Comments on: The CPSIA: Protecting Kids or Bankrupting Parents?

By: Mike Zemack

Mike Zemack — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:12:18 +0000

Imagine that you had to submit to periodic intrusive searches of your home by the police, without a warrant or probable cause, in order to prove that you are not a burglar.

You would be outraged, and so would all people who value American principles.

But government economic regulation is based upon the same premise…the presumption of guilt. Rather than the government having the burden of proving wrong-doing or a law violation based upon actual evidence in a court of law, business men and women must prove their innocence at great cost to themselves of time and money. This is the premise of dictatorship, not a free country based upon the rule of objective law.

Multiply CPSIA a thousand-fold or more, and you realize the enormity of the burden American business must face. Sarbanes-Oxley is a classic example. It was passed in 2001, and imposed vast new regulatory burdens on all publicly traded companies in response to the Enron-Worldcom scandals. Thus, the thousands of innocent companies who didn’t cook the books were punished for the wrong-doing of the few.

Objective, clearly defined laws such as banning lead in toys are all that are needed. Just as a person can only be prosecuted for a burglary after having committed the crime and been proven guilty in a court of law based upon actual evidence of wrong-doing, so should the same principles apply to makers of toys. If lead is found in a product, deal with the producer and leave others alone.

CPSIA and all similar regulatory schemes are nothing more than the Doctrine of Original Sin applied to businessmen and are immoral, un-American, and unjust.

By: Ariana KELLY

Ariana KELLY — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:02:01 +0000

Today JAN 30 is the deadline for comments to CPSC on allowing crafters to use safe materials instead of testing. Moms Rising put up a super-easy action link. Here it is. Click Here to Send a Letter to CPSC It's quick and easy. Please forward it to all your friends.

By: Are We THIS Anal??? | 3Ps in a Pod

Are We THIS Anal??? | 3Ps in a Pod — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:47:41 +0000

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By: Milagros

Milagros — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:58:21 +0000

We own a baby boutique in Portland, Oregon (Milagros). We had a meeting this morning with a number of businesses that will be affected by the law.

In fact we have pulled together a business alliance just to address this issue because there are so many businesses – almost ALL owned by women – that will be impacted by this law.

None of the businesses in our area want to weaken the safety standards in the CPSIA. All of us, are committed to designing, creating and selling safe products.

But the fast timing of the CPSIA implementation has made the creation of rules and drafting of clarifications that better suits the full spectrum of businesses a challenge for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

If the CPSIA is not changed, it will push many small, local businesses out of the marketplace by creating an additional – and unnecessary- economic burden during these challenging times.

Please contact your legislators about this issue today, there is truly no time to waste. A form letter as well as contact information may be found here:

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/how-you-can-help

Thanks!

The Fuentes Family
Milagros Boutique
Portland, Oregon

By: CPSIA Will Destroy Baby Bargains

CPSIA Will Destroy Baby Bargains — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:54:14 +0000

[...] 5 Minutes for Mom [...]

By: old mom

old mom — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:19:41 +0000

My children are grown, no grandchildren yet. I am not involved in manufacturing or anything like that. I agree that the lead and phthalates issue is important. I believe the way they are going about this is citizen abuse. Their actions are morally wrong because the good will suffer as well as the bad. There are alternatives if Congress and maybe Americans would put on their thinking caps and devote more effort and time to this problem.

By: mom

mom — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:53:57 +0000

I have my own buisness too, but the safety of my child or any ones elses child is more important than my buisness or any other buisness!!This world is sick!

By: Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:07:18 +0000

the intent of this law was good…to make safer children’s products. However, the details are going to do far more harm than good, since they wrote this law to include EVERY item made for children under 12. This means clothes, shoes, books, toys, videos, diaper bags…everything. It will drive most small and medium sized busineses under…but even the big box retailers will feel it too, as they must comply since they would be the first ones to be inspected for compliance. There is provision in the law for the US govt to hire full time inspectors to enforce this thing! I’ve read elsewhere, that many retailers, such as Wal-mart and others, have already informed their vendors, if they don’t have the required certificates on hand by 2/10, they will pull all of their items. Remember, big retailers are also big employers…if you take away a portion of their sales, a portion of their employees will go too. This MUST be amended, to exclude the obvious things that are not contaminated with lead…like natural fibers, and unfinished wood. Please research this on the web, and contact your congressmen about this issue, and urge them to reform this law before it takes effect. Otherwise, February 10th really will be National Bankruptcy Day…and by then, it will be too late for many businesses.

By: laura

laura — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:13:17 +0000

thanks for sharing so much information in one easy to find place! you’ve made taking action simple and the issues understandable!!

By: Sada

Sada — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:11:05 +0000

I’m the owner of a WAHM business. The children’s product that I make the most of is cloth diapers. Right now, there is confusion as to what rules exactly cloth diapers will fall under, making it very difficult for those making cloth diapers to even figure out what kind of testing we need to have done in order to comply.

But despite the threat of paying $300 per diaper I sell for testing certificates–because each diaper I make is unique, I don’t have bolt of fabric and make dozens of the same diaper–I’m not panicking, and I’m not signing internet petitions, and I’m certainly not calling on Barack Obama to lean on the CPSC for us.

Why, you may ask? Because there are trade associations and corporations from big to small working with the CPSC *right now* to work out the details on how this Act will be applied and enforced. It isn’t in the CPSC’s best interest to drive small business out, and this law wasn’t their–or any “big evil toymaking conglomerates”–idea at all. It was started by Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois, and passed in both the House and Senate with great support by the Democrats. The CPSC was given the unfortunate job of making this law work, and they are *asking* for our help on that…why are we fighting them when they are *asking* for our comments, opinions, and ideas?!?

I don’t think this law is a bad thing, and I don’t think that small businesses who make children’s products should be fighting to have it overturned. We need to *work with* the CPSC. And the idea that presenting this complaint to Obama is going to do any good is ridiculous…the bill was sponsored by a Rep. from his own state, approved by his own party, and the goal is to protect children…even if the President were *able* to overturn an enacted law, why would he *want* to? Especially when the CPSC is already working with us on it.

The fact that so many people are blindly complaining about how proving provable safety for children is going to *cost them money* makes small businesses and natural products producers look like whiny, contrary people with something to hide. Let’s *prove* to the CPSC *why* our products are safe, instead of just shouting for exclusions based on our *saying* they’re safe.