Image: Pelham Library
Here is my response to an angry response to a common sense amendment that would save crafters and small businesses from the cpsia:
(you can read the post I'm responding to here- http://tinyurl.com/azoyj4)
I continue to be amazed at how often the dangers of lead and phthalates are used as a sort of shield by those in defense of CPSIA. Any fairly intelligent person can understand that these substances are highly inappropriate in the production of toys and other children's products, particularly for small children who tend to put everything into their mouths.
On the dangers of lead and phthalates we can all agree. It is imperative that we keep our children as safe as we can (no easy feat in this toxic world we've created). I will take the liberty of saying that on this too, we can all agree.
Now I ask you to explain to me how the CPSIA will keep children safe, and how exactly it addresses the problem at hand. And while you’re at it, show me one *American made* children’s product that has harmed a child due to the presence of lead or phthalates. And consider for a moment the cocktail of noxious poisons that is in just about every space your child inhabits. Who will protect you and your family? What are you doing to make a difference in our world?
There are those who put profit before people. In 2007 (and through much of our history as a country) the health and very lives of our children were treated as no more important than that of the tiniest insect. If you want to be angry, direct your emotion at the offenders. There were perfectly good regulations in place before CPSIA. The big players BROKE THE LAW. Only these criminals will be left standing if we do not support our American crafts-people. We need to make it easy for Americans to do business, not impossible.
Forget the fact that this will allow our people to earn money enough to pay their mortgages, buy groceries, and pay that dental bill; those greed driven extras we all want, you know. Instead try to imagine how pathetic things will be, and how low you will have sunk, when you are only able to purchase toys and other children's products from the very people who thought nothing of poisoning your children in the first place.
We crafters and small business people, who offer your children not just safe, but ethically produced products meant to enhance their lives, are in your court. We're on your side, and we care so much about the children of this world. Kill us, and you will be left with a society completely stripped of its personality, intellect, and diversity.
Every day I look around and realize we are one step closer to becoming real life inhabitants of the film Idiocracy. In this fictional United States, water is no longer used to nurture our bodies and crops; instead a vividly colored Gatorade-like drink replaces it, and the citizens wonder why nothing will grow, though they don't notice how stupid they've all become. Now our government is telling us which books to read to our children. Next, will we be told who among us can breathe the air?
Don't insult my intelligence by hiding behind "the children." I am quite aware of the dangers of lead and phthalates. Let's not pretend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is a common sense law that's going to protect our children from harm. Read it, read it, and read it again. I'm confident that if you do so, you will understand where the real danger lies, and you will agree that our children deserve so much more.
