I was reading a cute blog about Winnie the Pooh and blogging, and was struck by a conversation between Rabbit and Pooh:
“I don’t see much sense in that,” said Rabbit. “No,” said Pooh humbly, “There isn’t. But there was going to be when I began it. It’s just that something happened to it along the way.”
As happens so many times these days, I was reminded of CPSIA when I read that. In this particular conversation, Rabbit reminds me of the citizens and companies of this country who are looking at the CPSIA law and wondering where the sense or logic in it can be hiding.
And of course, Pooh reminds me of Congress (my apologies to Pooh). Of course, they can't be quite as forthright as Pooh and actually admit that something happened along the way with a concept that may have initially made sense. (Protecting children from lead -- good idea. CPSIA -- very bad implementation of that concept.)
I don't remember the rest of this particular Pooh story, but like all Pooh stories, it would have had to be a happy ending. Those of us that are fighting the ill-conceived CPSIA can only hope that we will yet come to a happy ending to this saga!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Amendments to CPSIA
I still believe that CPSIA is so bad that it should be repealed entirely, and then rewritten, dealing with ONLY the limited products it should have dealt with. Not a very long list of those: I would suggest the new law apply to toys for children 3 and under, and jewelry intended for children 5 and up. I think that about does it.
But, in the meantime, it appears that even getting this law amended will be a minor miracle. There are at least a couple of amendments languishing in committees right now. While they would still leave major problems with the law, they would fix at least some of the issues.
Senate bill 608 has a great sounding name: "Common Sense in Consumer Product Safety Act of 2009" It is "A bill to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to exclude secondary sales, repair services, and certain vehicles from the ban on lead in children's products, and for other purposes." Govtrack currently lists Senator Tester as the sponsor, and 2 co-sponsors.
On the House side, there's H.R. 1587: "To amend the lead prohibition provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008..." It would give an exemption to the ATV folks, but that's about it. "To amend the lead prohibition provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to provide an exemption for certain off-highway vehicles, and for other purposes." It is sponsored by Representative Rehberg, and currently has 38 co-sponsors listed.
At some point, surely this craziness will come to an end...Preferably before the next stage gets here in August...
But, in the meantime, it appears that even getting this law amended will be a minor miracle. There are at least a couple of amendments languishing in committees right now. While they would still leave major problems with the law, they would fix at least some of the issues.
Senate bill 608 has a great sounding name: "Common Sense in Consumer Product Safety Act of 2009" It is "A bill to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to exclude secondary sales, repair services, and certain vehicles from the ban on lead in children's products, and for other purposes." Govtrack currently lists Senator Tester as the sponsor, and 2 co-sponsors.
On the House side, there's H.R. 1587: "To amend the lead prohibition provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008..." It would give an exemption to the ATV folks, but that's about it. "To amend the lead prohibition provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to provide an exemption for certain off-highway vehicles, and for other purposes." It is sponsored by Representative Rehberg, and currently has 38 co-sponsors listed.
At some point, surely this craziness will come to an end...Preferably before the next stage gets here in August...
Monday, April 13, 2009
Random Quotes and Their CPSIA "Connection"
I was reading quotes someone had collected for a homeschooling project, and I found numerous ones that could be tied to CPSIA.
"Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true." Playwrite William Inge Unfortunately many crafters will lose the ability to make something beautiful with an unfixed CPSIA!
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." Author John Ruskin Again, so true of those who make wonderful, one-of-a-kind items for children, that Congress has outlawed in their "infinite wisdom".
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." President Theodore Roosevelt Much of what has suddenly become outlawed falls in this category as well.
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." Author Mark Twain And with CPSIA, there will be a lot less good books to read!
And my two favorites:
"It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem." Author G.K. Chesterton In this case, Congress and CPSIA is the problem (not the CPSC who are just trying to do their job.) And they refuse to admit that, so they refuse to apply the proper solutions (amendments would be a good start -- though I still vote for repealing the entire law!).
"Cowardice asks - Is it safe? Expediency asks - Is it politic? Vanity asks - Is it popular? But conscience asks - Is it right?" Civil Rights Worker Martin Luther King, Jr. I think MLK's statement sums it up the best! Congress can't get past the "safe" and the political to do what's right!
"Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true." Playwrite William Inge Unfortunately many crafters will lose the ability to make something beautiful with an unfixed CPSIA!
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." Author John Ruskin Again, so true of those who make wonderful, one-of-a-kind items for children, that Congress has outlawed in their "infinite wisdom".
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." President Theodore Roosevelt Much of what has suddenly become outlawed falls in this category as well.
