It'd be pretty difficult for you to reach Engadget without having seen the
EnergyStar logo on something along your way here. Whether it was as part of your
motherboard's bootup sequence or on the box of
your new TFT monitor, EnergyStar certification has become a de facto standard for most electronics being manufactured nowadays. What you might not have known -- but probably could have guessed -- is that the process for obtaining that sticker is far from bulletproof. The American
Government Accountability Office has recently done a bit of spy work by putting forward imaginary products and false claims to the validating authority, and regrettably found its bogus items "mostly approved without a challenge." The auditors' conclusion was that the program is "highly vulnerable to fraud," and the stuff they've had certified would seem to corroborate that verdict. Hit up the
Times article for the full story of governmental incompetence while the Department of Energy -- the body responsible for running the program -- tries to get its act straightened out.
[Thanks, Adam]
posted March 26th 2010 9:32AM
This is why government health care is a BAD idea.
@pauldovi The Government Accountability Office seems to work pretty well though.
@Dan L Motif
So you create an agency to manage an agency that is managing agency's?
Why not just allow the "invisible hand" take care of all that on an largely unregulated healthcare market (and that isn't what we have now for those who say that doesn't work). It works much better and is a lot cheaper.
@pauldovi Food is a lot cheaper when it's not regulated but it definitely isn't better. Why is healthcare different?
@Dan L Motif
Can you give me an example of a unregulated food market? Don't give me the industrial revolution when the FDA was created. That market was most certainly regulated.
Because you are used to the status quo doesn't mean it isn't regulated. Adding regulation to fix bad regulation doesn't make sense.
@pauldovi Of course! As we know, all government agencies are the same, so I guess we'd better do away with the Department of Defense, too.
@boomshadow
But interestingly enough the Constitution affords for a Department of Defense. No logical person could argue the same for the Department of Energy.
@pauldovi Okay, we won't give you the Industrial Revolution when the FDA was created, because the FDA wasn't created in its initial form until 1906, fully 50 years after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Anything before that, however, is fair game.
@pauldovi And nobody was until you brought it up. The Constitution is a marvelous document, but it is not intended to be all-inclusive. Of course, there's always the "general welfare" clause, unless you're a strict constructionist, but if you're a strict constructionist, you shouldn't use the Interstate Highway System, which also is not provided for in the Constitution.
Businesses require regulation or they will screw people. The powers of a business, much like the rights of an individual, cannot and must not infringe upon the rights of other individuals.
@boomshadow
The FDA wasn't the first form of government regulation.
When government regulations "punish" (or fine) companies for violating laws it is a huge protection for that business. Without those government regulations the company would face law suits from the damaged customers which would cost significantly more and make their practice no longer profitable. So in essence, government regulations and oversight that remove the traditional legal process from taking care of disputes is a huge benefit to the business, NOT the consumer.
@pauldovi Prove it. Find us an unregulated health market and prove it works better than a regulated one.
Unfortunately for your argument, early contenders include Zimbabwe and Somalia.
@pauldovi I never said that the FDA WAS the first form of regulation. That argument is irrelevant. Additionally, given that consumers DO benefit from safer food--and from not having to worry about going up against heavily-lawyered food corporations in court, your argument that consumers do not benefit is incorrect, and frankly specious. Then again, your entire argument against government regulation of healthcare is totally irrelevant to this post.
@boomshadow
Unfortunately a free market requires that government exist to prevent coercion from inhibiting free trade. Zimbabwe and Somalia both have excessive amounts of coercion in their economy to be considering "free" like you suggest. The general population always benefits from trade between individuals which is not coerced.
@pauldovi I recommend The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.
@jiggpig
What you fail to understand is that my point is highlighted on that book.
"Sinclair wrote this novel to highlight the plight of the working class and to remove from obscurity the corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early-20th century." (From wikipedia)
Corruption is coercion. Coercion cannot exist power. The power came from the government. The government was the problem.
@boomshadow
Additionally, I don't believe a free market has ever existed (at least that I am aware of). Milton Freedman does highlight some interesting economics that have come extremely close though.
@Dan L Motif Hah, and food is a lot more dangerous when not regulated too. In fact, even regulated, I dare say that most of the products the average American consumes barely qualifies as "food" and should, instead, be labeled "chemical compound"
@Anatidae Everything is a chemical compound. There isn't much else to eat.
" Maria Vargas, an official with the Environmental Protection Agency, which runs the program with the Energy Department, said the approvals did not pose a problem for consumers because the products never existed. "
Yeah, that's really great spin.
Is it really so bad that I want that photoshop?
I like the concept in the picture.
Meh. Is there anyone in this country that actually buys something based on the EnergyStar label?
I sure the hell don't.
@Spiny Norman I sure as hell do, ever heard of these wonderful things called appliances? They tend to use a lot of energy, and in the case of a refrigerator, run all the time.
@KAL326
So you actually look for the EnergySTAR logo rather than comparing the stated energy consumption stats for the appliances you buy? (which admittedly may be BS anyway)
@juanvaldez Just read the NYT article. Ridiculous. They should have put a big 'LOL' after that statement.
They (the gubmint) don't enforce the important stuff and you're surprised at THIS??
"It'd be pretty difficult for you to reach Engadget without having seen the EnergyStar logo on something along your way here."
i have a macbook. all i got treated to was an apple logo and an annoying noise.
@Wiggy Fuzz: FYI, even though it doesn't have a sticker, the Macbook is Energystar 5.0 certified.
http://www.apple.com/macbook/environment.html
This makes me want to build an alarm clock powered by a B&S engine, just for the lulz.
Does this mean I cant buy that alarm clock then?
Ahh, nothing like the sound and smell of an engine in the morning to wake you up....
The article says to read more by clicking the Times link, but I see no such link. Is it being cropped out in the Engadget iPhone app or is it missing from the full site too?
Out of interest, couldn't "Gasoline powered alarm" be referring to the air-raid sirens that were used in rural areas: http://www.antiqueweekend.com/x/main.htm
It didn't, after all, say "Gasoline powered alarm clock", which is what is implied by your image.
Anybody know what clock that is in the picture?
@mondeca
It's a jWin, and the numbers are about 2 inches tall.
It did a good job of waking me up. Not because of the alarm, but because it was highly sensitive to interference and gave me that dedede dedede dedede duuuuuuuuuuh.
But hey, if you really want to know when your cell phone is about to ring, I got it for about $20.
Where is the actual link to the Gasoline powered alarm clock and some indication that it is Energystar certified?
Nothing on the http://www.energystar.gov site!
I wanted to for Earth day... I can wake up to it MOnday morning.... are at the very least the engine noise will keep me away all night long. In either case i will be ready for work!
That's so weird, I thought we could trust those marks. Is nothing sacred?
Energystar,
DLNA,
CableLabs, etc
is anyone surprised that these labels go to whoever pays money? These are not designed to help consumers or the environment. They are businesses out to make as much money as quick as possible.
I wonder how many minutes per gallon that bad boy gets?