California TV Ban Even Worse Than We Thought

Great article, Julie.  This is a perfect example of ignorant legislators trying to control the behavior of their citizens without actually understanding the issue.

I’m sure they’re all patting themselves on the back right now for saving the polar bears.  When will people wise up and vote these fools out?

I hope this means that every legislator in the state of CA that has a “large” TV will be placing it on the curb this weekend.  None of them will mind watching football on that good old 27” they have, will they?

“...I hope this means that every legislator in the state of CA that has a “large” TV will be placing it on the curb this weekend.  None of them will mind watching football on that good old 27” they have, will they?...”

Just like they all going to use the public health plan that they are pushing these days… 

I’ll give a dollar to anyone who can give even a modest effort at estimating the loss in revenue (taxes) if mfrs decide not to comply.

Do you think Nevada and Amazon.com were behind the ruling?!

Did legislature ask anybody? Did they ask any real human beings? This feels allot like being told, then when you ask why, the answer is “just because”. I feel this is significant, but minor in comparison to the shift socially in our consumption of media. The powers in control are powers because they are in control… Now that we are being told what to do, some agree, some do not, neither can do anything tangible about it. I mean, come on, no body is going to give up their best buy’s, ipods, home entertainment systems, let alone the mediocre program material such as, Idol, So you think you can dance, Survivor. So no body would dream of giving up using printed money and the well established social norms of driving combustion vehicles and commuting, consuming and over indulgence. Careful everybody, practice what you preach. I personally would love to be forced back into self reliance. Living in the woods. I think all this technology is great, but what is the cost?

The legislature would be out on their rear ends if consumers joined forces and boycotted the abuse and stopped spending there hard earned money on products designed by forces with monetary best interests in mind, not yours, your families or your friends, or your planets.  Want to go green? Read an old fashioned book. Those E-readers are a joke, they cause so much pollution when there are made, where does everybody think the parts come from, a kindle honey suckle plant? Do resistors grow on a resistor tree?

I feel legislature should be careful forcing the consumer to do something when it could backfire in the way I mentioned before, we could just all not spend a dime this season. Hunker down, It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

I’m not tree hugger, that is for sure, but I do want “sensible” market-based rules.  I’m not in favor of many government “regulations”, which are usually made for politcal favors, and not done with common sense in mind. (“Regulations” are “laws” passed by commissions, without direct democratic representation..but have their oversight mandates directed by the legislature.  The commissions do the dirty work, sometimes behind closed doors.  They owe more allegiance to the politicians in the legislature and executive branch, than to the working & voting citizen.)

The CEC did solicit public responses to the proposal, but with 5-0 vote for this idiotic, ill-conceived regulation… obviously it was for naught.

As a surgeon, the last thing I need is my CT scan displayed in the O.R. on our large screen LCD to go into “Screen saver” mode at the wrong moment I’m reviewing a head scan prior to incision!

Also:  anyone been to the CEC headquarters to make sure 100% are all driving hybrids and using CFL’s? 

I doubt not, a bunch of political hypocrits, selling the state down the river.

Get your TV now before 2011, or just keep the online retailers on your favorites page.  I wouldn’t pass it by Sacremento to make another “law” prohibiting the interstate sales of TV’s!

Doc, are you really a surgeon? Did you realize there were no exemptions? I assumed most mission-critical hospital displays were computer monitors, but no?

Why is this article so biased? There isn’t even an attempt to tell the other side of the story - that energy needs to be conserved in this country - rather its just railing against Cali politicians. Do you think they made this rule to #### you off? No, there is a problem and they are trying to fix it. I’m part of the CE community, but more importantly I am part of the world community, bad stuff is going down people - this sort of short sightedness is embarrassing.

Let the manufacturers adjust their product - so they have to redesign the power supplies, engineers love that stuff. This ‘sky is falling’ tude reads pretty silly.

Could not agree more with Mr Southern.  As if the brilliant minds and deep pockets of these conglomerates could not craft a more efficient product!

All of my clients respond to saving energy, be it for environmental and/or financial reasons.  In fact, saving energy is one of the main selling points in closing my automation systems. 

So whom is CEPro speaking for here?  How about you yell a bit louder when it comes to these displays being sold for well below dealer cost online?  Now that’s a bit more relevant to your reader base.

I can’t speak to specifics when it comes to Calif., but I think the alarming point of this is that the state’s politicians have not listened to the public that voted them in.

What’s being ignored is that a vast majority of the new televisions made are flat panel TVs that exceed the new Energy Star criteria. Now there’s a state that can’t even run its own finances is going to tell the manufacturing community how to produce a product.

What makes this even worse is the likelihood that these politicians probably drove in for the vote in their Escalades and H3s with free toll and gas paid for by the taxpayers.

Dougie writes:

All of my clients respond to saving energy, be it for environmental and/or financial reasons.  In fact, saving energy is one of the main selling points in closing my automation systems.

Precisely. That’s why we don’t need government intervention.

This really resembles another debate about a whole different issue.
Although not related to CE, a few years ago, the city of NY decided to ban smoking from public establishments such as restaurants, Bars etc…

There were plenty of arguments against the new law, some claimed that it would destroy the food and beverage industry in the city, specially the bars. At time, these arguments sounded convincing.

Well… a few years after implementation of the new ban, the bars and restaurants in NY recorded significant raise in their sales and the city of NY enjoyed increased revenue from tax. Obviously, the ban allowed more patrons to visit places that they used to avoid.

Needless to say that other cities around the US followed NY.

Not that I support the CA ban, but I think we all need to take a step back, look at the details and evaluate the opportunities that this ban may open before jumping into conclusions. I personally support minimum government intervention, however sometimes the industry just doesn’t seem to respons fast enough and government intervention is needed to get the process started.