Category — issues

What a wonderful group of elected officials we have these days.  Verbage that is so over-reaching that it is hurting us in the name of helping us.  Nice.  Almost makes a person want to move to another country where the gov’t isn’t as interested in controlling every aspect of your life… but I’m not sure that one of those exists anymore.

This is re-posted from an email to get the info out.

OVERKILL: HOW THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT IS DAMAGING AMERICAN BUSINESSES

FLY-IN, RALLY AND CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
TO FIX FLAWS IN NEW PRODUCT SAFETY LAW

Washington, DC – April 1, 2009

Implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) is following a worst-case scenario for manufacturers, retailers and charities. Thanks to the flaws in this law, millions of perfectly safe products are in the process of being destroyed, costing U.S. businesses billions of dollars in the midst of one of the worst economic crises in U.S. history. Charitable organizations and thrift stores are being forced to pull inventory from their shelves at a time when American families need them more than ever. The supply of science supplies to schools is being curtailed. Youth model ATV and dirt bikes are no longer available creating a safety issue because more than 90% of injuries to kids on ATVs occur on large adult size models. Even libraries are at risk of legal liability for lending children’s books. All of these violations of common sense are being done in the name of “safety”.

From unrealistic compliance deadlines that made it impossible for industry or the Consumer Product Safety Commission to adequately prepare before the law went into effect, to the unprecedented decision to retroactively apply the new lead standards and phthalates ban to inventory already sitting in stores and warehouses, CPSIA is causing massive disruptions to industries across the board, particularly small and medium-sized businesses.

So far, Congress has ignored the calls of thousands of small businesses, charities, parents and teachers to fix the flaws in this legislation, refusing even to hold public hearings on the problem. That’s why business and charitable groups are organizing a fly in, rally and Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to meet with Members of Congress, provide information and bring attention to the CPSIA crisis. Wide participation is anticipated in this unique event to call upon Congress to urgently fix the CPSIA.

Date and Location: April 1, 2009, 10:00am, Capitol Visitors Center, Room HVC201 A&B,
The U.S. Capitol

Speakers will include Members of Congress and representatives from:
· Charitable Organizations
· National Association of Manufacturers
· Small Business owners from various industries affected by CPSIA
· Motorcycle and ATV dealerships
· Publishers and Library Associations
· Product safety and lead experts (to discuss science-based risk assessment)

Confirmed Participating Organizations (as of March 16, 2009)
· Alliance for Children’s Product Safety
· American Apparel and Footwear Association
· American Motorcycle Association
* American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
· Fashion Jewelry Trade Association;
· Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
· Handmade Toy Alliance
· International Sleep Products Association
· Motorcycle Industry Council
· National Association of Manufacturers
· National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops
National School Supply & Equipment Association
· National Bulk Vendors Association
· Specialty Vehicle Institute of America
· Toy Industry Association

For additional information, please contact the Alliance for Children’s Product Safety at 202-828-7637 and visit the web-site at http://www.AmendTheCPSIA.com. For those who can not attend, the event will be telecast on the mentioned web site.

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This (among other things) just serves to make me wonder why our gov’t hates it’s people. We were once the land of the free, but we are quickly becoming the land of those that cannot do anything because it might turn out to be dangerous for someone… except of course that our gov’t likes to approve the things that truly ARE dangerous for us. One example… check out HR 875 – another “over-reaching” law that will put small businesses out of business, leaving big agri-business as our only option (you know, the people who grow the GMO crap from Monsanto. Oh goody.)

I’m not feeling up to the debate today, ut if you want some info on Monsano (the truth rather than what our fine gov’t tells us) I found a great video – it’s a long one, but very informative. Take a look at it here. Hopefully this one will be available for a bit – go watch it quickly before it gets pulled.

Want more info? Check out HR 875 (as in actually read it) over at GovTrack. Want another one to look at? How about S 425 in the Senate.

I guess the First Lady just planted a “Neo-Victory Garden” that may soon be illegal!  Well, it will be if the wife-of-a-Monsanto-employee-that-sponsored-the-bill gets her (Monsanto’s) way. Organic seeds contain contaminants you know… ’cause GMO seeds are just DNA (and we’ve been ingesting DNA since we were created, so it can’t be bad for us.)

Any thoughts? Please share…

Well, tomorrow is the day… the day that the new CPSIA goes into effect. The day that I can no longer sell bags made for those under 12. The day that consignment shops will be operating illegally. The day that libraries will technically be operating illegally if they choose to have books intended for kids under age 12 on their shelves.

Yes, this law is stupid.

