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American is a land of liberty and choices. Just like God has given us a free will, the United States gives us the freedom to choose whether we want to live in a condo or a home, go to law school or sell cars, eat healthy or suffer the consequences.

Having the freedom to choose is part of what makes our nation great.

That’s why I was so disappointed when I went to Sam’s Club on Sunday. I needed some new light bulbs for a ceiling fan in my office. It seems there’s a short circuit that randomly causes the bulbs to pop every month or two. The building is so old that the maintenance men tell me it’s better to replace a light bulb every couple of months than to invest in rewiring the entire office.
I set out to purchase some 60 watters at Sam’s. A 20-pack typically costs about $15. Quite the bargain, right? It would have been, if the wholesale club hadn’t removed my freedom of choice. If I want to buy light bulbs at Sam’s, I now have no choice but to purchase an eight-pack of GE Energy Smart bulbs that are guaranteed to last five years. The cost: $55.99.

Yes, I hear you. I would save much more than $40 over the course of a five-year period using these eco-friendly, energy-efficient light bulbs. I agree that I would – if they actually lasted more than two months before the wiring caused them to short circuit. Sure, I could go to a different store and buy light bulbs and that’s what I’ll have to do. But that’s not the point. This is…

Will the federal government one day mandate GE, Sylvania and other light bulb makers manufacture only energy-efficient bulbs? Will I one day be forced by government regulation to shell out $8 a bulb for the promise of lower cost savings over a five-year period? Will I have no choice than to spend $3,000 having my home rewired to avoid spending $120 a year on light bulbs?

Don’t get me wrong. I am environmentally friendly. I turn off lights in rooms when I am not using them. I recycle cans and paper. I don’t print e-mails unless absolutely necessary. I buy organic foods. I turn off the water while I am brushing my teeth. I make all these and other efforts to be a friend to our environment.

But I do that by choice. I have decided to make those extra efforts by my own free will, not because of a government regulation or a fear-based message about global warming.

I won’t be shopping for light bulbs at Sam’s anymore, and I thank God that I still have the choice to take my money to a store that offers me freedom of choice to purchase old fashioned 60-watters any day of the week. But is there coming a day when the needs of the environment supersede the needs of we the people of the United States of America? God forbid.

The fabric of our nation has already been torn. We need to be working together to repair the breaches that greed, corruption and humanistic political movements have caused rather than diminishing the freedoms that have made this nation so great. We need to put more power into the hands of our people, not more power into the hands of a government that is gambling on our future.

Jennifer LeClaire is the editor of The Voice magazine and author of "Doubtless: Faith that Overcomes the World." You can also visit her online at www.jenniferleclaire.org.

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Lightbulbs and more.
written by Stuart Alcock, September 07, 2009

Even over the water in the UK, we are having the same situation. I am happy to buy energy efficient light bulbs however, when they say for example an 11 watt bulb is equivalent to a 60 watt standard bulb, it never looks like it! Alos, my kids rooms have dimmer swithces, which can't use efficient bulbs and half my other light fittings use halogen bulbs, which again won't take an energy efficient bulb. By the time the old tungsten filament ones are outlawed, I'm going to have to shell out for new fittings and switches, as well as new bulbs which aren't as bright as they're supposed to be (I know, I have to buy a 13 or 15 watt one, but that's not the point). Maybe it'snot good news, but you Americans are not the only one suffering under the tyranny of the green lobby - has anyone considered how much more it costs in money and energy to make an energy efficient bulb?