The truth is that the United States is late to this change. Some other countries, like Australia, phased out these old style bulbs five years ago. But some people just hate change, and they are busy trying to buy up all the old incandescent bulbs while they are still available (with some stockpiling hundreds of them). Some of these people think they are saving money, since the new bulbs cost more. They are wrong. The new bulbs are not just more efficient, they will last several times longer than the incandescent bulbs (and when you add up the cost of all the old bulbs to last as long as one of the new bulbs, you actually save money buying the more expensive new bulbs).
Others are trying to turn this into something political -- claiming that President Obama is taking away their "freedom of choice". And there are Republicans in Congress trying to take advantage of these dimwits -- by introducing bills to allow production of the old bulbs again. Of course, this is just silly. President Obama had nothing to do with this law, since it was signed into existence by President Bush. But the Obama-haters are not above inventing excuses to dislike the president.
Personally, I think this law makes sense. It will save energy for the country, and it will save money for consumers in the long run. I have been using the new bulbs for years now, and I love them. It's a rare occasion when I have to change a light bulb these days (and I like that). In fact, I can't remember the last time I had to buy any light bulbs, but I know it was well over two years now.
But there are people who resist any kind of change -- even a change that is better for them (and their country). These people will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the new reality, but they'll eventually learn (just like they eventually accepted past changes).