CPSIA: Proudly Burning Books for Your Child's Safety

Please read this important letter and pass it on to anyone and everyone you can think of, including your friends, customers, co-workers, bloggers etc.
Our plea to amend the CPSIA so that hand-crafters and small businesses can survive,has made it through to the final round of voting on change.org. Please take a moment to vote now and bring this important issue to President-Elect Obama on Inauguration Day.

Dear Customers, Artists, & Friends,

Much has been accomplished since I was last in touch regarding the CPSIA. Thousands of small businesses and citizens have banded together to fight the pending demise of handmade children's goods- the CPSIA facebook page I created less than a month ago, now has close to 6,000 members, and is gaining steadily every day. Our cause has been covered by dozens in the media-featured in at least 9 news articles in the past week alone. And we made it through to the final round of voting on change.org. This is all testament to the incredible power of ordinary citizens when faced with dire circumstances.

We may never fully know how this crazy law was allowed to pass, but one thing is for certain:
Our liberty and right to self-sustainability is not something we are willing to hand over in exchange for shallow and superficial promises of child safety. This law will not make children safer, but it WILL force thousands of United States businesses to shut their doors if passed as is, on February 10, 2009. Among other things, the CPSIA will forbid the sale of used children's books, clothing and toys; in a few short weeks these items will be considered contraband. Disturbingly, some used children's stores say they plan to go out of business. I have also heard from some crafters who have already ceased production or plan to shortly. We can not let American small business disappear.

If you are considering shutting your doors, please reconsider. On difficult days, I myself have questioned whether my company will be able to survive this, but when I think about all that is at stake -our children most important of all- I am reminded that giving up is not an option.

Please join me in continuing the fight to maintain our freedom to make beautiful-and safe-goods for children in the United States of America. Together, we CAN and we WILL win!

Cecilia Leibovitz
CraftsburyKids.com
handmade for childhood
ceci (AT) craftsburykids.com

Please pass this letter on to anyone and everyone you can think of, including your friends, customers, co-workers, bloggers etc.
Our plea to amend the CPSIA so that hand-crafters and small businesses can survive, has made it through to the final round of voting on change.org. Please take a moment to vote now and bring this important issue to President-Elect Obama on Inauguration Day.

Comments

[schrenia]

The thing is, that it's already PASSED. It needs to be AMENDED before the date of implementation. It's already a law.

[Mandy]

I think this is a bipartisan issue if there ever was one. Conservatives can get on board to protect small business, home-based business and the free market. Liberals can get on board to protect the environment and put a little hurt on multi-national corporations who stand to gain from wiping out their tiny competitors (not to mention that there are people who like both sets of reasoning). This is a great time to unite the grassroots and see that we have a lot in common on both sides of the isle!

[Steph]

This is extremely scary to read. I'm not in the US but even for those os us in other countries who sell handmade items to Americans through etsy etc it's going to affect our businesses. Plus the thought of a whole country losing access to handmade toys and even second hand books is one step removed from throwing people back into the dark ages.

[Pamela Kramer]

Thank you for spreading the word to your readers.