Smackdown by Rand Paul

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Light bulbs and Fast Food… Are they connected?  Absolutely!!  It is all about Big Brother controlling every aspect of your life, and if Obama is re-elected, the next day the screws will be tightened!

Feds can't make up minds on mercury bulbs

Ban outdoor lights while mandating use indoors

In what critics call a classic case of the government working at cross purposes, Washington is forcing residents across the country to install mercury lighting inside their homes while phasing out mercury lighting outside homes to protect the environment.

Yes, you read that right.

In 2005, Congress passed a law banning mercury vapor streetlights – two years before it banned incandescent light bulbs in favor of mercury vapor compact florescent bulbs.

Under the Energy Policy Act, signed by President Bush in August 2005, manufacturers cannot make or import ballasts for mercury vapor lights after Jan. 1, 2008. According to the act, mercury vapor security lights are being phased out to "protect the environment" and to "promote energy efficiency" in lighting.

Mike Huckabee spells out 12 essential truths about government every open-minded American should agree upon in "A Simple Government,"

Utility companies across the country have been replacing mercury vapor street lamps with high-pressure sodium fixtures or metal halide fixtures, which are twice as efficient as mercury vapor and possibly safer. The EPA classifies mercury as a hazardous material.

Yet the federal government is pushing consumers to replace traditional incandescent bulbs used in their homes with compact fluorescents containing toxic mercury vapor.

A former Energy Department official says there's a regulatory "disconnect" regarding mercury lighting.

"We're removing mercury from outside the home while adding it inside," he said. "It makes no sense."

In 2007 – two years after enacting the ban on outdoor mercury lighting – Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, also signed by Bush. It mandated the use of compact florescent lighting in U.S. homes by making incandescent bulbs a controlled substance and outlawing the 100-watt bulb by 2012, and all other wattages by 2014.

Sponsors of the law argue that it will save energy. According to the Energy Department, however, lighting accounts for only 11.6 percent of the electricity costs in the average American home. So savings will be minor. And critics point out that CFLs are more expensive than traditional bulbs.

California has already banned stores from restocking 100-watt incandescent bulbs. CFL shipments nationwide reached 400 million last year, according to Megan McKoy-Noe of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Right now CFLs account for roughly 30 percent of the lighting market.

The EPA warns that the amount of mercury in one bulb is enough to contaminate up to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels. The agency provides elaborate instructions on its website for cleaning up broken CFL bulbs on hard surfaces and carpets. It also recommends disposing of unbroken old CFL bulbs at special recycling centers.

Rep. Michelle Bachmann, a Republican running for the White House, has introduced a bill demanding that government first guarantee "there are no public health risks from the mercury in replacement bulbs at home or in any public building."

House Republicans earlier this month failed to overturn the ban on incandescent bulbs, but passed a bill that would bar the Energy Department from spending money next year to enforce the ban.

Texas recently enacted legislation seeking to get around the federal law by declaring that incandescent bulbs – if made and sold in Texas – do not involve interstate commerce and, therefore, are not subject to federal regulation.

EPA has published detailed recommendations for "what to do if a CFL bulb breaks in your home."

The agency recommends numerous steps to "reduce exposure to mercury vapor from a broken bulb," including:

Before Cleanup:

• Have people and pets leave the room, and avoid the breakage area on the way out.
• Open a window or door to the outdoors and leave the room for 5-10 minutes.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning (H&AC) system, if you have one.
• Collect materials you will need to clean up the broken bulb:
• Stiff paper or cardboard.
• Sticky tape (e.g., duct tape).
• Damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces).
• Glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar) or a sealable plastic bag(s).

Cleanup Steps for Hard Surfaces:

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place debris and paper/cardboard in a glass jar with a metal lid. If a glass jar is not available, use a sealable plastic bag.
  (NOTE: Since a plastic bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping, remove the plastic bag(s) from the home after cleanup.)
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Vacuuming of hard surfaces during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken.

  [NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.]

If vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of all broken glass, keep the following tips in mind:

• Keep a window or door to the outdoors open;
• Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose, if available; and
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materialsusedtoclean the vacuum, in a plastic bag.
• Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your area. Some states and communities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup materials.
• Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several hours.

Cleanup Steps for Carpeting or Rugs:

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place debris and paper/cardboard in a glass jar with a metal lid. If a glass jar is not available, use a sealable plastic bag.
  (NOTE: Since a plastic bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping, remove the plastic bag(s) from the home after cleanup.)
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Vacuuming of carpeting or rugs during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken.
  [NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.]

If vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of all broken glass, keep the following tips in mind:

• Keep a window or door to the outdoors open;
• Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose, if available, and
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materials used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag.
• Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your area. Some states and communities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup materials.
• Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several hours.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rugs: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming:

• The next several times you vacuum the rug or carpet, shut off the H&AC system if you have one, close the doors to other rooms, and open a window or door to the outside before vacuuming. Change the vacuum bag after each use in this area.
• After vacuuming is completed, keep the H&AC system shut off and the window or door to the outside open, as practical, for several hours.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs:

• Fluorescent bulbs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled. To avoid breaking a bulb, follow these general practices:
• Always switch off and allow a working CFL bulb to cool before handling.
• Always handle CFL bulbs carefully to avoid breakage.
• If possible, screw/unscrew the CFL by holding the plastic or ceramic base, not the glass tubing. <
• Gently screw in the CFL until snug. Do not over-tighten.
• Never forcefully twist the glass tubing.
• Consider not using CFLs in lamps that can be easily knocked over, in unprotected light fixtures, or in lamps that are incompatible with the spiral or folded shape of many CFLs.
• Do not use CFL bulbs in locations where they can easily be broken, such as play spaces.
• Use CFL bulbs that have a glass or plastic cover over the spiral or folded glass tube, if available. These types of bulbs look more like incandescent bulbs and may be more durable if dropped.
• Consider using a drop cloth (e.g., plastic sheet or beach towel) when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a breakage should occur.
• The drop cloth will help prevent mercury contamination of nearby surfaces and can be bundled with the bulb debris for disposal.

