Ted Poe: “It is a new year. As the clock struck midnight, Americans throughout the fruited plain celebrated the end of 2013 and…”

“It is a new year. As the clock struck midnight, Americans throughout the fruited plain celebrated the end of 2013 and the start of a new year. January 1--out with the old and in with the new--light bulb, so sayeth Uncle Sam. That is right: ``turn out the lights, the party's over'' for the incandescent light bulb. I went to H-E-B last week in Texas and the shelves were bare. Only curly fluorescent light bulbs to be found. That is because the government has now banned 75-, 100-, 60-, and 40-watt light bulbs. Edison's light bulb has gone from the endangered species list to near extinction. Some incandescent light bulbs will be allowed, but only if they meet new government standards. What was once the symbol for American innovation is now banned by the almighty government. Isn't that ironic? Why? Because it is not energy efficient, so sayeth the government. The government certainly doesn't want Americans to have a choice with what light bulbs they purchase because the government knows best. The new fluorescent curly light bulbs, also called CFLs, contain mercury and also are more expensive. Mr. Speaker, I thought mercury was bad for us. Anyway, nothing gets easier when you use these light bulbs. Do you need to dispose of one of these curly light bulbs? Don't even think about throwing it in the trash without reading the instructions in the box. Don't throw them in the wastebasket. You are supposed to take them to a local recycling center. Yeah, right.…”