Lansing Sees the Light

The Michigan Legislature has passed a bill which would allow an instate manufacturer of traditional light bulbs to produce them, so long as the product was sold only inside our fair state. Democrats who opposed the bill say that it's a silly thing because there is no one making the bulbs inside Michigan.

It is rather silly within a certain context. No legislative body, local, statewide, federal or super, should be taking up time with such trivial matters. There are real rights and wrongs which ought to be at the forefront of any lawmaking body. But in a different context, that of which the federal Congress has already addressed, then we begin to see why that matter ought to be addressed by Lansing.

The federal government is engaging in the type of micromanagement which would have infuriated our founding fathers. The effort is well lit (sorry) by the coming ban on older style, less energy efficient light bulbs mandated nationwide by Washington. In that light (sorry again) it becomes important that the several states begin to address the question themselves.

Outside of a real and true threat to our existence, and what kind of light bulbs we use is no such threat to ourselves or our virtue, then Washington has no business telling us what type of illumination to use in our homes and businesses. Yet when Washington does engage in such grandstanding feel good legislation, it needs to be called out on it if we are to assert our authority as the people who give power to the government, not the other way around.

If the best we can do to protest that is to have our more local lawmaking body pass laws to circumvent federal authority, then let them have at it. For ourselves, we can buy as many older style bulbs as we like. We certainly intend to buy them by the dozen in the weeks to come simply to have a long term supply for ourselves. It is our own little passive aggressive way to subvert Washington's authority in our own daily life. But we do what we can.

You should, too.