CPSIA – A Comment Not to be Missed

From Anonymous : “I have to say, as a lifelong Democrat, this whole CPSIA thing makes me feel incredibly powerful! You have to admit that to be able to, during a deep recession, force the American people to pay the immense administration costs of the CPSC due to the CPSIA, while burying business in mountains of red tape and testing expense, and to do so while EXPLICITLY STATING that they have no obligation to show efficacy and in the face of a huge body of evidence that the CPSIA will accomplish little in terms of real safety is…Powerful! As a registered Democrat I practically feel I am becoming one with the force. You Republicans can join the force too. All you have to do is close your mind, admit that evidence (when it contradicts your cherished gut feelings) is overrated, and join the Democratic Party. Then you too can blatantly screw the American people.”

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CPSIA – A Comment Not to be Missed

CPSIA – The CPSIA Testing "Dilemma"

As the House considers how to move a CPSIA Amendment forward, the issue of third party testing looms large.

CPSIA – Three Dem CPSC Commissioners Accuse Industry (You) of Dosing Kids with Lead

In a revolting display of cowardly fear mongering, the three Democratic CPSC Commissioners yesterday wrote the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade to protest the proposed CPSIA amendment.  In this letter, in defense of the lead-in-substrate provisions, the Dems sow fear by suggesting what you might do: “The CPSIA set one of the most protective lead limits for children’s products in the world. The public health community continues to hold its overwhelming consensus: There is no safe level of lead.   We oppose any change in the law that would lead to an increase in the DOSES OF LEAD to which our children are exposed on a daily basis, particularly when the marketplace has for the most part already adjusted to lower lead levels and is well on its way to getting the lead out of children’s products .” [Emphasis added] Hmmmm.  Apparently we evil toymakers, sinister educational product makers, monstrous t-shirt and jeans producers, venal shoemakers, diabolic rhinestone merchants, demonic ATV purveyors, fiendish motocross enthusiasts, vile vending machine operators, corrupt jewelers, slimy resale shop owners, worthless book publishers, perverse pen companies, satanic carpet weavers – we all are just waiting for the CPSC to look the other way so we can “dose” children with lead.   This kind of asinine accusation normally would be something to deride and lampoon in this space, but in this case frankly, it’s not at all funny.  Here you have three CPSC Commissioners with a majority vote (including Chairman Inez Tenenbaum) going national with serious, maligning insults of our values and our integrity.  They can hardly restrain themselves – they go further to assert that we have only “for the most part adjusted” to the new rules – you know, by firing people, cutting products, withdrawing from markets. This is your “leadership” on the Commission.  I want to vomit. CPSC Commissioners are appointed by the Senate.  I wonder if a better word is “planted”. The letters make clear where children have lead exposure risk.  Lead in D.C. tap water, no, that’s fine – what can anybody do about THAT?  House paint, environmental sources – nah!  No, the real problem is industry and its “dosing” through children’s products.  The last line of defense is the CPSIA.  The three Dem Commissioners put it succinctly – change the law and poison children. Better to over-regulate than under-regulate because it’s a zero-sum game, right?  As usual, the Dems don’t mention that THEY CAN’T PRODUCE EVEN ONE INJURY VICTIM FROM LEAD-IN-SUBSTRATE IN CHILDREN’S PRODUCTS.  There are more than 50 million children in this country in the regulated age group and no one can find a single injury victim – EVER. Nonetheless they apparently think it’s perfectly fine to wag their fingers at us and accuse us of unspeakable acts.   Who’d say anything, anyhow?  Won’t get fooled again. . . . I guess we have a hint here how these people might vote on the technological feasibility of 100 ppm.  Giving them an extra year to lower the boom won’t do anything to protect my employees or my customers – they are TELLING US that the die is cast.  That’s because you and I apparently want to “dose” children with lead the first chance we get!  They reinforce the hyperbolic tone by standing pat on the age limits under the CPSIA – we NEED the 12 year old limit.  Why? Because Mommy says so.  Junk science to the rescue! We can’t have kids eating their ATVs, can we? Does anyone wonder why trust in this agency is destroyed beyond repair?  Who in the business community would ever expect to get a fair shake from these consumer group front men?  Government for all us?  Hardly. Defending themselves on a weak point, the Dems contend they are sympathetic to small business. Myself, I can’t measure commitment by limp and syrupy words of consolation – I look at what they do, not what they say.  These people have done precisely ZIPPO for small business after three years of begging, pleading, screaming.  I am tired of hearing about how much they CARE about small business. [Guess who drafted the letter?] As a friend of mine used to say, it’s bullpucky. Here’s a shocker:  I actually agree with one thing these people say – that parents deserve safe products regardless of who makes them. Of course that makes sense (no one cares whether a tortfeasor is a big company or a small company) which is why I want sensible standards that apply equally to everyone. In this case, the government should stop telling us how to run our businesses.  Make a reasonable set of standards based on a real and defined “substantial product hazard” standard and go from there.  This is parent-friendly and quite workable for small business. Of course, my suggestion would make these Democrats much less important and certainly less heroic.  Their letter makes clear who “saved” America – the CPSIA, the Dems in Congress and the Dems on the Commission.  They’re the ones who really CARE.   Won’t get fooled again . . . . Fittingly, the letter wraps up with words dripping with insincerity:  ”Nevertheless, while it is true that no one, including us, wishes to over-regulate, similarly we cannot support under-protecting the American consumer, particularly our nation’s children.” In other words, the Democrat Commissioners are daring Congress to loosen the nose around out necks and are prepared to blame them if anything goes wrong. This also provides cover for zealot Senators who will make sure you have a great opportunity to go bankrupt or remain under the thumb of their out-of-control agency.  I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say it looks like a conspiracy – Democrats against you. It would be wrong to call this letter disillusioning.  That happened a long time ago.  It also conveys little new information. Anyone truly shocked by this letter by these authors has been asleep at the wheel for the last three years.  This merely confirms or updates what we already knew.  I don’t have a solution to people like this running the show.  I can’t do anything about it.  One of them, Thomas Moore, is now about six months past the end of his term.  Maybe Congress forgot about him.   Pay attention today.  The stakes are high and getting higher.  The CPSC is working against you.  We will need keep fighting to survive.

