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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Showing posts with label Overlawyered. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Overlawyered. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
CPSIA update, sort of
I started a group on CPSIA - Central about the effect of the CPSIA on books, producers, sellers, users, schools, and libraries. Interest was greater than I expected, and today on Overlawyered, Walter Olson embedded a link to the OPSIA - Central group. "There’s also a page at cpsia-central (the Ning group) on books and libraries."
I'm not engaged in the trenches of this war any more because I've had to cut back on at least some of the stress in my life (my doctors -- primary and cardiologist -- insist I need to), but I still read and keep track of the battles being waged. The problem still exists and isn't improving. In fact, the scheduled hearing with small business owners to address the impact on them was canceled and is not going to be rescheduled.
The war against the CPSIA needs some media coverage from major newspapers, magazines, radio, and/or television stations. However, what little has been printed in most small papers downplays the seriousness of the problem. Why is the media essentially helping Waxman and company to cover up the damage this law has caused already and will continue to cause?
Books are being destroyed. Small toy businesses are closing their doors. Suppliers of home schooling material can't stay in business.
From Overlaywered: "Community Homestead is a center for developmentally disabled adults in rural Wisconsin that has sold residents’ handcraft toys." The community supports itself through the winter months by creating toys, and now the law will put countless independent businesses, particularly of hand crafted toys, out of business, including Community Homestead.
And the voice of reason continues to be gagged by the media and supporters of this poorly written and researched law.
Please keep fighting.
.
I'm not engaged in the trenches of this war any more because I've had to cut back on at least some of the stress in my life (my doctors -- primary and cardiologist -- insist I need to), but I still read and keep track of the battles being waged. The problem still exists and isn't improving. In fact, the scheduled hearing with small business owners to address the impact on them was canceled and is not going to be rescheduled.
The war against the CPSIA needs some media coverage from major newspapers, magazines, radio, and/or television stations. However, what little has been printed in most small papers downplays the seriousness of the problem. Why is the media essentially helping Waxman and company to cover up the damage this law has caused already and will continue to cause?
Books are being destroyed. Small toy businesses are closing their doors. Suppliers of home schooling material can't stay in business.
From Overlaywered: "Community Homestead is a center for developmentally disabled adults in rural Wisconsin that has sold residents’ handcraft toys." The community supports itself through the winter months by creating toys, and now the law will put countless independent businesses, particularly of hand crafted toys, out of business, including Community Homestead.
And the voice of reason continues to be gagged by the media and supporters of this poorly written and researched law.
Please keep fighting.
.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Will we lose a treasure of children's lit?
Overlayered had an interesting post yesterday, about the impact of the "clarification" from the CPSA about the impact of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) on the irreplaceable treasury of children's literture.
(Yes, the CPSIA is still alive and way too well, and only continued pressure will change anything since the House voted to keep the CPSIA as is.)
From Overlawyered: As readers are aware, the Consumer Product Safety Commission yesterday advised thrift stores and other resellers and distributors of used goods to discard (unless they wished to test for lead or take other typically unpractical steps such as contacting manufacturers) children’s books printed before 1985 and a very wide range of other children’s products, including apparel and playthings.
Already, thrift stores, resale stores, and used bookstores are destroying books printed before 1985: books which cannot be replaced because most no longer have needed plates to reprint, and which were out of print before the digital age.
Quoting from Overlawyered again: A “relabel everything as collectible” strategy is, however, of limited legal help to retailers, because the law provides that they are liable if they sell a product which will commonly be understood as destined for use by children, whether or not they label it as such.
So I ask, "Will we lose a treasure of children's literature? Will our children and their children and their children's children be the ones most harmed?"
Only we can change this terribly poorly crafted law -- by continuing to apply pressure on our Senators, Representatives, officials, and the CPSA. If we lessen our efforts, the law will take its toll on our nation in ways that can never be undone.
.
(Yes, the CPSIA is still alive and way too well, and only continued pressure will change anything since the House voted to keep the CPSIA as is.)
From Overlawyered: As readers are aware, the Consumer Product Safety Commission yesterday advised thrift stores and other resellers and distributors of used goods to discard (unless they wished to test for lead or take other typically unpractical steps such as contacting manufacturers) children’s books printed before 1985 and a very wide range of other children’s products, including apparel and playthings.
Already, thrift stores, resale stores, and used bookstores are destroying books printed before 1985: books which cannot be replaced because most no longer have needed plates to reprint, and which were out of print before the digital age.
Quoting from Overlawyered again: A “relabel everything as collectible” strategy is, however, of limited legal help to retailers, because the law provides that they are liable if they sell a product which will commonly be understood as destined for use by children, whether or not they label it as such.
So I ask, "Will we lose a treasure of children's literature? Will our children and their children and their children's children be the ones most harmed?"
Only we can change this terribly poorly crafted law -- by continuing to apply pressure on our Senators, Representatives, officials, and the CPSA. If we lessen our efforts, the law will take its toll on our nation in ways that can never be undone.
.
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