The Tale of the Bulb

John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, ordinarily a man of some intelligence has been bitten by the Global Warming bug.

Australia to Ban Old-Style Light Bulbs
By ROHAN SULLIVAN
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The Australian government on Tuesday announced plans to phase out incandescent light bulbs and replace them with more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs across the country.

Legislation to gradually restrict the sale of the old-style bulbs could reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 4 million tons by 2012 and cut household power bills by up to 66 percent, said Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

First of all are they trying to say that "old-style light bulbs" or as I like to refer to them light bulbs, when replaced with fluorescent bulbs cut your power bill by 66%. For that to be true wouldn't that mean that more than 66% of your household power use would have to come from light bulbs? So light bulbs use more than twice as much power as your average TV, computer, stove, hot water heater and refrigerator combined?
More from the AP...

Prime Minister John Howard said the plan would help all Australians play a part in cutting harmful gas emissions: "Here's something practical that everybody will participate in."

By "that everybody will participate in" he apparently means "that the government will make you do whether you like it or not", which is not quite the same thing.

Cuba's Fidel Castro launched a similar program two years ago, sending youth brigades into homes and switching out regular bulbs for energy-saving ones to help battle electrical blackouts around the island.

Oh, well at least the plan has good antecedents.

It could be worse, you could have Al Gore knocking down your door and making you watch his movie.