RUSH: This is Abe, a cell call from DeForest, Wisconsin. Nice to have you, sir.
CALLER: Thank you, Rush. I think I’ve been waiting about 18 years to talk to you. I got into your call screener once when I was in elementary or middle school, and I got too flustered and scared and I hung up the phone, and I’ve been waiting about 18 years, I’m pretty sure, to get in and talk to you today.
RUSH: Welcome back, sir. It’s nice that you stuck with it that long. Most people are only on hold for a couple hours. You’ve been on hold for 18 years.
CALLER: No, no, no. Look, you know, I enjoy your show, want to say mega dittos, and I think it’s going to be more challenging and fun to talk to you today about something that I disagree with you about than about the things that I agree with you about.
RUSH: Go right ahead. I love that.
CALLER: And so what I wanted to ask you about is the compact fluorescent lightbulbs. Okay, I know that you appreciate things of quality, and one thing that you’re missing out on is the quality of light, because there are issues with compact fluorescents that they actually provide a more natural sunlight effect than incandescent bulbs, and I’m wondering if you’ve ever had the opportunity to appreciate that.
RUSH: Well, I don’t know that I would appreciate it if I ever saw one. I have never been in the presence knowingly of a compact fluorescent lightbulb —
CALLER: Okay. Well, you know, I —
RUSH: — that has been turned on. I just don’t know. I don’t even know what one looks like. Snerdley says it looks like a snake.
CALLER: Yeah. They’re a little spiral, and they do fit in normal light fixtures, and they actually do a better job of showing colors, making things look natural like sunlight than an incandescent or a halogen.
RUSH: That’s fine. Look, if you like compact fluorescents, more power to you, go ahead and put them in there. You’re going to need more of them than your normal incandescent bulbs —
CALLER: That’s not true.
RUSH: Yes, it is, and I’ll tell you something else. You can’t use dimmers with them, can you?
CALLER: You can. You need to buy special ones, but they have dimmers with them. I have them in my own house.
CALLER: And will I agree with you on that, Rush, but I don’t think that you — you — when — when someone like you speaks out with so much influence, you discourage other people from exploring and finding out that they might actually like something better, and the other thing is, no, it is false that you need more of them, Rush, and the other thing about it is that.
RUSH: Do you sell them? Are you a compact fluorescent salesman?
CALLER: No, but I’m a home builder and a remodeler, and so —
RUSH: Well, the same thing.
CALLER: But — (laughing) — no, no —
RUSH: Yes, it is. It’s the same thing.
CALLER: I design for people, Rush, and in my own home I have a mixture of compact fluorescent and halogen lights.
RUSH: Let me ask you this.
CALLER: They have their own specific purposes, and if you ignore —
RUSH: Let me ask you —
CALLER: If you ignore — if you ignore — hold on, Rush. If you ignore either one of them you’re missing out on the benefits and the quality and the enjoyment of getting the best possible lighting in your house.
RUSH: I think this is a crock, but you are selling them, and that’s fine. I appreciate salesmen. I am one myself. Let me ask you this.
CALLER: Okay.
RUSH: If I build a house and want you to do some work on it and I tell you I don’t want one compact fluorescent bulb in my house, are you going to still do the work?
CALLER: I would still do the work, but I would try and educate you about the benefits so that you have the best quality house and your enjoyment, Rush, that you enjoy it —
RUSH: You’re not a contractor remodeler. You are an advocate. You’ve become a proselytizer for these things, which is fine. Look, in all candor, if some people put these things in and they think they’re seeing the colors in the room better, fine. If they put these things in and the light appears more like sunlight, fine, get a suntan, get a sunburn. Just don’t tell me that I have to put these things in, or everybody else does, or the whole country does or we’re going to kill ourselves. I just don’t want to be insulted with this stuff. I’m not going to ever own and drive, and I pledge to you today, I am never going to ride in a Prius or a hybrid. Not to pick out a brand name, I’m not going to ride in one of those things. I’m not going to ride an electric car, and I’m not going to exercise to lose weight. I will exercise for other reasons, but not to lose weight because I don’t fall prey to typical conventional wisdom that seems to seduce people into believing a bunch of gunk.
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RUSH: All right, Sandy, Oregon, and Jim. Thank you for calling, sir. Welcome to the EIB Network.
CALLER: Dittos, Rush. You’re one of my heroes. I started my own business so I could listen to you more.
RUSH: Thank you. I appreciate that, sir.
CALLER: I am a pro-war Libertarian. I think what Australia did on this compact fluorescent light is brilliant. I wouldn’t want to see us do it here because I don’t like people telling us what to do —
RUSH: Then why is it brilliant in Australia?
CALLER: It’s brilliant because of the energy it’s going to save. I don’t support it, but I understand why they did it. I myself went to the fluorescent bulbs probably four or five years ago. They were about seven bucks apiece at the time, and I saved 15% every month on my electric bill which is a substantial amount. Now you could buy the darn things for as cheap as a buck when they’re on sale. So they’re a great product. They do give you better light. I used to sell them 20 years ago when they were 26 bucks apiece. So I highly recommend them for everybody. And if you don’t really look into them, and it’s not a very smart thing to do, because they will save you a ton of money on energy.
RUSH: I appreciate this. I really do. I have to be honest. I have had more people talk to me about these bulbs who say the exact opposite of what the last two callers have said, that they don’t put out as much light, that you need many more lightbulbs to equate the current light you have approximate your Thomas Edison jobs. As far as saving money and this sort of thing, and saving energy, that may be. I don’t know. If saving 15% on your electrical bill is fine, then do it. Again, I just want to be very clear. By the way, I find it a bit contradictory. It’s okay for Australia to mandate everybody in their country to have these things in their houses by 2012 but we shouldn’t do it here? Don’t quite understand why, if it’s good for the Australians (they’re a big ally in the war on terror, by the way) why it’s not good enough for us.