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." Author Mark Twain And with CPSIA, there will be a lot less good books to read!
And my two favorites:
"It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem." Author G.K. Chesterton In this case, Congress and CPSIA is the problem (not the CPSC who are just trying to do their job.) And they refuse to admit that, so they refuse to apply the proper solutions (amendments would be a good start -- though I still vote for repealing the entire law!).
"Cowardice asks - Is it safe? Expediency asks - Is it politic? Vanity asks - Is it popular? But conscience asks - Is it right?" Civil Rights Worker Martin Luther King, Jr. I think MLK's statement sums it up the best! Congress can't get past the "safe" and the political to do what's right!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
"Protecting the American Consumers" YouTube
This video from August 2008 is nothing more than a celebration of the short-sightedness of Congress with CPSIA.
The first speaker is Majority Leader Harry Reid who speaks proudly of the "priority of restoring credibility and accountability to Washington" (Oh there, we go, the publicity angle of CPSIA.) He talks of their ability to "celebrate CPSIA" (As opposed to the Consumers and Companies who are primarily cursing CPSIA now.)
Then Nancy Pelosi comes up to talk of the "Year of the Recalls", and proudly brags of "removing those products and more importantly preventing those products from getting to those shelves in the first place". (Never mind that 99.9% of the products they are removing are perfectly safe!)
Then the mother from Oregon comes up to thank Congress, and explain that CPSIA makes "Parents like me breathe easier." (I'm glad she's breathing easier -- this parent is not! Nor are most of the parents I know.)
And Reid comes back to tell us that "Our government can work for people." (Can anyone say Amen? No, I didn't think so.)
And let's not forget Representative DeLaury who practically screams at us, "We need to remain vigilant. We need to ensure that our families and our children are protected from harmful products." (And safe ones too...Never mind that that's parents' jobs!)
And Reid comes back to remind us that this law "applies to all consumer products" and is "good legislation". (I'm glad he thinks so, most of us would disagree.)
The first speaker is Majority Leader Harry Reid who speaks proudly of the "priority of restoring credibility and accountability to Washington" (Oh there, we go, the publicity angle of CPSIA.) He talks of their ability to "celebrate CPSIA" (As opposed to the Consumers and Companies who are primarily cursing CPSIA now.)
Then Nancy Pelosi comes up to talk of the "Year of the Recalls", and proudly brags of "removing those products and more importantly preventing those products from getting to those shelves in the first place". (Never mind that 99.9% of the products they are removing are perfectly safe!)
Then the mother from Oregon comes up to thank Congress, and explain that CPSIA makes "Parents like me breathe easier." (I'm glad she's breathing easier -- this parent is not! Nor are most of the parents I know.)
And Reid comes back to tell us that "Our government can work for people." (Can anyone say Amen? No, I didn't think so.)
And let's not forget Representative DeLaury who practically screams at us, "We need to remain vigilant. We need to ensure that our families and our children are protected from harmful products." (And safe ones too...Never mind that that's parents' jobs!)
And Reid comes back to remind us that this law "applies to all consumer products" and is "good legislation". (I'm glad he thinks so, most of us would disagree.)
Nancy Pelosi CPSIA YouTube
I finally had a chance to watch one of the YouTube CPSIA videos. I started with one showing Speaker Nancy Pelosi talking to Congress, last July, just before the bill was signed into law.
I realize that I go into this already biased, having now fought CPSIA for more than 3 months (my hat is off to those who have been in the fight for even longer than that!).
Nancy wants to make sure that we realize that they are "A Congress for America's Children" (I lost track of how many times she said that.) I wonder how many of America's children would not agree with that assessment right about now? She also made sure to point out that "This bill is long overdue" (Why exactly is it long overdue? She didn't really answer that question, we just have to believe that it is.)
The bill has the "support of Community Groups that care about children". (So, let's see, by inference, those of us who are fighting CPSIA do not care about children...Sorry, Nancy, I have to strongly disagree with you on that!)
"...do something for America's children." (Why? Because it sounds good? Because it makes good publicity? Yes, I am beginning to agree with the other bloggers who make that point! This is not about 'doing good'...It is about 'sounding good'.)
"We have to depend on the Government to protect our children." (I had to rewind to make sure I heard that part correctly...No, I'm sorry, Nancy, I don't think that's the role of government. In fact, looking through my pocket Constitution I can't find that in the job description of government anywhere. Please let parents do their jobs, and go back to doing yours...The first Article of the Constitution, Section 8, has a really nice explanation of what that is, in case you've forgotten.)
