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From: wilber@aludra.usc.edu (John Wilber)
Newsgroups: talk.environment,misc.consumers.house,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: conservation horror stories
Summary: You have no respect for the freedom of others do you Phil?
Message-ID: <14164@chaph.usc.edu>
Date: 15 Jan 91 09:45:58 GMT
References: <1991Jan14.185100.24703@amd.com>
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In article <1991Jan14.185100.24703@amd.com> phil@brahms.amd.com (Phil Ngai) writes:

>My neighbor just remodeled their house. Nice job, big bucks, very
>fancy. She had the fluorescent lights in her kitchen taken out! She
>says she likes a lot of light so she put in 11 incandescent recessed
>lights, 75 watts each, 825 watts total. They're not even PAR, which is
>ideal for recessed lights, they're just regular incandescents, which
>waste a lot of light in that kind of fixture.

It sounds like maybe >GASP!< saving energy was not her reason for remodeling.
Maybe she just wanted a nicer place to live.  

>Much as I hate to admit it, and it has never happened before, I think
>that Russ Nelson isn't too far off when he talks about the potential of
>conservation. My neighbors are not poor or uneducated yet they just
>made a big fixed investment in using MORE energy and they did it with
>the help of professional interior decorators, architects, and
>contractors, and the city "community development" issued a permit for
>this.

Yeah, we can't have the city allowing people to build their own houses the 
way they want to build them can we?  The city should make everyone do what 
Russ & Phil think they should do.  Bye Bye pursuit of happiness!  It was nice 
knowing you.

>There is something seriously wrong in our system when things like this
>happen. 

Yeah, too much freedom and not enough central planning.  I hear there are
a large number of eastern european bureaucrats looking for work these
days.  Maybe we can hire them to check all our toilets to make sure they
have bricks in them, huh?

>And I think it's because energy, oil, and electricity are too
>darn cheap! 

Yeah, cheap and abundant.  Imagine that.  I can remember back in the mid-'70s
when all the eco-experts were claiming that we would be out of gas and
oil by 1985.  I guess they were wrong.  If you think you are right and want to
make a bundle though, I suggest you buy enormous options to purchase
gas and oil in 10 years.  If you are right you'll be a very rich man.  What?
Not willing to gamble your own money?  If not, then why are you willing
to gamble your neighbor's house for him?

>Unfortunately, when electric rates do rise, my neighbors
>will be somewhat locked in to their power burning lighting system.
>Recessed lighting is pretty difficult to change.

OK, it'll bethem paying the extra bill, not you.  Why should you complain?
Mind your own business.