I'm not constantly replacing them. And they use a lot less energy than incandescent light bulbs, which saves me money.

He must think that CFL's must be just like other fluorescent light bulbs because they are called "compact fluorescent" light bulbs. If he had actually spent any time under one, he wouldn't have made such an ass of himself just now. 

Not only does Money look like an idiot, but he is feeding the irrational desires of those who don't know any better.

Stick to what you know, Money, and avoid talking about anything unrelated to sports, all right?

Bonus rant

There are probably some people out there who believe that such a law is an illicit infringement on the liberty of private citizens. If I want to buy an incandescent light bulb, and someone wants to manufacture one and sell it to me, then what business is it of government?

Indeed!

And if I want to use asbestos in my home, then I should be free to do so, don't you think?

And if I want to buy an automobile without air bags, seat belts, laminated windshields, or crumple zones, then what concern is it of the government?

And I have a right to buy as much melamine-laced infant formula and dog food as I want! And if I want to brush my teeth with toothpaste containing diethylene glycol, the government has no right to tell me that I can't!

And the government has no business putting fluoride in my tap water and polluting my precious bodily fluids!

And if I want to spend eight hours a day in a dangerous workplace and eat food that hasn't been been inspected by some Department of Agriculture communists, I should be free to do so! 

And if someone wants to serve up a delicious helping of soylent green for me to chow down on, then that's my fucking business, isn't it? I don't need any nanny-state do-gooders forcing anyone to include nutrition facts on the labels of the food I buy. If I don't want to know what I'm putting in my eating hole, then that's my right, isn't it?

And if the private sector wants to have their way with me in the name of profit, then who is the government to stand in their way?

If the government discourages me from doing anything I wouldn't do if I were in my right mind, then has it really restricted my freedom in any important way?