Garage-sale law working pretty much as intended
IE, destroying small businesses and helping out big ones with influence over the corrupt lawmakers who protect them:
Hi Ed-
Thanks for posting about the CPSIA. Garage Sale police aren’t the only insane parts of this law…I make and sell small stuffed teething giraffes for babies (or anyone else cutting a tooth). My giraffes are made from 100% cotton fabric, stuffing made from a synthetic fiber made from corn, and thread. That’s it. Nothing toxic about that, right? Well, according to the law, I have to lead test each batch of giraffes I make. I make them in batches of 10-12 because I’m a small time producer (and I get bored easily). That’s about $300-500 per batch. BUT I also have to test them for a plastic additive called Phthalates because the item is intended to go in a baby’s mouth. Never mind the fact that there is nothing plastic in any of the materials I use to make my giraffes. That’s about $800-1200 per batch. Now you’re talking a pretty expensive teething toy.
I testified before a subcommittee of the Small Business Committee in the house in May, and there have been some exceptions made to the law by the CPSC in how they’re going to enforce it, but the law also deputizes every single state Attorney General to go after offenders. By law I’m still not in compliance.
The sad thing is that this hits little old ladies that make blankies and lovies to give away to kids in the ER. And the little hats they knit for newborns in the hospital. It hits small potatoes businesses like mine who already make safe products. It’s sad, really. And the law does absolutely nothing to keep kids safer than they were under the original lead laws.
Oh, and the companies like Mattel who imported all the lead-tainted toys that started this fuss? They get to police themselves. Awesome, huh?
Yeah. Awesome. If you’re a Democrat Socialist moron who wants the federal G in control of everydamnedthing.
- Entries
Various leftists have been freaking out about conglomerates "killing Main St." for most of the last 30 years (at least since I've been paying attention) and here we have them doing it worse than even Wal Mart could do in their most fevered nightmares.
And the cherry on the doughnut? Me being insulted for being against this because it's for Teh Children.
Funniest End of Civilization Ever.
We're releasing terrorists left and right but at least we're cracking down on the deadly Grandma's Blankie threat!
Another novel-length, unread law full of unintended consequences, job-killing, mind-numbing regulations and favors to the powerful which only marginally addresses the problem while growing the size and scope of government--this is getting to be a habit with this Congress.