Nancy sounds very distressed when she gets to her point about 45 million toys that were recalled the year before -- before they had written CPSIA we might add. Twice she asks, "What is a parent to do?" And of course, she has the answer -- more legislation!
"Dangerous toys should be an oxymoron." (I do agree with that, Nancy. But how many children were injured or killed from those 45 million "dangerous toys" that were recalled? None that I've been able to determine...And unfortunately, CPSIA deals with so much more than those "dangerous toys"...since it was written to include ALL Children's Products! Let's go back to assessing actual risk -- and write a law that deals with those things that actually pose dangers to our children -- instead of removing perfectly safe items from their lives!)
I realize that I go into this already biased, having now fought CPSIA for more than 3 months (my hat is off to those who have been in the fight for even longer than that!).
Nancy wants to make sure that we realize that they are "A Congress for America's Children" (I lost track of how many times she said that.) I wonder how many of America's children would not agree with that assessment right about now? She also made sure to point out that "This bill is long overdue" (Why exactly is it long overdue? She didn't really answer that question, we just have to believe that it is.)
The bill has the "support of Community Groups that care about children". (So, let's see, by inference, those of us who are fighting CPSIA do not care about children...Sorry, Nancy, I have to strongly disagree with you on that!)
"...do something for America's children." (Why? Because it sounds good? Because it makes good publicity? Yes, I am beginning to agree with the other bloggers who make that point! This is not about 'doing good'...It is about 'sounding good'.)
"We have to depend on the Government to protect our children." (I had to rewind to make sure I heard that part correctly...No, I'm sorry, Nancy, I don't think that's the role of government. In fact, looking through my pocket Constitution I can't find that in the job description of government anywhere. Please let parents do their jobs, and go back to doing yours...The first Article of the Constitution, Section 8, has a really nice explanation of what that is, in case you've forgotten.)
Nancy sounds very distressed when she gets to her point about 45 million toys that were recalled the year before -- before they had written CPSIA we might add. Twice she asks, "What is a parent to do?" And of course, she has the answer -- more legislation!
"Dangerous toys should be an oxymoron." (I do agree with that, Nancy. But how many children were injured or killed from those 45 million "dangerous toys" that were recalled? None that I've been able to determine...And unfortunately, CPSIA deals with so much more than those "dangerous toys"...since it was written to include ALL Children's Products! Let's go back to assessing actual risk -- and write a law that deals with those things that actually pose dangers to our children -- instead of removing perfectly safe items from their lives!)
Youtube Videos about CPSIA
Someone has put together a playlist of CPSIA related you tube videos. I look forward to (sort of) getting to watch some of them.
Friday, April 10, 2009
From the Mainstream Media we get Headlines such as:
Popular Purses May Carry Dangerous Levels Of Lead It comes complete with this disturbing quote from the Center for Environmental Health Director "If a child is exposed to lead it can permanently effect development of the brain. Lead exposure in adults is attached to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and memory problems."
If we were talking about chew toys, I would be concerned, but I don’t know any little girls old enough to play with a purse that are chewing on them.
Good intentions gone astray
It comes complete with this disturbing quote from the Center for Environmental Health Director "If a child is exposed to lead it can permanently effect development of the brain. Lead exposure in adults is attached to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and memory problems."
If we were talking about chew toys, I would be concerned, but I don’t know any little girls old enough to play with a purse that are chewing on them.
Though some get it, especially at the local levels:
Stores caught in wake of new lead law
This article author certainly sees the impact of CPSIA on Resellers, and those who shop at those stores:
“But now, the items that once made up a quarter of revenue at Top Drawer Resale Clothier in Traverse City are tucked out of view, held back by a thin rope and a handwritten sign. ‘Sorry, these items are not for sale.’…
Since the law took effect, some area thrift stores like Top Drawer stopped taking any children's items. Others have developed more stringent practices, in some cases reducing the amount of items taken to the floor.”
And this op-ed piece dealing with numerous “troublesome chemicals”:
Good intentions gone astray
“It's fine to be out in front - when necessary. And it is absolutely right to provide consumers, especially children, with strict protections - but not when that claim of protection is without basis and contradicts the risk-based, scientific study that is the traditional foundation for law and safety standards in the United States. So as the House Consumer Protection Committee considers ‘the chemical bills,’ its members should amend the proposals to give sound science priority over emotion, and to recognize that existing federal laws have already set the consumer protection standard for the nation - including Oregon.” Amen! Let’s hear it for science over emotion! And for “risk-based scientific study”.
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