Big Dogs Weblog

Plasmus Maximus

by Blake on Sep 18, 2009 at 13:23 Political

In the olden days, way back when, so far back that you would have to have studied history in order to grasp the timeline, (so that omits many liberals, who went to a college where history was not required), there was, in the city of Rome, a place called the Coliseum – a place where violence was waged on a regular basis.

This was the place where the populace had their escapist entertainment, their gladiators facing the wonders of the world, lions and tigers and elephants, oh my- all brought from the corners of the Roman Empire in order to placate the mob, which is the term the Roman “elites” gave to their populace (they just loved the people- you can always tell from the pet names). The Coliseum was the escapist entertainment that kept the population from noticing the way the Caesars and Senators were governing, or not- depending on the Caesar du jour.

The Coliseum was their Discovery channel, their Nascar, their football games. We have TV– that is our Coliseum, our “Circus Maximus”- often, that is all we look forward to, coming home after a hard day’s work at a job that might or might not suck like a wind tunnel. Our little window on the world. As much as things cost nowadays, this is it for many.

And now government wants to shrink our window- and this is a bad idea that rivals or possibly exceeds all the bad ideas this administration has had so far- the day is young, however, with the Resident in office less than a year. Admittedly, this idea begins in California- the Cereal State, Land of fruits,nuts, and flakes, but this is a small demonstration of what our Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein,  wants for the rest of the nation.

Concerned that the growing popularity of big-screen televisions could make it harder for California to keep pace with electricity demand, state energy regulators are poised to crack down on energy-guzzling sets despite opposition from a powerful electronics trade group.

The first-in-the-nation TV efficiency standards would require electronics retailers to sell only energy-sipping models starting in 2011. Even tougher efficiency criteria would follow in 2013.

The California Energy Commission is slated to unveil the new standards today, followed by a 45-day public comment period. The commission is expected to approve the measure in early November.

The rules, which took more than a year to develop, are designed to shave $8.1 billion off Californians’ electricity bills over a 10-year-period. That works out to $30 per set per year, according to commission officials.

latimes.com/business

Now, I am all for efficiency, but how efficient are these sets, really? Will they actually have picture quality as good as the others? Because I gotta tell you- if I can’t see the blood fly in slo- mo, while watching a Tarantino film- that is not good enough for me- nor will it be for anyone else who will have to shell out more money  (What? You didn’t think these new “greener” TVs would be Less expensive, did you?)

Oh yeah- this is how the regulatory Czar works- write a few regs that restrict  the energy usage, or size, or whatever reason he wants to justify the shrinking of our lifestyle- and it will happen. Just imagine how the populace in ancient Rome would have reacted to the downsizing of the Coliseum- the riots and revolutions would have commenced forthwith.

It will also help California utilities head off the need to build more power plants just so residents can watch “American Idol” and other shows. TVs already account for 10% of residential energy use in California, driven largely by surging demand for large-screen TVs. Strict state mandates for cutting greenhouse gas emissions are further pressuring officials to act.

“Increased efficiency is the most cost-effective way of meeting our renewable-energy goals,” commission Chairwoman Karen Douglas said.

Environmentalists have applauded those efforts. But some industry groups, including the Consumer Electronics Assn., dispute the notion that the new efficiency rules would benefit consumers.

About a quarter of currently available television models would have to be pulled from store shelves, said Doug Johnson, senior director for technology policy with the Arlington, Va., group that represents TV makers, distributors, retailers and installers.

That could raise television prices, put home theater installers and wholesalers out of business and destroy jobs, he said.

The association contends that the regulations would force TV buyers to buy banned sets from out-of-state dealers over the Internet, depriving California retailers of customers and state and local governments of needed sales tax and corporate income tax revenue.

latimes.com/business

Don’t you just love those inhibiting regulations- instead of building more power plants, we’re going to downsize our life. There is a lack of common sense here- after all, unless John Holdren, Hussein’s Science Czar,  succeeds in putting sterilants in our drinking water, (which I doubt, but which he did advocate), there are going to be more people, which should mean, in the land of Common Sense, that there would be more power generating stations, be they coal, hydro-electric, wind, or nuclear- but no! Instead, let’s downsize the TVs (That’s a good first step)- next, we’ll take control of how much total power you will be allowed to consume (already in the works), the size and kind of car we have to drive (check that one off of our list- done), and the kinds of food you will enjoy (enjoy is a subjective word- it might be better to say endure). Just remember the proposed tax on sodas and fruit drinks- that one’s coming.

But we will all be so much healthier, if not happier, if we just step aside and let these government people get on with our lives- it’s for our own good.

At least four out of five government goons say so.

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Tags: downsizing, freedom of choice, government intrusion, regulations, smaller TVs