Rand Paul Rails Against Light Bulbs, Toilets

He’s a libertarian alright: Republican Senator Rand Paul ranted on Thursday at the Energy Department, saying the agency forces Americans to buy toilets that don’t work and unwanted light bulbs. Paul told Energy Department official Karen Hogan that he found it “appalling” that the Obama administration favors “a woman’s right to an abortion but you don’t favor a woman or a man’s right to choose what kind of light bulb, what kind of dishwasher…My toilets don’t work in my house,” Paul said. “And I blame you and people like you.” In response, Hogan said that to the best of her knowledge the light bulb standards, which require manufacturers to produce bulbs that use 25 percent to 30 percent less energy than standard incandescents, do not restrict personal choice.