As I have written before, I like to channel surf between MSNBC, FOX, and CNN news to see what stories they are covering, or not covering, and whether there is anything novel. Too often, though the news is updated, it is the same old variation — MSNBC does the winged monkey act on Trump, FOX does zombie apocalypse regarding our southern border, and CNN attempts the tightrope of moderation. On New Years Day, I did linger on FOX because they were complaining about the Government instituting new energy efficiency standards for appliances and home heating/cooling systems. This made no sense, why would anyone complain about better appliances that save consumers money? I watched the segment to the end and endured the following commercials to see if a utility company was a sponsor for that segment. Remember the old uproar over incandescent light bulbs as LED became mainstream? We’ve seen this playbook before. In 2007, Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton wrote a bill requiring lighting efficiency standards (that the industry supported), President Bush signed it, and then in 2011, Republicans attempted to repeal the efficiency standards because “the liberty of Americans would be threatened if they couldn’t buy incandescent light bulbs.” Nuts, right? We all know democracy is messy, but that doesn’t mean it can be stark naked raving looney.
Updating energy standards on equipment is a win-win over the long term. Industries must be competitive worldwide, consumers and businesses save money, and the environment benefits. By now, you readers know this column really isn’t about energy standards, it is about long-term wisdom and leadership over short term gratification. Back in the 1960s, Stanford Professor Walter Mischel began conducting what became known as the “Marshmallow Experiment”. Four- and Five-year-old children would be brought into a room, presented with a marshmallow on a table, then told that the researcher needed to leave the room, but if the child didn’t eat that treat while he was away, they would get a second marshmallow. A simple choice — one treat now or two treats later. Long story short, the researchers followed those kids through life for more than 40 years. No surprise, the patient kids did better in life — cognitively and socially.
