Due to health issues, I've allowed others to continue the battle against the Customer Product Safety Improvement Act, but I need to update those who follow Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap about an important event April 1.
I've heard about the CPSIA "people's hearing" in Washington D.C. from CPSIA-Central, and now by Walter Olson in Overlawyered. Everyone needs to read the complete blog entry, but here's the first paragraph from that post:
Coming up April 1, but not a joke: Since Henry Waxman and other CPSIA defenders on Capitol Hill are still stonewalling demands for hearings on the law’s catastrophic effects, some citizen-activists are preparing an alternative event for the nation’s capital in which persons from many affected constituencies will have a chance to tell their stories; there may also be “rally” activities, as well as events in other states for those who find it more convenient to protest there. Rick Woldenberg has details. Rob Wilson has created a fledgling Facebook event page and a new domain with email: hearings - at - cpsiahearings - dot - com.
Amy Ridenour declares Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) the "winner" of the Outrage of the Day because he refuses to hold hearings on the CPSIA.
Ms. Ridenour puts the law in perspective when she states Congress adopted the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 in part because it (Congress) has no idea what it is doing. She continues by saying "that's what happens when lawmakers vote on bills no one has read, coming from an ideological bias that the bigger governement grows, the better we'll be. However, she continues, "that's no excuse for not revisiting the issue now that the truth is kicking many people in the teeth."
When, and if, anyone contacts Rep. Waxman, he tells the person that he'll get to it later. Why is Waxman waiting? He wants a new chairman to be appointed, now by President Obama, who will be on Waxman's side and keep the CPSIA in effect, destroying children and small businesses in the process.
Please find ways to support the fight against the CPSIA. Children need books, those published now and those before 1985. Children need bikes (who has heard of a child becoming deathly ill by eating the tires or other parts of a bike -- well, guess eating anything like that would make them sick, IF they could manage to ingest such parts).
IF you can, join the protest in Washington D.C. If you can't, send more messages to members of Congress, the President, anyone in power.
The war still rages, and we could lose more rights if we don't win.
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5 comments:
Best of luck with this, Vivian. I wish I had time to help, but health problems and too many blogs have me totally tied up.
Jean
Diary of Murder
I have serious health issues, too, Jean, and multiple obligations. Yet if we don't do something, then we will be the ones who suffer.
We either take part in the battle, or we help bring our own defeat.
That's why I still contact my Congress people from time to time and why I blog occasionally about the problem.
I'll send more letters, too. I got a reply from one of our congressmen the other day that was pretty bizarre. I wrote about CPSIA and his reply didn't even mention it. He just had diarreah of the mouth, in one ear, out the other. ***sigh*** But, I'll keep trying!
I agree, even with everything that is going on in our lives as it is - I have work, family and many books to write in order to get them published, I still have to fight for my rights and I know we are being heard because Waxman is so oppositional about everyone going against him. If he weren't so adamant that there is nothing wrong with CPSIA as it is written, he wouldn't be trying so hard to get Nancy off CPSC, and the only reason he's trying so hard to get her taken off is because there have been many calls and letters coming in opposing him and his beliefs, and he thinks he's the only one worth having a say. We have to keep reminding the lawmakers in Washington that they work for us and that our voices need to be heard and they should have to do as we say since we put them in office and we can very easily take them out of office (as long as they continue signing things without reading or understanding what it is they are signing and without consulting with the American public and the constituents).
It takes a few minutes to blog about this issue and to make contact (either by calling an office directly or filling out a form email online) in order to be heard. If you want to reap the benefits of having your books out there, even though they are not children's books, in the long run, every consumer will be affected. This was posted a good bit back in January and February and my feeling about the whole thing is that with everything going on - the new stimulus plan, the CPSIA and all - we have taken too many steps backward and will end up back in the stone ages. It will be sad that you as an adult who probably does not have any children in the home at this time, will not even be able to afford the clothing you like because of a stupid law that is supposed to protect the children but will in the long run be hurting everyone (eliminate one product geared for children and see how much the cost of the adult items goes up). Every person of legal voting age and who has voted needs to continue to fight this battle, children or not in their home or in the families. This is not just going to affect the children's market.
((((((steps off soapbox - sorry))))) - but it does aggravate me that folks think this will not affect them and that they don't have time to contact their representatives and let them know that this law needs to be fixed or repealed or totally rewritten.
I say contact everyone and let all your friends, family and acquaintances know that even though there is a small stay, that come next year, we will be fighting it again if something isn't done now. E :)
Thanks for the heads-up, Vivian. I'm certainly following the CPSIA disaster as much as I can.
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