The rest is here:
CPSIA – Three Dem CPSC Commissioners Accuse Industry (You) of Dosing Kids with Lead

CPSIA – House Hearings Questions about Rock Labels

Rep Butterfield questioned me about whether we REALLY needed to place labels on our rock kits indicating that our rocks might contain lead. As you may recall, I wrote about this last week and provided the clear explanation that the CPSIA bans the sale of any children’s product which has components that may contain lead. That includes rocks in rock kits. Oops. I have embedded the clip of his query below, followed by a clip where Rep. Cassidy (a medical doctor) attempts to clarify the situation further.

I think it is important to note that Mr. Butterfield was making a point he believed in. He was gracious to me and my children before the hearing and I don’t wish to question his intelligence here. I mean no insult or disrespect. Actually, the implication of his question is significant. He had days to study up on this question (he had a copy of my remarks in advance) and relied on Democratic counsel to the committee to analyze this legal point. He and his lawyers got it plainly wrong. As you will see below, Nancy Cowles also fumbled this same ball. The law CLEARLY requires this label of me, and it’s THEIR law (the CPSIA). So what do I conclude? The Dems and the safety zealots don’t understand the workings of the law they so vigorously defend. I believe this speaks directly to the challenge operating businesses face. If the authors don’t get it, how are we supposed to? The answer is self-evident.

The question of WHY they continue to push so hard for a law they don’t understand remains open. I don’t think we can assert that they are bad people or dumb. If that’s the case, and it is, what are they up to? I will chip away at this point in coming days.

Rep. Butterfield on rocks:

Rep. Cassidy on rocks:

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CPSIA – House Hearings Questions about Rock Labels

CPSIA – Feb 10th Approaches and the CSPC Sucks Its Thumb

How do you feel when someone you depend on treats you inconsiderately? Think of a co-worker, a partner, a family member. Think of a situation where through their own disorganization or self-absorption, your closest associates let you sweat it out, flap in the wind. Worry mounts, pressure builds – but nothing happens.

Do you like it? Does it build confidence in that relationship?

