Brilliant. Rand Paul Links Government Bureaucrats to Busted Toilets (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, March 10, 2011, 9:46 PM
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) went off on big government bureaucrats during the Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week. Paul questioned the Department of Energy’s commitment to protecting consumer choice during consideration of Appliance/Light Bulb Energy-Efficiency Legislation.
This was terrific – Sit back and enjoy.
Hat Tip Ed
My FOX Phoenix reported:
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul told a Senate Committee on Thursday that his toilet doesn’t work.
And the US government is to blame.
Paul, a Republican, blamed his plumbing conundrum on federal legislation that forces Americans to buy more energy efficient appliances.
“Light bulbs, refrigerators, toilets, you name it. You can’t go around your house without being told what to buy,” Paul said.
“You restrict my purchases. You don’t care about my choices. You don’t care about the consumer.“Frankly, my toilets don’t work in my house, and I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I can install in my house. I find it insulting.”
Paul was speaking during a hearing on a bill to improve appliances’ energy efficiency and another proposal to repeal a 2007 law that phases out traditional incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient options.
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Published February 22, 2012 at 4:19 pm - 32 Comments
theBuckWheat commented:
Endless petty tyrannies from the bureaucrats in the land of the used-to-be-free.
tommy mc donnell commented:
its true the only choice a private citizen can make is about abortion all other choices will be made by politicans. i guess thats why they call themselves “the party of choice.” they make them all.
Civil Cold Warrior commented:
Our washers and dryers were already ruined the last go around. Somehow I don’t think it is efficient for me to have to run the same batch of clothes through a dryer more than once. But what do I know? I am not an “expert.”
mg4us commented:
Senator Rand Paul is spot on! In the “land-of -the-free” government has overstepped its bounds and now we all must pay!
Less Government is Good Government. . .
And if the EPA and Government really cared about pollution & conservation, then they should be investing in low cost ways to generate more electricity. . .ie hydroelectric and natural gas-powered plants.
PS Bring Back the Edison Lightbulb!!
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StrangernFiction commented:
The Land of the Decree and the Home of the Slave.
gus commented:
But Government must pay for ABORTION. Because it’s a RIGHT!
regularguy commented:
It really is infuriating when one thinks of the countless ways these fascist bandits have encroached upon our very existence. They’re authoritarian, demanding, demeaning and ruthless. They absolutely must be stopped. Listen to the fascist herself, ducking an answer to Paul’s devastating identification of the issues. She has no answer, but will plow ahead anyway with her agenda. She, and her ilk, are hellbent on imposing her will on us, our freedom’s be damded.
Redwine commented:
It’s all about tyranny. The government is marching us ever closer to the brink. Only by the words and deeds of the people’s elected representatives, like Rand Paul, Michele Bachmann, Jim DeMint, Gov. Scott Walker and others, and the actions of watchful and patriotic citizens, like the Tea Party movement, can we slam on the brakes. The momentum to halt this march to tyranny must accelerate until it is completely eradicated.
prototype commented:
Anyone bought a gas can lately? You can fill it but good luck getting the gas out of it. Totally useless.
Rock commented:
#5 March 10, 2011 at 10:19 pm
StrangernFiction commented:
The Land of the Decree and the Home of the Slave.
………………………………………………………………………………..
As much as that disgust me, it is never the less true, if we fail to rein in these Socialist traitors.
jimstl commented:
Rand Paul is proving to be the real deal. Since he assumed office he has very much been in the public eye, advancing freedom and fighting DC. Where is Rubio? Where is Johnson? Where are all of these house freshmen?
I can’t imagine John Cornyn ever saying something like this in a senate meeting. We may have won some seats in 2010, but we are far from through with what needs to be done.
Primary elections are now more important than the general election. It’s your only chance to get a real conservative on the ballot, otherwise the DC establishment will pick one of their own loyalists. And guess what they will do when they get elected, remain silent except to lecture the Republican base when we put them in uncomfortable situations which requires they alienate the DC cocktail liberal friends.
I know this is unthinkable at this point, but tea partiers need to be prepared to elect a few democrats here and there. These RINOS think we will vote Republican just because the Democrats are so awful. WRONG ANSWER GOP
Gman commented:
Wow, she looks exactly as I expected her to look like. Why do loony environmental liberal wackos all look the same?
Big L commented:
watch out for the CFLs. They have a light spectrum that is a “dirty” one.The analysis is on the web. If you have had cancer then you should NOT have them in yr house.
