phosphates – Moe Lane

Your dishes are dirty because of the Greens.

Thanks to some bad (and mostly Democratic) decision-making over in Washington state, major dishwasher detergent manufacturers had to drastically cut its phosphate content; which is why your dishwasher recently and suddenly stopped working properly. You see, phosphates soften water, making it easier to clean… but it also promotes algae growth, and the city of Spokane was already facing a ‘crisis’ over their local phosphate levels in the water (which, thanks to a Sierra Club lawsuit, was hampering future growth). Rather than fix their problem, they simply had phosphate dishwasher detergents banned in Washington state. Rather than make two separate products, detergent manufacturers simply gave up and started making substandard dishwasher detergent. In other words: you can thank the Sierra Club, the city of Spokane, and the (mostly Democratic) Washington State government the next time you have to run the dishwasher three times to clean your dishes properly.

Both Erick and I ranted on this topic a while back, but I don’t think that either of us were aware how just how quickly it was going to get this bad. Repairing this will probably take some doing; in the meantime, I suggest that people start purchasing Finish Glass Magic Dishwasher Performance Booster: 16 OZ, as it is (I believe) still roughly 20% phosphates, and should thus supplement your regular dishwasher detergent handily. It costs more, true, but as compensation using it makes environmentalists cry – particularly if you make it a point to mention that you’re adding it at least partially to spite them.

Hey. They got rid of the phosphates in the first place mostly to spite you.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

Continue reading Your dishes are dirty because of the Greens.

Phosphate madness comes to Wisconsin?

Like Lakeshore Laments, back in April I commented on the fairly obvious results of banning phosphates in Washington state (here and here): short version is, you end up with people driving out of state to get products that work and snarky conservatives pointing out to libertarians that elections have consequences.

Well, guess that we’ll have to do that again: only this time, it’ll involve people from Wisconsin. Which this time includes Lakeshore Laments, whom I’m pretty sure does not need to be told the bit on consequences: Continue reading Phosphate madness comes to Wisconsin?

Elections have consequences, Megan.

I agree with you that there are legitimate reasons why the market doesn’t create more ‘green’ products – aside from everything else, clearly superior products don’t need the ‘green’ label to sell better – but when it comes to the specific example of banning phosphates in dish detergent we’re dealing with a situation where the market was overruled by the politicians. And, oddly enough, the politicians in question all come from the same political party. Stereotypically so, in fact. Justifiably stereotypically, in double fact.

Hey, don’t look at me. I voted for the other guys. And while they may be not quite libertarian enough to suit, at least they’re not constitutionally ready to make you wash your dishes three times so that they can feel better…

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Phosphate smuggling in Washington!

It is the little things that grate. Or get stuck to the plate of one’s ire.

Ace of Spades HQ has the details. What’s happening here is that Washington State Democrats have banned phosphates from dish detergents because it’s cheaper than upgrading their water treatment plants – excuse me, ‘better for the environment’ – in Spokane County as a test bed for a banning of the stuff statewide in 2010. Unfortunately, there’s a reason why they put phosphates in dish detergent: it softens ‘hard’ water, which the Pacific Northwest has an abundance of (it can be softened at the water treatment plants, but, again, the Democrats think that banning phosphates is cheaper). Hard water + no phosphates in dish detergents = dishwashers don’t work properly – so people are now getting into their cars and driving to Idaho, where people are happy to sell them all the phosphate-enriched dish detergent that they want. And anything else, while they’re there. They can go to other parts of the state, too – but that obviously will go away next year. How long it takes before Washington Democrats close the borders to phosphate smugglers is anybody’s guess; I’m picking 2011.

So, to recap: a good-intentioned policy position by the Washington Democratic party has instead degraded quality of life in its target area, increased the use of burned hydrocarbons in its target area, cost local retailers business in its target area, and is not being particularly successful in its stated objective. And yet there is no indication that this program is being recognized as a failure: so it’s still pretty much on-track to be adopted statewide anyway. And if you actually don’t like having food encrusted to your plate, you’re expected to pretty much suffer. And if you complain, you’ll probably have to listen to an inevitable – and smug – lecture from somebody who thinks that he knows how to organize your life better than you do.

Isn’t one-party rule grand, Washington State?

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.