We are experiencing this phenomenon once again with our trusted partner in safety, the CPSC. The expiration of the testing and certification stay is due to occur in about two weeks now on February 10th. The conditions precedent to lifting the stay, namely completion of the hilariously-named “15 Month Rule” (it was due to be completed on November 14, 2009) and the components testing rule, were not completed. These two rules were issued in draft form earlier in 2010 and after howls of protest . . . nothing. Did this affect the CPSC’s plans? Apparently not. No action, no comment. Silence. [The Republican Commissioners have been talking about it but don't have the votes to force movement. Safety IS a partisan issue, it turns out.]

With mere days to go, the CPSC is letting thousands of businesses plan for unknown contingencies. What rules will apply? What will the world look like if the stay is lifted and these critical rules are not settled? Even worse, would the Commission jam through clearly defective rules just to “save face”?

It seems that the shabby treatment we get from the CPSC has hit rock bottom . . . and they have started to dig. O wonderful world.

The last time the Commission faced this question, they acted on December 9, 2009 to extend the stay for a year to February 10, 2011. In other words, they did not let the children’s product market flap in the wind and gave ten weeks notice that disaster was not looming. Of course, their extension of the stay was designed to permit finalization of rules that, ummm, they never finished.

So now they prefer to jerk us around, rather than face the music and admit their own failures. This is politicians behaving badly, to save their own reputation at the expense of your business and your market. Better that you should suffer than that they should look bad. Or incompetent. Accountability is not part of the lexecon.

All is not lost, however. Rep. Darrell Issa is calling over oversight on over-regulation, and the CPSC is on that list. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has also named the CPSIA as the top priority of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Agenda. The government is listening. Is the CPSC?

What will happen? One thing’s for sure, you will find out soon. If the Commission extends the stay, as they should, the wolf will move away from the door. Even if that happens, however, the CPSC should be shamed. They are now in the middle of the third year of implementation of a defective law and have yet to admit that it can’t be done. That’s their real crime – the sin of denial. The solution requires political bravery – standing up to Mr. Waxman and Mr. Pryor and telling them the TRUTH. The Democratic leadership at this agency failed that test and re-fail it every day as they persist in sustaining the illusion that the law makes sense or is workable.

Stay tuned!

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CPSIA – Feb 10th Approaches and the CSPC Sucks Its Thumb

CPSIA – Reasons to be Optimistic

With just a couple days left in 2010, a desolate year of long frustration, the new Congress is already stirring on the CPSIA front. On Thursday, January 6th, the Republican staff of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is hosting a bipartisan working group session on proposed fixes to the CPSIA. I will be attending, as will representatives of many interested stakeholder groups. It is my understanding that the Democrats have been invited as have some of their consumer advocate group allies.

It is worth noting that this meeting will be held in broad daylight with both sides at the same table. It appears that the Republicans are making a statement about changes in legislative process as well as changes in law. I think it’s high time that the legislative process emerge from the shadows and commend them for their approach.

It is also quite noteworthy that this meeting will take place on the FIRST day of the new Congress. The swearing-in ceremonies will take place on Jan. 5th in the afternoon. The next day the Energy and Commerce committee staff begin work on the CPSIA. You have to be impressed at the speed and seriousness that the Republicans are attempting to address this issue. Who says our government is broken?

The politics in Washington changed a lot at the midterm elections. Not only has the House changed hands, so the Waxman era ended, but elsewhere things are changing, too. In the Senate, perhaps a dozen Democratic Senators are facing reelection in this cycle and the Tea Party is still a major force. What will the likes of Mark Pryor think about their chances when their compadres (like Blanche Lincoln) have been so recently vanquished? Perhaps that will motivate a shift in approach. Will the Senate stiffen if a Republican House sends in a fair amendment of the CPSIA? The winds may finally be at our backs.

And then there’s the White House. It’s anybody’s guess what’s going on there, but there is reason to believe Mr. Obama is tacking toward the center. This is Clintonesque, a la 1994, and may be a trend that holds up. He has some tough choices to make, but the center may be a better place for him now. That suggests a greater willingness to cooperate with a bipartisan retooling of this law.

If Obama hugs the center line and if the Senate is feeling less unrelentingly liberal facing reelection in the Tea Party era, a serious amendment of this law is possible. It is even possible that these wave lengths will penetrate the CSPC Commission and all sorts of behaviors could change. O to dream . . . .

