Water Heaters

That article doesn't say anything about new regulations. Zero. Nada.

And here's the article you should have cited:

"The Department of Energy said its proposal would save consumers $11.4 billion on their energy and water bills each year. "

Do you really have a problem with that?

"To comply with the rule's efficiency standards, which would take effect in 2029, new electric storage water heaters in the most common size would have to use heat pumps, and some gas-fired instantaneous heaters would have to use condensing technology. The change would reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions by 501 million metric tons over a 30-year period, the department says. It would also save Americans $198 billion over the same timespan."

I'm all for lowering utility bills but... What the lying left fails to tell us is that the high efficiency stuff is also $$$ high maintenance $$$. With added complexity comes added repair bills. Been there, done that.

Well stated.

BEV are really rich man's toys. And do not, do not, subsidize rich man's toys by taxing poor people. Pay for your own damn car.

The government need to butt out and let the market do it thing.

The problem with that is that relying solely on market forces has resulted in burning cheap fossil fuels that have increased the CO2 in the atmosphere by a third in the last 100 years and the planet is warming. We are now seeing the predicted extreme weather that climate scientists warned about 20 years ago. We've seen this before. Relying on only market forces at the turn of the last century resulted in meat production that was disgusting, totally unsanitary and it was killing people. Relying on only market forces had companies dumping toxic waste into our rivers. It took govt to get seat belts and air bags into cars and those have saved lots of lives. Sometimes market forces alone are not enough.

Yeah, some clear benefit there. But few would disagree that the government has gotten too big for its britches...

A lot of people would agree that it doesn't do enough for its citizenry.

Me? I think the California Air Resource Board has too much sway over what happens in Michigan.

Especially concerning women's personal health care choices.

Personally, I like breathing clean air.

I like breathing clean air. I could breathe clean air and yet have a gas can that works properly (without modification).

Yet that is one significant source of crud you will breath.

Not that signficant. It doesn't hold a candle to Canadian wildfires, the concrete plant to the south of me, the farmer who manures his fields, or all the cars and trucks on the roads. When I go outside in the morning before the wind kicks up, I can smell used diesel pretty clearly.

Agreed. Even Trump states that we have need for regulations. But the current power and control freaks (the "anointed") have gone overboard.

Oh and tell people there is a (usually fake) problem they did not know existed, then offer them the solution which is to give up their freedom, lifestyle, and control over their own lives. Globaloney is a great example. The earth is not warming.

Individual examples of policies that didn't work out as well as planned, or which turned out to favor whoever lobbied for them, don't mean that that the government is too big. These instances should be identified, probably by those who are hurt by them, and corrected. There is some but not a lot of cooperation in Congress right now, however.

But there wasn't any power and control freaks behind the big election lie and Jan 6 insurrection, attempting a coup? That makes all the rest pale in comparison. And no, a conspiracy to create fake electors, to lie to them, to get them into a criminal act, telling them that their fake votes will only be used if Trump won court cases then trying to use them anyway, isn't free speech. We even have Rudy leaning on Republicans in states at the last minute to bring some suit, any suit, just get something going so they could falsely claim that the election was still in dispute.

For a good example of fake, see the above.

The government has been way too big for a long time. It's sapping our freedom and our wallets. There is no correction. When is the last time you saw any government agency, program of any consequence terminated? Prior to Jimmy Carter we didn't have a federal education department. Today it's a $68 bil agency with 4400 employees. And students across America are dumber today then they were back then. Just one example.

It's not very significant compared to Canadian wildfires, the nearby concrete plant, the farmer who uses manure on his fields, or the numerous cars and trucks on the roads. However, in the mornings before the wind starts blowing, I can easily smell the scent of diesel.

Really? I have all the freedom I want. There's nothing I want to do that I can't do.

What additional freedoms would you like that you do not have now?

But probably not because we have a Department of Eduction. Parents aren't what they used to be.

How about not having to work for half a year to pay for the big govt, much of which we don't need? I worked all my life to pay for scum bags that don't want to work. I'm paying taxes for Biden's open border, all the money poured out on migrants and illegal aliens. I was in municipal court the other day as a witness. One of the cases being heard was against Lowes. They committed the horrific offense of displaying mulch for sale in the parking lot without the necessary permit. They plead guilty, saying they have applied for the permit, there were no aggravating factors, nothing about they've done it in the past or refusing to remedy it. Judge fined them $2000. Who do you think pays that stupid and outrageous fine? That's big govt, screwing over a business that's a great benefit to the community.

I didn't say it was because of DOE, just that $68 bil a year that we were not spending before and education has gotten worse, not better.

I suppose. I imagine if you made less money, you would not have to work half the year to pay your taxes. The lowest tax bracket for 2023 income is 10% on incomes of $11,000 or less.

Incidentally, the highest bracket is 37% on incomes over $578,135. How do you have to work half the year to pay your taxes? Or was that hyperbole?

That's not an infringement of _your_ freedom.