Mary P. commented:
Don’t worry. Just a few easy steps to cleaning up broken flourescent bulbs emitting mercury into your home:
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflbreakcleanup.htm.
Beside the resulting risk of insomnia, mental decompensation and death, just to name a few, along with needing a Haz-mat crew to rectify the situation, no problem.
JC commented:
My God liberal women are UGLY!! That woman has dog face. Good points Senator Paul
Warthog commented:
What is galling is that they think they can legislate the laws of physics.
There is a reason toilets need 3-5 gallons of water to flush: the hydrodynamics of *ahem* effluvim requre that much volume/mass to move down the pipe. Getting it out of the bowl is just the start of its voyage.
I could go on and on, cars & milage vs. mass and safety; incandecent lights vs CFL (hint: ignore wattage and instead measure on LUX. Yes, CFL suck on an objective level not just a subjective one). And don’t even get started on the scam science like Anthropogenic Global Warming.
Let freedom and the marketplace solve these problems, if we use too much water the price of it will rise and we will then conserve it. If we use too much gasoline the price of it will rise and we will buy smaller and lighter (if less safe) cars. If we use too much electricity, we will turn the unused light off on our own (and keep your smart meter to yourself).
Thank you Rand Paul, for opening this discussion.
(You don’t suppose that Rand is his middle name and his first name is actually ‘Ayn’, do you?…)
mbabbitt commented:
Boy, was that refreshing and cathartic. And the government bureaucrat embodied the stereotype to the T from how she looked, reacted, and behaved. She should have answered that all this is necessary to save the world because that is their major selling point — but that would bring up how silly their global warmiing science is: in their own ideology, they can expect an effect on warming of about .2 degrees Celsius — and that is being generous. Imagine all of this nanny state — and trillions of wasted money — for the green religion. And they tell us Christians are too controlling … Give me a break!
Jim commented:
Where’s the Senator’s teleprompter? How can you trust an elected official that doesn’t talk down at you or use a teleprompter?
Robert commented:
Having light bulbs with mercury in them is about as
stupid of an environmental trick as can be pulled.
Political malfeasance by anybody who voted for it.
Opaobie commented:
We bought a Maytag Washer and Dryer set and a Kelvinator refrigerator in 1974, and they are still running today. I checked their efficiency with a power meter, and they would pass the current standards. The clothes come out clean and dry with just one cycle, and the food stays cool in the refrigerator, and the ice maker still puts out crystal clear ice. I have changed the heating element in the dryer once, and I had to replace the defrost timer on the refrigerator, but nothing else has ever needed repair (did have to change the hoses on the washer once). Our much newer “Energy Star compliant” (or whatever they rate it at) freezer is a piece of junk and has had to be replaced once (under warranty) and repaired twice, once under warranty and once on my dime. We still have the very good standard toilets that never plug up, empty completely, and keep the sewer lines flushed so we never need to call “Roto Rooter”. I change the float valves and flapper and tank seals occasionally, but they still WORK like new. My 1991 Olds Cutlass Cierra has 423, 874 miles on it as of a few minutes ago when I got home, and it has the original engine and transmission in it with no overhauls, just a few water pump and starter and alternator repairs over the years. Point is, the more the know-nothing bureaucrats interfere with the market, the more we suffer, and the worse the products become that we have to buy. I guess you heard about the stink and plugged sewer lines in San Francisco resulting from the “low flow” toilets that will cost millions to clean, including pouring thousands of gallons of bleach and cleaning solvent into the system…which goes into the Bay. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving bunch of eco-freaks.
Rock commented:
Since the introduction of the so called water saving toilets, I have marveled at the stupidity of such foolishness. Since day one, what once took only one use, now requires three or more. Hard to see the logic in that. But maybe Gore the man-child has the answer, I’m sure he will say the science is settled.
StrangernFiction commented:
I can’t imagine John Cornyn ever saying something like this in a senate meeting.
Cornyn wants an MSLSD host to run for Senate.
gus commented:
In Milwaukee, the water from my toilet comes from and goes BACK TO…Lake Michigan.
No savings
Redwine commented:
What’s with the mercury thing? Dangerous, mercury-laden CFL bulbs. Foods with high fructose corn syrup, processed with mercury and dangerous to consume. Just read the contents on the packages of processed foods. The stuff is a carcinogen.