My point is when Hollywood activists start promoting these things and do so under the guise of stopping global warming, at the same time they’re promoting these lightbulbs, Laurie David is saying, ‘Make sure you unplug your toaster and your microwave when you’re not using them, that will save energy, too. Who cares if the little clock doesn’t run? Who needs a clock on a toaster or microwave? Unplug every appliance that you’re not using when it’s not in use.’ Come on, folks. If you want to do that, fine. Don’t tell me it’s that or else we cook or die from global warming. Let me ask you guys on the other side of the glass. Am I not making myself clear about this? Well, then why are people continuing to call here and be so argumentative with me? People who say they’re dittoheads. How can they think I’m wrong?
How can they possibly think I’m wrong after 18 and a half years of being right? So what if I don’t have one? Maybe I’m right in not having one. I have dimmers. I’ve got light control. There’s no way that compact fluorescent lightbulbs would function at all in any of my properties, unless I tore ’em down and started over. This is just absurd. My whole point here is, don’t tell me that this is the kind of thing that’s necessary in order to save the planet. You want to put a lightbulb in, fine, just don’t give me this lightbulb activism. We’ve got enough stupid activism on a number of other stupid things without adding lightbulbs to it.
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RUSH: Let me say something about these compact fluorescent lightbulbs. I’m getting deluged with e-mail today from some physicists and scientists who are telling me, ‘Rush, this is smoke and mirrors. You can’t put a 14-watt lightbulb in a socket and get 60 watts worth of power.’ You just can’t do it. It is not possible, according to the laws of physics and Einstein and whoever else. Oh, and another person said, ‘You can’t put ’em in because they create a buzz and it gets in the way of AM radio reception,” and then somebody else said they’ve got mercury in them. Let’s see. “What’s happening to you? You used to be so humble, now you’re bragging about the fact you don’t need fluorescent lightbulbs and so forth.” Okay, this is not it. Let me see. Another guy says, “I’m going to go out and get some of these lightbulbs because of you.’
If you are a salesman or a manufacturer, somebody that’s in this business of manufacturing or selling these carbon fluorescent bulbs that have mercury in them that buzz and prevent AM radio reception, if you do that, I apologize to you. I am not trying to harm the sales of these bulbs. I’m not trying to talk anybody out of buying them who wants them. It’s a free country. Get the lightbulb you want, just don’t tell me I have to get one when I don’t want one because I’m destroying something, with lightbulbs. This is as ridiculous as this story out of Australia today that global warming is causing more fever in young kids. But I apologize to any of you who are in the business of selling these things. If they’re new and fancy and have all these wonderful benefits that people will enjoy, reds are redder, blues are bluer, whites are whiter, blacks are blacker, whatever you want, fine.
I’m not trying to harm your business. I’m not trying to harm your sales. I’m not trying to tell people not to buy them. Pure and simple. I just don’t want to get caught up here in another one of these massive media bubbles, conventional wisdom oriented toward panic with people buying things just because a bunch of wacko activists are out there suggesting that if we don’t all kinds of hell is going to break loose in our planet and our country and so forth. Now, Snerdley, I want you to keep an eye out in there for seminar lightbulb callers, because I know what’s going to happen. Even though I have apologized, we’re going to get seminar lightbulb callers now. “I’m a big fan, listened to Rush for years, big dittohead. The only thing I’ve ever disagreed with Rush on is lightbulbs.” Be on the lookout.
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RUSH: Greg in Houston. Oh, Greg, I’ve got 35 seconds. Can you do this or you need to wait?
CALLER: No, I can do it now, great one.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: Since you won’t ride in an electric car, how do you feel about electric golf carts?
RUSH: I love ’em.
CALLER: You do? Well, what’s the difference? They both have four wheels; they’re both electric.
RUSH: You gotta be kidding. The electric golf cart may go ten miles an hour max.
CALLER: Well, but it’s electric.
RUSH: It wouldn’t be practical for normal, every day transportation. It’s perfect for what it’s designed for, plus the wackos are not trying to make everybody drive ’em. That’s coming later. Actually, they have made some inroads in old folks communities, but beyond that, no farther.
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RUSH: Helen in Royal Oak, Michigan, I’m glad you called, Helen, and waited. Welcome to the program.
CALLER: Well, thank you first of all for working for the benefit of our country.
RUSH: I appreciate that.
CALLER: But my point about this warming, this lighting situation that nobody seems to be bringing out. About five or six callers back this home builder said to you that if he built a home for you, that he would certainly try to talk you into fluorescent and halogen lighting —
RUSH: Well, he might have said halogen. I didn’t hear everything he said, but compact fluorescent.
CALLER: Yeah. But anyway, I just want to point out a couple things. As far as the halogen, I read in one of these scientific articles that the halogen is very hot and sometimes if a lamp is behind a couch or a chair, they’re so hot they’ll start a fire, start a lot of fires. So much for halogen. But as far as a fluorescent, now, there are these fluorescent bulbs that a lot of people have over their sinks, the bulbs, and I read this, that a lot of people stand over their sinks a lot and that the fluorescent bulb is right in their face, and that it leads to cataracts. So I don’t know if that’s —
RUSH: There you have it, folks. Halogen causes fires. Fluorescent causes cataracts.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: What more is there to be said?
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: Helen, that’s a great contribution to your country.
CALLER: Nobody brings out a lot of things that they don’t know.
RUSH: That’s why you called. Glad you called.
CALLER: Thank you.
RUSH: Have a wonderful day, and nice weekend.