Source: Feds can't make up minds on mercury bulbs

More Fruit, Fewer Fries: Michelle Obama Might Have Taken the ‘Happy’ Out of McDonald’s Happy Meals

A child could once feel excitement over hearing a parent utter those beautiful words: “honey, we‘re going to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal.” But those carefree days are over and that sense of childhood wonderment and abandon is about to be seriously curbed by a new McDonald’s policy that cuts an order of fries in half, throws apple slices, raisins and pineapple chunks around as if they were ketchup, and just generally makes Happy Meals “healthier,” and, less happy. And even though the apples are reportedly not well-received by customers, guess what? McDonald’s is forcing the fruit in its Happy Meals anyway. Whether you want it or not.

And what’s more, politics, perhaps even the White House itself, could be to blame.

The changes reportedly come on the heels of an outright Happy Meal toy ban in San Francisco and threats that other cities and counties will follow suit. The toys, allege legislators, are McDonald’s way of luring children to indulge in the unhealthy treat. Yes, health advocates, who‘ve long seen fast food as the bane of the nation’s existence, have gotten their way yet again.

So after all the years of satisfied customers “lovin’ it,” it is political pressure, including First Lady Michelle Obama’s war on childhood obesity, that reportedly forced McDonald’s hands. CNN reports that Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University, said McDonald’s had to change its menu because of political and community “pressures”:

“I see this as a positive development,” he said. “The companies have recognized the pressures from the public, the community and parents to offer healthier choices for children. They’ve begun to respond. There have been criticisms of what they serve children for many years. In the past years, the pressure has intensified, the White House concern about childhood obesity is one source of that pressure.”

And not skipping a beat, the First Lady has already commended McDonald’s for making “progress today by providing more fruit and reducing the calories in its Happy Meals. I’ve always said that everyone has a role to play in making America healthier, and these are positive steps toward the goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity.”

According to reports, the fast food giant will offer apple slices, half-portions of french fries and the beverages of choice will now include 1% milk and fat-free chocolate milk.

Ironically, since introduced, the apple slices are apparently not even popular in the Happy Meals with only 11 percent of customers — be them children or adults — opting for the fruit. Regardless, McDonald’s is making the fruit a default item in the Happy Meal.

So whether you want apples or not, you are going to get them.

Worse still:

“McDonald’s has been engaging suppliers, government and non-government organizations to determine ways it could play a role in helping society address today’s obesity concerns,” the company’s press release said.

Engaging government and non-government organizations? We are still talking about a burger-joint, whose mascot is a red-nosed clown, right?

Still, whether driven by PR or genuine concern for children’s welfare, McDonald’s is seemingly gun ho for the healthy changes, promising to launch even more menu revisions including additional fruit and vegetable options over…the next ten years? CNN writes:

The fast food giant also pledged to reduce sodium 15% across the board in its menu by 2015. It recently reduced sodium by 10% in most of its chicken offerings, including the Chicken McNuggets.

McDonald’s also vowed to reduce added sugars, saturated fat and calories through varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations by 2020.

“Reformulations” and “innovations” are perhaps not words one likes to associate with appealing, tasty foods.

But in the end, kids can rest assured, sort of — in an effort to prevent children from getting too confused when being presented with the almost unrecognizable Happy Meals, McDonald’s claims the staple burger or McNugget of choice will essentially remain the same.

You can watch a local news report explaining the healthier Happy Meals below:

Video: McDonalds Making Changes to Happy Meals

McDonald’s: another casualty in the Nanny State’s war on personal choice, or is the fast food giant bringing this on themselves? Will the new, and perhaps not improved, McDonald’s menu affect your decision to patronize the long-time burger institution?

Remember when? Take a walk down Happy Meal memory lane:

Video: Remember when? Take a walk down Happy Meal memory lane

Source: The Blaze - Cross-Posted at True Health is True Wealth by Ask Marion

Best suggestion I’ve heard all day… put a picture of Meeechelle-O in each Happy Meal & that'll cure childhood obesity almost immediately... If it doesn’t stop the kids from eating, it will stop the parents from buying them!!

Comments:

POLITICALJUNKIE09

Posted on July 26, 2011 at 11:58pm

Thank you, Michelle Obama. We are too stupid to count calories ourselves, thank GOD we have you!!!

RATIONAL MAN

Posted on July 27, 2011 at 12:34am

Now we will have to super size and order on the side.
Just like everything else the Obamas want, it costs us more money!
The morons probably don’t realize we can super size.
And don’t realize that we know that we had that choice before the White House porker got involved…………

IN THE RIGHT

Posted on July 26, 2011 at 11:54pm

Gee, our First “Lady” (a tranny) can eat French fries with gravy while in Africa on OUR dime yet she and her husband the Communist think they can dictate what retailer can serve and the taxpaying public can eat?

I guess fast food restaurants better stock up on coconuts, bananas, okra, and watermelons if this silly legislation goes into affect

*Nobody is arguing that obesity or childhood obesity isn’t a problem, but telling parents and people who are just barely making ends meet what they can do and buy for themselves and their kids is over the line! Wake-up America.

Check out Judge Andrew Napolitano’s books:

A Nation of Sheep and The Constitution in Exile: How the Federal Government Has Seized Power by Rewriting the Supreme Law of the Land