I knew that the Congress passed and the President signed an Energy Bill in December. I even knew that it included a provision that mandated the use of energy saving light bulbs by 2012. What I didn’t know until I read an editorial about it in the Wall Street Journal is that the legislation was “encouraged” by GE and Phillips as a way to grow their light bulb businesses.

This bit of market interference was touted as “good for the environment” and so it won congressional support. If the new bulbs really save money they would have been winning in the market and wouldn’t need a law. But they weren’t winning because people don’t like the color of the light from the new bulbs, they really don’t give off as much light as claimed and they didn’t believe that the high initial cost of the bulbs was justified by the extended life and the energy savings. So GE and Phillips bought a law. It is easier to convince 260 legislators than 300 million consumers especially if you can invoke the environment.
But I’m not complaining this is the system we have now. I have an idea that can use the same technique to make someone very rich. Night Vision Goggles allow one to see with very little light. Head lamps operate on AAA batteries combine these two products into one hat and glasses combination and you have enough light to do anything with very little energy usage. Of course they would be cumbersome, uncomfortable and ugly, But it is “for the environment” and so as we saw above Congress will have to pass a law to mandate the use of “Daylight Glasses.”

You may think that I am making this product up but Golf Ball Finding Glasses already exist.

And night vision goggles and head lamps already exist. It is just a matter of combining the products and buying a law mandating its use.