Remy mourns the impending loss of his beloved incandescent light bulbs with a song set to familiar music.

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The House of Representatives is expected to vote, on Tuesday, on a bill that has become a symbol of Americans’ freedom of choice versus government control in their everyday lives. The Bulb Act will repeal a section of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which would ban the traditional incandescent light bulb, beginning in January of 2012, with the 100 watt bulb. Currently, we are in what is known as the “phase-out” period of Thomas Edison’s bulb, to be completed in 2014, as the government forces us to purchase newer model incandescent bulbs that reportedly save energy but will cost about $1 more than the traditional models. The compact fluorescent light bulbs that the government has promoted contain toxic mercury and must be discarded as a special “hazardous” waste product.

The Bulb Act was introduced by Representatives Joe Barton (R-TX), Michael Burgess (R-TX), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). It is significant legislation not only because of its emphasis on the degree to which the federal government has overreached into the everyday lives of Americans, but also because it marks a concrete conservative shift in House Republicans. The Energy Independence and Security Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush and supported widely by both Republicans and Democrats in the House.

But don’t get too excited about getting back your light bulb freedom yet. The House will need a special two-thirds majority to pass the repeal and, of course, most Democrats will vote against it. If it fails, House Republicans may take up the bill again under the regular rule which would require a simple majority. However, even with passage in the House, the repeal will likely not pass the Senate at this juncture.

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Picture an incandescent light bulb. This is your country.

Now imagine a compact fluorescent light bulb. This is your country on Progressivism.

What does a country on Progressivism look like? To start with, in the evening hours it’s pretty dim. Have you tried reading at night in a hotel room recently?

With more than 300 million of those little curly-Q fluorescent light bulbs now sold annually, our country is looking a lot less bright. Ever since Congress a few years ago declared that by 2012 Americans needed to be more energy efficient, it’s been out with Edison, in with the EPA. And turn on some more lights—I can’t see a thing!

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In September, the European Union banned the sale of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, with lawbreakers facing up to $70,000 in fines. Over the next few years, bans on lower-wattage bulbs kick in. In the United States, similar legislation comes into play in 2012. The idea is to kickstart the market for compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which use less energy than conventional incandescents. Although CFLs present any number of problems (even beyond a much higher initial cost), governments all over the globe are determined to make them the new standard.

Invented in its modern form by Thomas Edison in 1879, the light bulb became synonymous with a brilliant idea. Now, it seems, it’s just one more symbol of a nanny state that increasingly dictates more choices in our public and private lives.

“Light bulbs vs. The Nanny State” is produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie. Approximately two minutes.