Rock commented:
A telling comment, (so much of what we are implementing had its geneses in the last thirty or forty years) yea that sounds about right. Just around the time we saw Socialist making inroads into the schools of higher learning, the media, and the growth of social programming. Wonder if the Commie twit made a slip or was bragging, I suspect the latter judging by the silly little smirk towards the end.
Contessa61 commented:
Ms. Hogan. Another overpaid bureaucrat.
Estragon commented:
Sen. Paul is strong on spending and domestic policy issues of government overreach, but before you go naming your children “Rand,” wait to see how he comes down on key defense and foreign policy issues.
ogee commented:
I came here for a laugh and got it. Kudos!
Breaking*****tsunami hit pacific Japan
Russia, Guam, Hawaii and some others are scheduled to be hit and are on tsunami watch.
It’s live on TV 2:30 EST. 11:30 PST
8.8 earthquake with numerous 7.1 shockwaves and still coming.
gus commented:
“Under my PLAN of CAP and TRADE, ENERGY PRICES…..WOULD…………………………….
NECESSARILY SKYROCKET!!!!!”
Under the COMMUNITY ORGANIZER/MARXIST MORON’S…….”PLAN”.
Read that FOLKS. Do your eff-selves a favor…..READ WHAT OPIE the KENYAN DIMWIT is about.
Under Opies….”Plan”. Our “energy prices”…..WOULD NECESSARILY SKYROCKET!!!!!!!!!!
This is what MARXISM is. This is EXACTLY….WHO…….Barry Soetoro…….IS.
Ruebacca commented:
@ #28 for how long are we going to micro manage Asia?
South Asia wants a nuclear war and I say let them have one. Afterwards the only place you will be able to hear Persian is Los Angles.
RickZ commented:
#5 StrangernFiction,
The Land of the Decree and the Home of the Slave.
————-
I’m so stealing that!
DaMav commented:
Go Rand Paul. This is SO on target. Finally a libertarian in Congress that can articulate the problem of growing restriction of our liberties through growth of government. But the bureaucrat was right about one thing — this has been a bipartisan clusterf*.
Gravelyvoice Jim commented:
House Republicans vote to expand Obamacare, including AKIN, LUETKEMEYER, SHIMKUS! The partisan Republican ‘Pundit won’t report this, but RedState.com will:
The article: http://www.redstate.com/russvought/2011/03/09/house-leadership-let-obamacare-expansion-pass/
The vote: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll164.xml
Isn’t it great to see our local “conservatives” voting arm-in-arm with the likes of Russ Carnahan, Bill Clay, Anthnoy Wiener, and James Clyburn? At least Nancy Pelosi had the decency to not vote…
Haven’t they been telling us the entire BILL is UNconstitutional?
Muffin commented:
Hear hear!!! You tell them Rand, slap that government hand reaching into our toilets, our detergents, WOOOPSIE Michelle Obama’s hand is in my fridge. Slap it back.
burt commented:
Back home people drive to Canada to buy larger toilets and then smuggle them back into the United States. You can’t get sh*t down without water.
CrackerMike commented:
Effin’ awesome!
Civil Cold Warrior commented:
I loved how she was absolutely speechless. Nobody has ever spoken the truth to her. It was telling that in her response she missed the point entirely. She thinks it makes some sort of difference if Congress came up with the idea or approved it. It doesn’t. They have no more right to do these things than the bureaucrats in the various agencies.
There are only so many barnacles you can attach to the hull of the ship of commerce before it grinds to a halt. These people and their ideas are barnacles. For the decent people of the country to keep moving forward we have to overcome the friction of all of these rules and regulations… every one of which is bad.
The only thing Rand did wrong was throw the joke in at the end about waiting to get onto someone about the toilet. It makes it seem like his point was not a serious one.
rabblerouser commented:
AMEN my brother. Its about time someone in DC has a spine.
MOTUS commented:
Well, I don’t use thos plumbing thingies, butt I do use light bulbs, and I want my Edison originals!
That’s all.
Kat-Mo commented:
#40…Barnacles on a ship, slowing it down…I swear I was just thinking that the other day, but worse, not only are we infested with barnacles, we some how refuse to scrape them off. Like they are endangered species we need to give a home to. All the while, we’re stuck in the economic doldrums.
