I've gotta admit, I'm late on this one - not having children I paid little attention to the headlines.
I can't say it any better than the opening words of an L.A. Times story -
Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing. The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story
This is the result of the The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. I have a copy of the Act and have tried to read it and make sense of it. Its almost impossible. If you ever want a glimpse of just how horrifically disfunctional our government has become, click here - http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsia.pdf - and try reading it for yourself.
Disclaimer - this thing is so convoluted and hard to follow that I am forced to rely on the guidance of others as to what it actually says. It is entirely possible that I'm incorrect in my analysis. Wasn't the issuance of unintelligible laws that the people could not decipher one of the grievances against the king in the years leading up to the American Revolution?
From what I can gather, it appears that the Act will require pretty much everything for use on or by a child to be tested for lead and other harmful chemicals. This is where the tyranny of good intentions takes over. Obviously, people do not want to give or use harmful things on their children. How can you argue with that? The problem is that it appears that the law applies to ALL of these products, regardless of when they were manufactured. Thus, anyone selling second-hand or hand-made items for children must have the items tested for lead and other harmful chemicals or face severe federal penalties.
At a time when we are on the verge of a massive recession/depression (CAUSED by the government, I might add) and more and more people needing to save all the money they can, this Act is set to put an end to buying and selling used children's clothes at thrift shops, consignment shops, e-bay, flea markets, etc.
The really sad part is that this is not the result of a single politician pulling a 'fast-one' and slipping something into another bill. This Act started in the House as H.R. 4040 and had a smooth 106 co-sponsonsors and passed the House without a single 'nay' vote (it passed the Senate with 79 'ayes', 13 'nays', and 8 'not present'). That's right - 106 people wanted their names on this bill to show how much they care about the children. Nice job folks. And these are the people running all of the "bail-outs." Won't you sleep better tonight?
Why is it so difficult for so many Americans to see that Washington is the problem and not the solution?
2 weeks ago
4 comments:
This law is absurd! I am a mom now and I love hand-me-downs when it comes to children's clothes. There are outfits my son will grow out of before he gets a chance to wear them. Why not sell them in a yard sale or take them to a consignment shop? It is an opportunity for someone to grab good clothing for their child at a fraction of the department store price and it helps the clothing owner make a little money for future clothing purchases for their child.
I feel that the government spends way too much money and time researching crap. There is no other way to put it. Crap that doesn't make a difference and does not matter to anyone except people who have nothing else important going on in their lives and need a 'cause' to stand behind.
If you want to help kids and 'save' children from harm how about push for tougher laws on child predators and people who abuse their children...like the death penalty or court ordered castration. There is an idea. Protect them from the people actually doing them harm and punish those people severally, without any leniency.
I don't think the onesie my child has on today is the biggest danger in his life or ever will be.
The more I think about this, the more it stinks. Follow the money. Who stands to benefit the most from this law? The big retailers. It will force a lot of their competition out of business and force people to buy new rather than used items. I would be curious to know how much Target, Wal-Mart, etc., spent on lobbying as this bill was moving through Congress.
Oh, and before you use this analysis to start blaming greedy capitalists, bear in mind that the capitalist is only taking advantage of the political system to his advantage. The problem isn't the capitalist, its the system.
For a group that is always on television crying about the welfare of children...I just read a couple days ago that they are kicking around the idea of slapping a $175 tax per head of cattle because they fart too much. When that happens, guess who's going to pay for it? Parents who are buying milk for their kids. And now this? No more used clothes? Everything is disposable...must always buy new things. Aldous Huxley, please call your office...
The law has been amended.
http://www.birminghambizguide.com/landing.asp?url=New%20Child%20Law%20Effect%20February%202009
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