Light bulbs were invented, of course, to provide light; light that illuminates our way through the darkness. The new generation of energy efficient light bulbs may be doing even more than that – not only do they show us where we are going, they may have also highlighted where others are going as well.
As you probably know, there are both pros and cons to these new energy efficient light bulbs. On the pro side, we are told they last longer, and are far more energy efficient than the old incandescent light bulbs they are replacing. On the con side, the bulbs do contain mercury, are often difficult to recycle, and are vastly more expensive than the old style bulbs. While we may believe that the pros and cons are correct, as consumers, it’s more difficult to determine the importance of these factors. For example, some view any level of mercury as dangerous, opponents respond that the level of mercury in the bulbs is so incredibly low that it simply does not pose a problem. The truth, as usual, probably lies somewhere in the middle.
For centuries, mankind has struggled with the question as to who should be making the decision as to which product gets produced? From mayonnaise, to shoes, to movies, who should be deciding which product, and which features, will be produced and made available to the consumer? Everyone is familiar with the famous stories about product decision making in the old Soviet Union, where central planning gave Russians shoe factories only making left hand shoes, cars without batteries, or winter boots only available in May and June. And Russia isn’t alone, countless other centrally planned societies have had similar problems. Over the last two hundred years, one model that has shown great promise is the capitalist idea – the decision should be made by the consumer. Let the producers manufacture whatever they want, and let the public decide if the product succeeds, or fails. Ford found success with the Mustang, and failure with the Edsel, while Coca-Cola struck it big with Coke, but not with Vanilla Coke. The shareholders of the firms end up gaining or losing wealth depending on how accurate their management teams can predict winning products.
The new light bulbs not only show us where we are going, they may have also highlighted where others are going as well, because, in this case, someone other than the consumer has decided what product will be made, and which product will not. The government has legislated the end for old incandescent light bulbs – and therefore the virtual mandatory use of the new style, yet no consumer was permitted to make a decision by using his or her pocketbook in the marketplace. If governments have begun to get comfortable with making the decisions for the consumer, then central planning of our economy cannot be far away. No more elective surgery, cigarettes, gas guzzling cars, T-bone steaks, violent movies, controversial books, fast food burgers, or a thousand other products as well. It may be time to start buying up a good inventory of right hand shoes.
Brian is a long time resident of St. Albert.
