Malefic mandates

By John E. Strout

I had expected four of these problems, but the federal meddlers backed off on used children's products. But three remain.

The first mandate that has problems is the oldest: daylight-saving time. The bad but unintended effects include increased consumption of energy in the morning during early spring and late autumn and in the afternoon during late spring and early autumn with increased use of automobiles.

Worse still is an increase in the number of automobile accidents owing to sun-blinded drivers and workplace accidents from fatigued workers. Students suffer decreased learning in schools, and many families have problems with small children.

Next comes the forced use of compact fluorescent light bulbs. As incandescent bulbs are phased out and no longer manufactured, the mercury in the fluorescent bulbs will require special disposal.

Many older lamps do not work with these bulbs. Further, excess exposure to fluorescent light causes fabrics and papers to fade and disintegrate, just like sunlight. Framed photographs and prints will be ruined, even if behind glass.

The latest mandate if for digital TV. The government wants you to get a better picture? No. Bureaucrats do not care what you see on your set or even if you have a set. The government wants to sell the analog channels for cell-phone users. We can expect any income will be used for pet projects and not for reducing the national debt.

But what about emergencies? There are no battery-operated digital sets, and many people rely on battery-powered TVs during power outages. In such an emergency, storm sirens may not work and could be useless to those inside a building. Most telecasting stations, however, have stand-by emergency generators. Weather radios might be useless, although battery-powered ones are available.

"Malefic" implies unintentional bad effects. Is it not time to insist our legislators start thinking of possible ramifications from their mandates?

John E. Strout is a Cape Girardeau resident.