Monday, July 30, 2012

How it All "Works", Apparently

a) G.E. develops the compact fluorescent bulb. b) G.E. lobbies the President (in this instance, Bush) and Congress to outlaw the cheaper incandescent bulbs. c) Congress passes a law that, while it doesn't specifically outlaw the incandescent products, makes them ultimately obsolete. d) Rinse and repeat with a different product.

10 comments:

Rusty Shackelford said...

.....and the bulbs are'nt worth a shit.....

Rusty Shackelford said...

oops....

dmarks said...

And they are so hazardous that the room becomes a hazmat sight if you break one.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-compact-fluorescent-lightbulbs-damage-skin - Something about ultraviolet radiation, too.......dmarks, I hate to say it but it sounds like Mr. Bush was pretty cozy with Immelt, too. I guess that the G.E. CEO is an equal opportunity briber.

Rusty Shackelford said...

Immelt is a sleezeball compared to Jack Welch...the guy that actually made GE the powerhouse it is today.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

Be prepared for some outsourcing hatred from wd on that one, Russ (even though Mr. Immelt does the very same thing).

dmarks said...

Will: Why hate to say it? We already known how bad crony capitalism is, and it certainly did not begin with Obama.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

I'd like to think that Truman and Ike were above it but who knows. They could have been playing footsy with big business, too. No, it definitely didn't start with Barack.

The Prophet Dervish Z Sanders said...

dmarks: Be prepared for some outsourcing hatred from wd on that one, Russ (even though Mr. Immelt does the very same thing).

I don't know what you're talking about. Although Welch was one of the pioneers in this field. It's my understanding that he brags about it in his book.

I suppose Immelt is a "sleezeball" when compared to Jack Welch because Welch outsourced and GE stock increased in value, while Immelt outsourced and the value of GE stock decreased. The lesson here is that it's admirable to screw American workers so long as you rake it in for yourself and your stockholders.

I say they're both sleazeballs.

dmarks is right that crony capitalism didn't begin with Obama... he just doesn't understand that allowing the plutocrats to buy our elections is the cause.
I don't know what Will is talking about in regards to incandescent bulbs. I still buy them and they're quite cheap (although I've read that compact fluorescent bulbs are ultimately cheaper because they last so much longer).

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

You can buy them for now, wd. I'm not totally sure about the future, though.......As for the fluorescent bulb, a word of caution. Try to keep your skin at least a foot away from them. They supposedly give off the equivalent ultraviolet rays of sunning yourself at the equator.