And it can’t come at a much worse time. The economy is tanking, it’s going to hell in a hand-basket, it’s getting worse folks. As of tomorrow there will be hundreds more that will be trying to figure out how to make ends meet. People who have been creating beautiful, handmade, safe toys for our kids can’t legally sell them. Consignment shops carrying kids clothes will be required by law to have every item tested before they can sell them.

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but do we have a gov’t that is doing everything that they can to usher in socialism or what? More and more people will be losing their homes, and over stupid wording in a stupid law that will not fix the issues with toys coming out of China anyway!

Factory workers in China put in 20 hour days regularly so that Americans can buy the cheap crap that is being shoved into our homes. Sometimes they get an entire hour to sleep before they have to be on the clock again – and they lay their heads down where they are working to catch some zzz’s. As of tomorrow, they will be even more busy. Nothing like handing the money over to China on a silver platter! Why? Because it’s the huge toy manufacturers that will be able to afford the testing that this idiotic law mandates – not the small domestic ones.

I know, I’ve been harping on this for a couple of months, but it really is that important. What will our schools start looking like when the books that they make available to our kids are suddenly illegal because they haven’t been tested? How are school districts going to afford to pay higher prices for new books when they are already having to lay off half of their teachers?

Seriously… can our law makers be more idiotic?

Yes, protect our children. I’m all for that. But don’t “protect” them by handing our economy over to another country! What kind of country are they going to inherit if the gov’t continues to offer massive debt-inducing bailout programs, and cuts it’s people off at the knees like this? Not one I’d want to be a part of.

Socialism, here we come. Oh goody.

I don’t know about you, but I rather like having some FREEDOMS… and I’m tired of the few trading them away from me for no real reason… except perhaps that they want to have more control.

Write to your senators, your representatives, your local papers, your mayors & governors, tell others about this. DO SOMETHING!!!

Please?

Yes, I know, everyone is dealing with the “Current Economic Crisis” and we are ALL getting tired of hearing about it. Well folks, it’s about to get worse.

On Feb 10, 2009 the new CPSIA will go into effect. What is this new regulation you ask? It will bring about the end for so many small businesses in America.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act makes it illegal to sell ANYTHING geared towards the under age 12 set. ANYTHING.

For those of us that shoe at second-hand stores, guess what stores will no longer be legal to operate?

For those that sell their kids old clothing, toys and books to make some extra cash, guess what you can be thrown into jail for. Oh, and get a whopping $100,000 fine PER OFFENCE.

For those of us who like being able to buy locally, handmade, sustainably made toys and clothing for our kids, sorry, those are now illegal – or cost so much that no one can afford them anymore.

Yes, it looks like it is just targeting toy manufacturers in China, but who are the real targets of this regulation?

• Second-Hand stores
• Work At Home Moms
• Craft Fair Vendors
• Small Toy Manufacturers
• Low- and mid-income families that cannot afford to buy retail
• everyone who has to buy ANYTHING for their kids, because the cost will be going up
• Employees of small and mid-sized businesses that manufacture or sell children’s goods – they will most likely be out of a job
• Every tax-paying American – just who do you think will now be supporting all of the people who will now be out of a job? Paying for the debt created by all of the businesses going bankrupt?
• The Chinese people. Yes, this is an odd one, but the working hours are already way past what should be allowable, the conditions are horrific, and they aren’t paid enough to ever get ahead. Does anyone really think that forcing China to produce MORE will help this?

Now, who will be benefiting from these new regulations?

• China – that is the only place anything will be able to be manufactured anywhere near affordably – and the products still won’t pass the necessary testing because of the next group
• Large Corporations – they make so much that these new tests will simply be absorbed and the cost passed along to you – the consumer. But they won’t really care about safety – eventually they will find a way to allow their manufacturers to go back to the less expensive way of doing things.

Once again our government is making the rich get more by stealing it from the poor – and anyone who isn’t already rich! The “Middle Class” that we enjoy in this country is slowly being erased. We are heading back to a system of the few wealthy controlling the masses of poor, ill-cared for people.

For those of you that think this will not affect you, wake up and smell the load of crap they are feeding you! EVERY American will be affected. The poor will no longer be able to find products to clothe their kids cheaply, the middle class will be put out of business – thereby becoming the poor – and every taxpayer will foot the bill.

Socialism, here we come.

Please, I beg you, take the 5 minutes to send a letter to your Congressmen and -women, to your Senators, to the CPSA, to everyone you know! There is a poll up at Change.org where you can vote to get the word out about issues to our new President-Elect Obama. You can visit and cast your vote on this issue at:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

Yes, it calls out handmade toys, but this is so much more far-reaching than just toys.

