Many who govern in America’s capital think that they can wave their legisla tive wands and unleash beauty — free of costs and complications. Of course, reality rarely cooperates.

Consider Washington’s ban on the incandescent light bulb. If left unchallenged, Jan. 1 will herald stricter standards that Congress designed in 2007 to electrocute Thomas Edison’s invention and dragoon Americans into using more energy-efficient alternatives.

Americans are enduring a parade of unforeseen consequences as “the experts” try to extinguish this landmark contribution to humanity.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps, which Washington hopes will replace incandescent ones, brighten slowly, function poorly with dimmer knobs and emit a color of light that many find unappealing. Even worse, according to EnergyStar.gov, each CFL contains 4 milligrams of toxic mercury. An average CFL includes enough mercury to pollute 528 gallons of water.

As the EPA warns, “High exposures to inorganic mercury may result in damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, and the kidneys.”

Breaking a CFL triggers a significant health hazard that requires a 10-step cleanup. Among other things, EPA recommends “opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.” No problem . . . unless you occupy an apartment, hotel room, or office with sealed windows.

“Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several hours,” EPA counsels.

Old CFLs should be disposed of properly at recycling centers. Dream on. Most consumers will toss them in the trash with their tea bags. Mercury will accumulate in landfills, possibly with disastrous results.

As Washington has hammered incandescents, some have gravitated toward light-emitting diodes. While LEDs pose none of CFLs’ health risks, they present other problems.

Shifting from Edison bulbs to LEDs can save cities and states money. Changing streetlights to LEDs has shrunk Wisconsin’s power bill by $750,000 annually, The Associated Press’ Dinesh Ramde reported in December 2009.

“Their great advantage is also their drawback,” Ramde wrote. “They do not waste energy by producing heat.” This means that the snow and ice that normally melt on contact with a hot, Edison-style streetlight or traffic signal instead coat LED fixtures in layers of wintry precipitation. Streetlights get whited out, “a problem blamed for dozens of accidents and at least one death,” Ramde explained.

In April 2009, Illinois officials say, motorist Lisa Richter began a left turn. Due to snow obstruction, an oncoming driver who couldn’t see an LED-driven streetlight smashed into Richter, killing her.

While CFLs and LEDs supposedly save money in the long run, they cost much more up front. While lowes.com charges 93 cents for a 100-watt incandescent bulb, equivalent CFLs are $4.49.

Meanwhile, a 95-watt LED bulb runs a staggering $69.98. If Edison bulbs vanish, does Washington really expect mercury-shy consumers to pay nearly $70 for an LED version of the still reliable 100-watt incandescent?

While employment tops America’s agenda, Washington’s war on the Edison bulb has killed jobs. Last September, General Electric padlocked its last US incandescent-bulb factory. “A variety of energy regulations will soon make the familiar lighting products produced at the Winchester [Virginia] Plant obsolete,” GE announced last year. Thus, 200 Americans lost their jobs, which paid some $30 an hour.

In October 2008, GE shuttered six Ohio incandescent plants, leaving 425 workers in the dark. Meanwhile, labor-intensive CFL production is thriving — in China.

The GOP House may vote this month to repeal the Edison-bulb ban. Outstanding! This wicked law can’t be switched off soon enough. deroy.murdock@gmail.com