Why do Conservatives like to waste energy? [View all]

[alarimer]

Back in 2011, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) declared war on energy-efficient light bulbs, calling "sustainability" the gateway into a dystopic, Big Brother-patrolled liberal hellscape. When the lights went off during Beyoncé's halftime set at the last Superbowl, conservative commentators from the Drudge Report to Michelle Malkin pointed blame (erroneously) at new power-saving measures at New Orleans' Superdome. And one recent study found that giving Republican households feedback on their power use actually encourages them to use more energy.

Why do conservatives, who should have a natural inclination toward conservation, have a beef with energy efficiency? It could be tied to the political polarization of the climate change debate.

A study out today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined attitudes about energy efficiency in liberals and conservatives, and found that promoting energy-efficient products and services on the basis of their environmental benefits actually turned conservatives off from picking them. The researchers first quizzed participants on how much they value various benefits of energy efficiency, including reducing carbon emissions, reducing foreign oil dependence, and reducing how much consumers pay for energy; cutting emissions appealed to conservatives the least.

The study then presented participants with a real-world choice: With a fixed amount of money in their wallet, respondents had to "buy" either an old-school light bulb or an efficient compact florescent bulb (CFL), the same kind Bachmann railed against. Both bulbs were labeled with basic hard data on their energy use, but without a translation of that into climate pros and cons. When the bulbs cost the same, and even when the CFL cost more, conservatives and liberals were equally likely to buy the efficient bulb. But slap a message on the CFL's packaging that says "Protect the Environment," and "we saw a significant drop-off in more politically moderates and conservatives choosing that option," said study author Dena Gromet, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.

I've come to the conclusion that conservatives are just children, really. Big babies who will say "no" just because someone wants them to eat their vegetables or whatever.

Do conservatives even realize that every time they purchase guns and ammunition, a portion goes to wildlife restoration efforts? The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 provides establishes an excise tax specifically for this purpose.

If they knew this, maybe they'd stop buying so much of it. In a way, as much as I hate guns, I'd hate to see a drop-off in this fund because wildlife programs would suffer (they already are due to sequestration, but that's another argument).

Still, they are defiant and oppose ANYTHING on the grounds that some liberal proposed it. Some Democrat could propose a bill declaring the sky blue and they would oppose it just because, I guess.