And for those that think I’m just chasing after the dollar, please believe me that I care about the safety of all of our kids. I have 2 of my own, and at this time I try very hard to feed them healthy, wholesome foods that actually are grown rather than coming out of a box. I try to make sure that their clothes are modest and will last. I prefer to get them toys that have as little plastic in them as possible. I prefer to get them outside into nature as often as possible. We don’t have TV in our house. We don’t buy clothes, school supplies or toys that are emblazoned with Hannah Montana and other brands that are being forced down the throats of the American public.

These alternative choices will soon be gone. No more sustainability manufactured handmade toys, no more going to the 2nd-hand shop for back-to-school shopping and being able to trade in old clothes for new ones so it doesn’t cost $200 in August to put clothes on their backs that fit.

Please, take a few moments to get informed. Spread the word.

Even if you don’t have kids, you will still be paying the price for idiotic legislation. Even if you are financially ahead of the game, you will still be paying for it.

The “Current Economic Crisis” is fixing to get a whole lot more “crisis-y” We are heading for a recession the likes of which have only been seen during the Great Depression, but it will soon be illegal to use many of the things that helped Americans survive the last one. Oh, and there are a whole lot more people alive now than there were then.

America has always been known as the land of the free, but we are slowly trading in those freedoms that we so cherished out of fear and giving those with the money more and more control over what we can and can’t do. 9/11 made us trade in freedoms in transportation, the lead in toys from China will be trading in our freedoms of choice. Yes, we need to protect our kids, but forcing them to only have the option of mass-produced junk that will fill our landfills even faster is not the answer.

Now that I’ve once again thrown this out there, I will step off my soap-box.

Oh, and I’m adding this in the the Thrifty Green Thursday carnival, because it affects so much of what we do to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Have a nice day.

I was really looking forward to keeping the theme all about Christmas this month, but something has come to my attention that simply must be addressed.

There was a congressional committee recently that decided to pass some regulations regarding products intended for kids under 12.  Really tight regulations.

I know what you are thinking… with all of the products coming out of China recently with lead in them, this is a good thing, right?

yes & no

The regulations are rather broad, and will affect more than just products imported from China.  It will affect small businesses in the USA, Canada & Europe that make good toys.  Natural toys.  Handmade toys.  Handmade clothes.  The alternatives to the plastic junk that lines the shelves at your local Wal-mart.

These small businesses will be put out of business around about February 10, 2009.  Yep, gone.  No more hand-carved wooden toys are craft fairs.  No more unique boutique clothes for your little ones.

Why will these businesses be gone?  They can’t afford to have each & every produce tested.  Rumor is pegging these 3-rd party tests to be around the $4,000 mark – not part of the budget for a work-at-home-mom hand-sewing boutique clothes and Waldorf dolls in her spare room.  Out of the budget for the grandfather who carves wooden toys and sells them at street fairs.

What can we do to help these businesses stay afloat?  Well, other than buy up as much as we can before Feb 10 (ha ha) we can get informed, tell others and tell our government that this is too over-reaching.  The Handmade Toy Alliance has some great modifications that could be made to these regulations, and still have the desired effect.

There are a ton of sites out there that have great info on this issue, so it is not hard to get informed.  Read through the regulations, see what small business owners are worried about, and see if there is anything that you feel led to do.

As for me, I already wrote to my congressmen and -women.  I also wrote to CPSC, asking them to take another look.  I’m telling you about it, and I have emailed many others about it.

Why do I care?

Well, I rather like the natural toys.  I like the handmade toys.  I would rather purchase wooden toys and fabric dolls than the plastic junk that lines store shelves.  I like to support small businesses.  I also happen to own a small business that could be affected.  If these regs stay as they are, I will no longer be able to sell handmade nightgowns, oven mitts and cloth dolls, because I can’t afford to get them tested.  Is there any possibility of lead in any of these products?  Not so much.  They are all made from cotton or wool.  No paint to worry about, but that doesn’t seem to matter.  No plastic to worry about, but that doesn’t matter either.

Why should you care?

Look at our country – we are already in a recession, people are already losing their jobs at an alarming rate.  Businesses are struggling to stay afloat as it is.  Come Feb 10, there will be a lot more people struggling to stay afloat.  There will be a lot more small business loans that go into default.  There will be a lot more small businesses that will have to lay off their employees because they can’t afford to pay them.  There will be a lot fewer small businesses open in America.  And a lot more unemployed American citizens.

Oh, and those small business owners may be your neighbors – neighbors who can no longer pay their mortgage payments.  More houses going into foreclosure or being sold vastly under market-value.  More people trying to figure out how to feed their kids.

Yes, we need to come together as a country to support our fellow Americans in this.  We need to care.

Please, take a few moments out of your busy Holiday schedule to get informed, to get active, and to tell others about this.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your support.

Merry Christmas!

… and now back to our regularly scheduled programing!