December 30, 2011

The New, "Improved" Light Bulbs

Supposedly the new light bulbs make up for their expense via a long lifetime and savings on power. Iirc Instapundit has posted anecdotal evidence that the new bulbs do not last nearly as long as advertised.

A Congress that has consumers' interests at heart would make the bulb manufacturers live up to their commitments. This could be done, for example, with a time stamp on each bulb. A bulb that stopped working before the time stamp expired would be replaceable with a new bulb--one with a fresh time stamp, just to make the point clear to the industry.

I'm not holding my breath: the current arrangement lets the government practice crony capitalism and pander to the green lobby at the same time.

December 29, 2011

A New Precautionary Principle

The Precautionary Principle states that no innovation or policy change should be implemented until it has been proven to be safe. That is, no change should be adopted until every objection has been conclusively refuted; the burden of proof falls on those who propose the change.

My suggestion:

Disregard everybody who invokes or implies the Precautionary Principle.

December 20, 2011

Compelling Goverment Interest

That phrase is BS that the government, including a complicit judiciary, has cooked up to justify unConstitutional actions and policies. Just keep repeating the mantra long enough and the peasants will accept it.

Diversity
, for one.

Sustainability, for another (HT: Instapundit).

SOPA

Hopefully it will be defeated or blunted, but Hollywood will be back--even if, heaven forbid, it passes.

Are we really going to throw a spanner in the works of 21st-century technology so Hollywood can continue to collect rent with its 20th century model? Big Media will only stop trying when its efforts are penalized by revoking some of the monopolistic privileges it already has. Target the DMCA or copyright terms.

December 19, 2011

What Would Jesus Henry VIII Do?

When those who "occupy" Episcopal and Anglican churches in NYC and London bleat how they think the founder of the Christian religion would treat them, they should have a similar, cautionary thought about the founder of the Church of England.

December 3, 2011

Coincidence?

1. "U.S. Urges Creativity by Colleges to Gain Diversity" (HT: researchok@LGF) It's news to me that achieving "diversity" is a "compelling interest".

In effect, a compelling interest means it's something that the government is doing without a Constitutional, legislative, or electoral basis because it would not survive scrutiny under any of those criteria.

2. Who needs overrepresented minorities?

3. Huzzah! Researchers have fabricated, um, discovered a nondiscriminatory law school entrance exam. (HT: Instapundit)