Obama on New Energy Efficiency Standards: 'Light Bulbs May Not Seem Sexy'

Ron, you've got to be kidding. We can't drill our way out of our energy problem. We only sit on 3% of all the oil reserves in the world but we consume the most barrels per day.
From just a security point of view we need the energy independence that solar, wind, geo-thermal and conserving energy will give us. As for nuclear it is terribly expensive and no one has solved the problem of what to do with all the dangerous waste.
As for those 'silly' lightbulbs our family switched over two years ago and were delighted to watch our electric usage go down almost 7%. We've also put our t.v., dvd player and other electronics on a power strip. By turning off the power on the strip when not using these electronics we save another 3%. (Most electronics that are instant-on are using electricity even when you turn them off! The power strip enables you to turn them off completely without having to pull the plug out of the wall.)
Working together all the little things we can do make a big difference in our energy independence, our air quality and the health of the world we leave our kids.

Previous figures in millions of dollars.

Meaning that the trade deficit with China under the Bush administration tripled from -83,833 in the year 2000, to -268,039.8 in the year 2008.

In 2000 our trade deficit was 6.2 to 1 in favor of the Chinese. By 2008 it was 4.9 to 1. Not by any means an optimal situation, but an improvement. Posted by: Math101 | Jun 30, 2009 10:06:31 AM

First of all, China plays the import/export game very well. They like it when they are winning.

Secondly, there must be very tight restrictions enforced by our government on much of the goods we have to offer, especially in technology. This must hamper our ability to even things out.

Math 101 . . .

That's a good insight. However, at the same time, the trade deficit with China TRIPLED during the Bush administration.

Ron . . .

"The House-passed bill contains provisions to make it easier to get loan guarantees and expands the nuclear industry’s access to loans for reactor construction."

Under the new Cap-n-Trade Bill, all houses will have to be built according to California standards.

Also, before you can sell your home, it must be subjected to an energy assessment (no doubt a tax will be involved).

Or so I've heard...

But don't worry because anyone making less than $250,000 a year won't see their taxes go up.

Or so I've heard...

Why should we expect anything sensible from a "Community Organizer" ? We need to "Drill here,Drill now" to get an energy source that we know works, and we need to build nuclear power plants. Enough already with silly light bulbs, sun power and windmills.

Danita:
FYI: IF the following is truly the case:

In the year 2000 . ..

Our exports 16,185.2
Our imports 100,018.2
Our balance -83,833.0

In the year 2008

Our exports 69,732.8
Our imports 337,772.6
Our balance -268,039.8

Then "good old republican knowhow" actually did improve the situation.
In 2000 our trade deficit was 6.2 to 1 in favor of the Chinese. By 2008 it was 4.9 to 1. Not by any means an optimal situation, but an improvement.

Have to put this article here because there is NOTHING about the debunking of global warming on your site!!!

"A top Republican senator has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency's alleged suppression of a report that questioned the science behind global warming.

The 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin, pushed back on the prospect of regulating gases like carbon dioxide as a way to reduce global warming. Carlin's report argued that the information the EPA was using was out of date, and that even as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined.

"He came out with the truth. They don't want the truth at the EPA," Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla, a global warming skeptic, told FOX News, saying he's ordered an investigation. "We're going to expose it."

Think you might want to cover this??? Doubt it - who whats the truth exposed!!

This whole cap and tax sickens me.While the Obama is pushing healthcare he slips cap and tax through the house without a word.Thanks ABC you will be remembered for all the truthful informative news.Wake up people they are all corrupt and if you dont see it now you will when it comes knocking on your door.What goes around comes around and they will get the idea when our gas and electric skyrockets.If you arent rich and do pay your own way in this world you will be hurt. Obama even said so when cap and trade began *It will make bills skyrocket* look back and check it out that's what he said. Wonder if people at ABC will get a raise to pay for the new gas electric tax.Wake up ABC or in the end you will be all alone hmm channel what?

"But on the other hand you have to admit that the best thing for the Republican Party would be for everybody to forget about George Bush as quickly as possible."

Good point Skip, and to forget about Cheney. And to forget about all the blunders and mismanagement.

But that ain't gonna happen.

