Not so eco-friendly

I like my lightbulbs.  I like my house to be bright.  When we built our house, I had 18 can lights put into my kitchen ceiling, along with the two main light fixtures.  I light even, bright light everywhere in the house.  I like to have a shelf in our storage room full of lightbulbs so that when a bulb burns out, I know there is a replacement waiting for me to go get it.

I don't like fluorescent light in my house.  Fluorescent lighting is fine in a warehouse, business or bank.  But not in my house.

I have a problem with the government telling me that I am incapable of making appropriate lighting choices for myself.  If I want incandescent light, I should have the right to it.  If I want to use 100 watt lightbulbs, I should have the right to buy them as long as I am the one paying the utility bill to light them up!  But I am just a stupid common citizen who doesn't understand, which is why the government does not allow the sale of evil 100 watt lightbulbs anymore, because I should be just fine with 75 watts instead.

Our government has decided that it is not right for me to have 800 watts of light for my bathroom, and that it would be more equitable if I used only 600 watts instead.  But they really want to my only use 100 watts and put in crappy CFL lights.  Why is it anyone's business?  I need my light.  And I'm happy to pay for my light.

Anyway, I went to Home Depot on Saturday to stock up on bulbs.  We have a very high ceiling with 12 can lights in it, and when one goes out, I like to replace them all while I'm at it.  I had a cart full of evil incandescent bulbs, and I was stopped by at least 4 employees who tried to shame me into buying fluorescent bulbs.

"Do you really want to buy those incandescent lightbulbs?"
"Yes, I'm a big fan of Thomas Edison.  He's my hero."
"Do you  know how bad those are for the environment?"
"No, they're not.  Do you know that CFL bulbs contain mercury?  Is that good for the environment?"
"Well, CFLs last 10 times longer, so you don't have to dispose of them very often."
"That's funny, because when I bought some CFLs to give them a try, I had to replace them within just a few months.  And they cost about 10 times more money."
"But in the long run, you save money."
"I'd rather pay more money for electricity and have pretty, bright lights."
"Do you mean to say you don't want to save money?"
"Do you know how inconsequential the electrical savings are of lighting a CFL compared to a traditional bulb?  Factor in the time value of money when you pay $15 for each CFL (or $50 for the LED ones they were pushing) bulb rather than a few cents, and there really is no savings."
"What about the environment?  You're destroying the earth!  Don't you want to go green?"
"Not really.  I water my lawn like crazy in the summer, we use disposable plates and cups at my house, we heat with a wood stove, my kids use as much paper and tape for crafts as they want to, and I drive my car everywhere.  I will always pay more for something I love."

And so on.

And then I was hounded by a guy trying to get me to install solar panels.
"Have you ever wanted to save money on electricity?"
"Not really.  It is what it is."
"That evil corporation PGE is taking your money.  Don't you want to support a green energy business?  We install the solar panels at not cost to you."
"And then YOU take the electricity from my solar panels and sell it back to the evil corporation PGE?   Doesn't that make your company part of the evil?"

"But your electricity bill would be cut by at least 50%, and likely more like 90%.  Isn't that a good reason to have solar panels?"
"No way.  I would never do it."
"Why not?  Don't you care about money?"
"Yes, I do.  But I also care about what my house looks like.  Solar panels are super ugly."

He didn't have a comeback for that one.