And we need the help, guys. The 15 Month Rule is a crisis waiting to happen, the testing and certification stay is due to expire on February 10 (in the middle of the Chinese New Year) and of course, there’s the 100 ppm lead standard looming in August. There’s a lot to address. Let’s hope this can move along quickly and put an end to this sorry chapter in our regulatory history.

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CPSIA – Reasons to be Optimistic

CPSIA – Save "Lost Souls", Vote for the Slanderbase!

The semi-religious mission of the safety zealots was on full display in today’s New York Times. In an article entitled “Deep Divisions as Vote Nears on Product Safety Database“, the Times profiled the controversy of the pending public database final rule approval (due on November 24th in a rubber stamp Commission session), highlighting on the idealist objectives of the database supporters. As per its typical leftist slant, the Times article gives scant credence to the legitimate concerns of manufacturers or the demonstrable consequences of the unrealistic Utopian vision underlying the CPSIA. After all, we manufacturers only care about money, right?

Every drama needs a hero, villain and victim. The public database controversy has all the right elements – manufacturers and Republicans as “villains”, consumer groups and Democrats as “heroes” and consumers as “victims”. Positioned this way, why would anyone ever support manufacturers? Who would want to even listen to the black hats? Hmmm. Good strategy, Naderites!

Consider the illustration used in the article – Michele Witte suffered the unspeakable horror of losing her child in a crib death. She asserts that the database might have saved her child. Perhaps that is true, perhaps it is not. Nothing can salve the wounds she has suffered . . . but that does not make the database a good idea. [I might feel differently about the database if, for instance, it was limited to deaths.]

The implication that the database is necessary to protect consumers is not a well-examined assertion. There is already a lot of data available to consumers. For instance, the CPSC maintains a massive national injury database called NEISS. A search of crib injuries on the NEISS database for 2009 (classes 1543-1545) reveals 572 reports which extrapolates into a national injury estimate (for 2009 ALONE) of 16,537 incidents.

Here are a few representative NEISS entries (the first five in the above sample):

- CHILD FELL 3 FEET OUT OF CRIB AND LANDED ON TILE FLOOR. CRIED IMMEDIATELY. D:CHI, FOREHEAD HEMATOMA.
- PT FELL WHILE TRYING TO CLIMB FROM HIS CRIB. LANDED ON L SHOULDER ON THE FLOOR. FELL 4 FT. CRIES WHEN PICKED UP UNDER ARM.
- PT FELL OUT OF HER CRIB AND STRUCK HER HEAD. NO LOC. CRIED IMMED. NOW ACTING NORMALLY.
- FELL OUT OF CRIB. DX HEAD INJURY
- PT STANDING UP IN CRIB, FELL BACKWARD AND HIT HEAD ON CRIB, NO LOC BUT MOM STATES PT HAD DAZED LOOK AND HAS BEEN LETHARGIC; HEAD INJURY

Did you learn a lot from this information? Can you verify that it’s true? Can you see ANY issues with attaching (unverified) product identities to this unverified and uninvestigated data? Are you a plaintiff’s attorney?

What are the zealots saying to justify their support of the database in the face of persistent and rational criticism of its design? Commissioner Bob Adler, former Henry Waxman staffer and longtime board member of Consumers Union, sums it up:

“Some folks are worried more about lost sales and not worried enough about lost souls.“

So, in other words, Adler condescendingly asserts that people like me are only concerned with MONEY. Instead, he claims that what’s really at stake here are “lost souls”. What is Adler talking about? Here’s what Wikipedia says about “souls”:

“A soul, in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions, is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans are souls; some attribute souls to all living things and even to inanimate objects (such as rivers); this belief is commonly called animism. The soul is often believed to exit the body and live on after a person’s death, and some religions posit that God creates souls.” [Emphasis added]

Mr. Adler’s POV makes the question of having a federal database a moral imperative. Wow, now that’s a heavy decision – souls are at stake! Furthermore, Mr. Adler positions those who support the database as moral people and those who oppose it as immoral money-grubbers who prize financial well-being over the safety of consumers. Ugh. I would hate to be a Republican Commissioner voting against the final public database rule with Mr. Adler’s curse hanging over my head! Ouch.