"Sexy". Only this ... person .... would use that term.

And I hope people have been reading the warnings on the "sexy" twisted lightbulbs the government is going to force us to pay for. Break it, report said breakage as directed on the box, and the EPA will be camped on your doorstep, charging you thousands for cleanup. Not an exaggeration, do the research yourself.

"This will be the wail of the Left for the next 3-1/2 years: Obama was bad - but he wasn't as bad as Bush! It's already started. I see no reason to believe it won't continue."

But on the other hand you have to admit that the best thing for the Republican Party would be for everybody to forget about George Bush as quickly as possible.

Let me get this straight, oil rigs out in the middle of the ocean are unsightly and environmentally unpleasing but millions of whirling windmills pockmarking our most scenic landscapes, chopping up and desimating migrating flocks,and spinning dizzily with reckless disregard for peace and tranquility and visual calm. And that isn't even discussling the outrageous buraucracy this bill creates...

TCT....true, you can see it in many of their posts. With the intrusiveness they are imposing, the public’s patience will likely wear thin.

not sob stories about past administrations
Posted by: Todd | Jun 29, 2009 9:04:48 PM

This will be the wail of the Left for the next 3-1/2 years: Obama was bad - but he wasn't as bad as Bush! It's already started. I see no reason to believe it won't continue.

Yes, ban consumers from buying what they want and applaud the savings!

Edison's simple safe light bulb is bought 19 times out of 20 in the USA.
The popularity is the reason to ban it: After all, that's why the savings are supposed to be so great, no reason to ban what people don't want.
Think about it!

About saving energy =
Does society need to save energy? No, no shortage of electric energy sources...

About what Obama also said, "saving lots of emissions banning bulbs" =
Does your light bulb give out any gases?
Since power stations might not give out any gases either, bans are unfair on emission-free energy households being able to use what they want, now or in the future, and emissions can be dealt with directly - as is planned anyway - by using new cleaner coal or renewable (or nuclear) energy.

Also - Energy Secretary Steven Chu's lab was involved in developing the compact fluorescent light bulb, any clash of interest there?

Why a ban is wrong:
For a long list, with references, why a ban on ordinary light bulbs is wrong, see: ceolas.net/#li1x onwards

Danita....ethically inconsistent, you have to stop living in the past dear. It's on Obama's watch now. Sorry? This is a thread about the pending Energy Tax bill the Dems want to push onto the American public, not sob stories about past administrations. Your argument is nonsensical anyway, are you really saying we should ship more jobs overseas? That's what you seem to imply. There is now a billowing cloud of smoke in the sky on your behalf.

Due to the Waxman/Markey legislation many jobs will be destroyed while more will be outsourced to India and China. Those nations have announced they won’t take any action to curb their own green-house-gas emissions, even though China is now the world’s leading emitter of CO2 ahead of the US. Posted by: Todd | Jun 29, 2009 7:50:23 PM

This most certainly will make our trade deficit even worse than what it is. For the past 30 years, corporations have left the shores of the U.S. to build their goods elsewhere. This is due primarily to over-regulation, greedy unions and higher wages, but greedy corporation leaders, too. Mostly though, I think they just got squeezed to the point of saying, the heck with this, we're moving. Kind of like what will probably happen all over gain with Cap & Trade bill if it ever goes through.

The U.S. has naturally shifted from a goods producing nation to a nation that offers more services than goods. So IMO the trade deficit is a natural shift due to the reasons stated above and not the fault of any particular political administration. You can't export what you don't make.

Unfortunately, we've also done a poor job of training our workforce to increase their skill set to adjust to this. To my knowledge, we've had no national plan to do this - kind of a "let's put a man on the moon" type of plan. Probably because this shift has taken 30 years and it's like boiling a frog slowly. It's harder to see the results of what's happening.

Anyway, here is a list of the largest trading partners of the United States from Wikipedia:
1. Canada: $518.10
2. China: $345.45
3. Mexico: $315.59
4. Japan: $176.30
5. Germany: $129.73
6. United Kingdom: $97.22
7. South Korea: $71.70
8. France: $62.03
9. Saudi Arabia: $59.32
10. Brazil: $54.14

Most probably don't have the over-regulation, union and high wage issues we do.