An April 1 Washington Times op-ed cheered on South Carolina for objecting to the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Actenacted by George W. Bush. Additionally, the Washington Times cheered on conservative lawmakers for attempting to “roll back the expansive interpretation of interstate commerce that has allowed the federal government to meddle in our everyday affairs.” The Washington Times added, “Ideally, Congress would pass the light-bulb freedom measure introduced by Rep. Michele Bachmann.”
From the op-ed:
State lawmakers are fed up with the federal government micromanaging their lives. The South Carolina Senate is scheduled to strike back Tuesday with a bill that asserts the 10th Amendment right of the state to tell Washington to take a hike when it comes to the sale of incandescent light bulbs manufactured within state borders.
Ever since then-President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the clock has been ticking on Thomas Edison's venerable incandescent. Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, 2012, federal bureaucrats will begin their campaign to foist the mostly Chinese-made, compact fluorescent bulbs on a public that has shown no interest in buying them on the free market.
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Conservative lawmakers ultimately are looking to mount a Supreme Court challenge that would, they hope, roll back the expansive interpretation of interstate commerce that has allowed the federal government to meddle in our everyday affairs.
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Ideally, Congress would pass the light-bulb freedom measure introduced by Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, which repeals the 2007 ban. Realistically, her measure would have a tough time getting past the veto pen of President Obama. That's why states are looking at their own declarations of lighting freedom. It will only take one state's defiance of federal overreach to break the system. Should Mr. Sandifer's bill be the first enacted, there is no doubt the South Carolina will see a substantial increase in tourism next year - as drivers fill the trunks of their cars with mercury-free bulbs.
Previously:
Forbes Joins Fight Against Money-Saving Light Bulbs