Catching on to the theme, Ami Gadhia of Consumers Union, chimes in: “It’s a slow death . . . . [The] information never gets out in the public.” [Emphasis added] Death . . . souls . . . database! Do I hear a new slogan???

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, ever sensitive to criticism, archly defends the agency’s effort to dialogue with people like me. Please recall that part of their “outreach” was to ask me to spend our company’s money to fly to Washington, D.C. to give testimony on the public database. Matt Howsare, Tenenbaum’s then Counsel and now Chief of Staff, told me that they needed more perspective from manufacturers and kindly asked me to prepare testimony. As previously noted, NOTHING that I said in my testimony was adopted or used in any way apparent to me. The NYT notes:

“The commission chairwoman, Inez Tenenbaum, disputed the idea that manufacturers’ concerns had not been properly considered. She said the agency offered numerous forums for comment and some of those ideas were incorporated into the final proposal. ‘We have been abundantly fair,’ Ms. Tenenbaum said.” [Emphasis added]

Apparently, testimony at a CPSC hearing is meant as an outlet for venting, not for listening. That’s “abundantly fair”, we are assured. Makes you wonder what “unfair” might look like . . . .

[A Senate Commerce Committee CPSC oversight hearing is said to be in the offing for next week. One fantasizes that they may take an interest in this issue, but the Senate is still a Dem stronghold. Don't hold your breath. Expect self-congratulatory positioning by the self-serving and deaf Dems.]

Consumer groups are portraying manufacturers demands for Constitutionally-guaranteed due process and other appropriate procedural safeguards as a grab for “advantage”. In other words, procedural safeguards for manufacturers are not legitimate protectible interests in light of the POSSIBILITY that consumers may glean some useful information among the garbage that will accumulate in the “post-it-and-forget-it” slanderbase being put up by the agency. Again, the NYT provides the bully pulpit for the zealots:

“Consumer advocates suggested the opponents were trying to weaken the database to protect business interests. ‘They have a great deal now, and I think they are trying to maintain the status quo by levying these unfounded arguments,’ said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America.” [Emphasis added]

If ever-disingenuous Rachel Weintraub is saying that we Americans have a “great deal” because we enjoy the protections of the Bill of Rights and other Constitutionally-guaranteed rights protecting groups and individuals against persecution and excessive governmental power, I agree. I agree heartily – and don’t want to lose those essential legal protections that form an important basis for our investments. Please REMEMBER, everyone loses something when ANYONE loses their legitimate legal protections. Btw, Bob Adler is a lawyer and a former Scholar in Ethics and Law at the business school at UNC Chapel Hill . . . .

Mr. Adler plays a little fast and loose with his database concepts. Apparently, it’s okay to put garbage into the database because the government “disclaims” its accuracy:

“Mr. Adler, the Democratic commissioner, said the database was not meant to be a legal forum like a court but more like a catalog of consumer experiences. He noted that a disclaimer on the database said the commission did not guarantee its accuracy. ‘”I put my baby in a diaper and my baby developed a rash.” That goes up. It’s an early warning system to alert other consumers,’ Mr. Adler said.”

Ahem: “But Ms. Nord said the proposal remained far too vague. She cited the recent case of Pampers Dry Max, made by Procter & Gamble, in which thousands of parents asserted that the diapers were causing their babies to get a rash. A commission investigation found no link between the diapers and the rashes. ‘We would have posted all these complaints about them even though they proved to be wrong,’ Ms. Nord said.”

Any idea why the CPSC “must” put up such a controversial database? The zealots know that there is legal risk in hosting a database that may include erroneous information or information that might slander manufacturers or tortiously interfere with commerce. They know this might violate manufacturers’ legal rights and could lead to lawsuits – and don’t want the legal liability or the hassle. How to get the data and avoid the legal problems? Get the government to host the legally-dubious information! Clever – but not necessarily in the interests of consumers or American markets.

