Grapevine: $50 light bulb?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Green Light
What would you buy for $50?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Well, the government wants your answer to be a light bulb.
Last year, the Energy Department announced a $10 million prize designed to spur lighting manufacturers to develop affordable high efficient LED bulbs made in America. Traditional incandescents are being phased out by law.
The result was a light bulb that will retail for $50 a pop.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post reports officials defend the award saying they expect the cost to drop over time.
However, the price is definitely steep compared to the old bulbs that can cost as little as a dollar and even other LED bulbs that retail for half the price.
"Biased Media"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio says a biased media belittled his investigation that concluded President Obama's birth certificate is a computer generated forgery.
Arpaio's so-called "Cold Case Posse" of former law enforcement investigators and document forensic experts presented those findings and others last week.
Arpaio says there was a -- quote -- "pre-determined desire to discredit me and my office."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The print editions of the New York Times and the Washington Post failed to mention the story following Arpaio's news conference.
The morning and evening network newscasts on CBS, NBC, and ABC also failed to reference Arpaio's investigation, which comes amid his own legal troubles.
Meanwhile, his state's governor - Republican Jan Brewer - dismissed Arpaio's findings, saying she has every reason to believe the president's birth certificate is valid.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And the Obama campaign has directed reporters to Arpaio's news conference and a website selling T-shirts and mugs with photos of the President's birth certificate on them.
Arapio vows to continue his investigation.
Bible Lesson Learned
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And finally, radio evangelist Harold Camping says he won't be making any more end of the world predictions after getting it wrong twice last year.
He says he now realizes God may not tell his people the date when Christ will return.