Speaking of providing choices to consumers on energy that are no choices at all…
Remember the 2005 Energy Bill that passed, one of the very few (if only) accomplishments/votes Obama ever made? Guess what was in it? A little law about the Federal Energy Regulation Commission creating regional “energy corridors” to by pass state control of utilities. This was supposed to “open up competition” across states to allow heavy, underground electrical lines to be laid and other energy companies to provide services at allegedly cost saving rates over a wider area.
The first one was recently approved in the North East, from New York City, through New Jersey and down through Philadelphia. Guess what companies this benefits? Commonwealth Edison and Exelon (that also own Consolidated Edison), two major donors to the Obama campaign (Consolidated Edison’s CEO was Obama’s top “bundler”). These are wholly “investor owned” companies. who are the top ten investors? UBS, Goldman-Sachs and Lehman brothers, amongst several. Who were the top donors for the Obama campaign? Who received major bailout money?
It gets better because the next planned “energy corridor” is the “Southwest Corridor”. Who stands to benefit from this corridor that goes through Southern California into Arizona and beyond? ConEd SoCal. I don’t think I have to tell you who the top ten holders are.
Just so you understand how truly egregious this is, Exelon tried to buy PSEG, the electric and gas provider for New Jersey, around 2006. the NJ Public Board of Utilities turned down the merger as too risky for their consumers. You might recall how often NY has rolling blackouts during the summer due to too high a pull on the existing system and they were concerned about the increased rates causing major economic down turns for their state. The Obama admin just told NJ to sod off.
Worse, ConEd SoCal was responsible for the rolling blackouts in Southern Cal in 2001 and 2005. It caused a massive investigation into these blackouts and ConEd SoCal was accused of manufacturing the events in order to shift providing electricity to areas paying higher rates as well as extort higher rates from SoCal users.
As another reminder, Obama’s campaign manager David Axelrod who owned PR company ASK, was the creator of the astroturf C.O.R.E (Consumers Organized for Renewable Energy) that advocated for HIGHER energy Rates on behalf of ConEd in Chicago which led to the rate freeze not being renewed and local people saw their rates increase by 22% in one year alone.
How did the Obamas know ConEd CEO and Axelrod? They both worked at Austen & Sidley, ConEd’s outside counsel.
Seriously, people, Rand Paul isn’t even touching the tip of the iceberg on this one.
While these “energy corridors” are supposed to provide “competition” and lower rates (several companies are trying to hedge in on ConEd in Chicago as we speak), ConEd, ComEd, Exelon, ConEd SoCal, etc own the major production of energy in these areas and have bought out or simply crushed any competitors. (Their production units have been “sold” in order to separate the utility from the production to satisfy regulations that are supposed to insure any utility can purchase the energy and pass it on; the production units were sold to subsidiaries with allegedly separate boards, not to outside companies).
Choice? there is no choice. They are creating the single largest monopoly of energy in the US. People are getting screwed.
Sheila commented:
We have had to replace every toilet in our house with much more expensive, high-powered flush ones (the plumbers buy the old kind for themselves and know where to get them). I’ve had a friendly plumber show me how to remove the “water saver” device from our original shower heads, as well as the replacement heads we’ve bought, enabling us to take real showers. I’ve been stocking up on light bulbs for some time; I’m amazed how many Americans are absolutely clueless about this. The last time I bought a bunch on sale (a month ago?), I had two older women marvel at the quantity and wonder what I would do with them. When I mentioned that the last U.S. factory producing them had shut down and they would be impossible to get/illegal as of 2012, they were stupefied – hadn’t heard a thing. Obviously get all their news via t.v. – it seems people get both the news and the government they deserve.
StandUp4Chuck commented:
Man, Rand is spot on. I would go even further to say that the communist figured out that you cant force people into their way of thinking, you must legislate it. 99% of the yahoos that sit in washington think along these lines.
The secret here is you can still get toilets that actually flush. You can retrofit these new POS toilets to use the correct amount of water. Its easy once you understand how a toilet works.
God bless Rand. We need many more like him in DC. I knew Rubio was a Rino from the get go.
AuntieMadder commented:
Broken toilets are often full of sh!t, too.
Kat-Mo commented:
Just in on CNN: Low low toilets cause stink in San Francisco
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/low-flow-toilets-cause-stink-in-san-francisco/?iref=obnetwork
“Because water flow isn’t pushing the waste through the system fast enough, a stinky sludge is building up in the sewers, the Chronicle reports. It’s blamed for a rotten-egg smell wafting through areas of the city, especially during summer, according to the report.”
Wonder how San Fran Nan likes the smell?