July 12th, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement condemning the House of Representatives for rejecting a repeal of the federal ban on light bulbs that begins to take effect in Jan. 2012:
“Because the bill repealing the de facto federal light bulb ban was brought up under suspension of the rules, it required two-thirds to pass, and failed to meet that threshold as Democrats united to keep the ban in place. One has to question House Republican leadership’s commitment to getting government out of the way when it cannot even find a way to let individuals choose what kind of light bulbs they want, free of federal dictates.
“Was this a parliamentary miscalculation? Or was Republican leadership deliberately trying to kill this bill? Unless Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor bring up this bill again under a clean rule requiring a simple majority vote to pass, then the American people will be left with but one conclusion: Republican leadership actually supports the federal ban on light bulbs.
“It is time to stand up for the American people. This vote was a meaningless gesture. Either the House’s failure to repeal the federal light bulb ban was incompetence, or opposition. Neither is acceptable to the American people.”
Attachments:
“ALG Urges Repeal of Light Bulb Ban, Cites Poll Showing 58 Percent Opposing Bans,” Americans for Limited Government, July 11th, 2011 at http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=714 .
Interview Availability: Please contact Rebekah Rast at (703) 383-0880 or at rrast@getliberty.org to arrange an interview with ALG President Bill Wilson.
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