Is the CPSC supposed to provide Mr. Adler’s catalog of “consumer experiences”? Is that part of its mission? [Readers of my blog know that] I realize we have a right of Freedom of Speech (check out the Bill of Rights), but is the federal government really supposed to foster that Freedom of Speech? I appreciate that Mr. Adler thinks a consumer “experiences” database is a really good idea (I disagree) but since when do our tax dollars need to be used to provide it? Is that the only option that makes sense? And that goes double for such a dangerous proposal that presents the realistic prospect of discouraging investment and other economic activity.

So many words wasted on people who won’t listen. Expect a “spirited” debate on the database as foreplay followed by the 3-2 partisan screwing that masquerades as safety administration these days. The song plays on . . . .

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CPSIA – Save "Lost Souls", Vote for the Slanderbase!

CPSIA – Vote on Database DELAYED

The CPSC Commission vote on the public database scheduled for tomorrow has been delayed until the day before Thanksgiving (November 24th). Talk about Turkey Day . . . .

We have seen delays like this in the past. These pauses generally reflect infighting among the Commissioners. Don’t be fooled by the squabbling – it doesn’t mean that any light bulbs are going on. The Commissioners know exactly what they’re doing when they install a database gift wrapped for trial lawyers. The Democratic majority and Republican minority may be on different sides but neither group is dumb – they don’t buy the baloney that the leftist consumer advocates fling around – they know it isn’t “extremely difficult” to keep your family safe from “dangerous products”, they know that American consumers have many ways and places to share negative experiences with products online, they know that this venue will be an abasement of basic due process rights of manufacturers. They get it – they know they will be sending us down the river when they adopt this rule.

The difference is that the Republicans don’t want to send us down the river. The Dems show absolutely NO SIGN of caring. The outcome of the vote is certain. So is the eventual loss of more jobs.

So what’s the point of the delay? Why not just get it over with? The extra week gives them more time to bicker among themselves. Perhaps that gives the appearance of dialogue and “debate”. Then they will pull the trigger.

You can guess where the bullet will go.

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CPSIA – Vote on Database DELAYED

CPSIA – Report Abusive Database Rule to Eric Cantor!

Today, Republican CPSC Commissioners Nancy Nord and Anne Northup, noting the stifled debate orchestrated by Democratic CPSC Commissioners on the final public database rule (up for a vote on November 17th) and the toxic impact of that rule on the business community, have proposed their own alternative rule on the database.

I will provide a link HERE as soon as it is available. I believe the CPSC is currently mud wrestling over whether the Nord/Northup alternative proposal can be shown to you . . . the public. I think the Dems don’t think you are mature enough to be able to read it. Perhaps when you’re older . . . .

Here is Nancy Nord’s blogpost and Anne Northup’s blogpost relating to their proposed new rule. I also want to commend Ms. Northup’s three other blogposts on this topic, beginning on October 27. It is gratifying to see Commissioners taking political risk to do the right thing. Both Ms. Nord and Ms. Northup are taking a stand here. Let’s hope that fighting breaks out on other issues, too. We need the help.

This proposal by two Republican Commissioners is yet more shocking evidence that at today’s CPSC, safety and market integrity is an entirely partisan issue. Frankly, I don’t understand this and find it all so outrageous. In my view, this cartoonish standoff is ENTIRELY the fault of the Democrats who are stone deaf to the legitimate concerns of the business community. The hollow words of Inez Tenenbaum committing to “dialogue” with stakeholders makes me want to scream.

Consider, for instance, that I testified at the hearing on the database on November 10, 2009 at the personal request of Matt Howsare, Tenenbaum’s then counsel (now her Chief of Staff). Ms. Tenenbaum purportedly wanted my feedback on this critical proposal, and as it was related to me, the agency needed more comments from the business community. Naively, I spent our company’s money to fly to Washington to accommodate this seemingly reasonable request. I am accepting Fool of the Year nominations at this time. . . .

This hearing took place almost exactly ONE YEAR AGO – plenty of time for Ms. Tenenbaum to absorb my testimony. Listen to my testimony – did the majority take ANY of my points seriously? According to Nancy Nord, she was not allowed to ask at the October 20th Commission meeting about CPSC Staff’s conclusion that the rule would have an insignificant impact on small business – the ENTIRE focus of my testimony in November 2009. Don’t kid yourself, staff conclusions like this are are driven from ABOVE – from Ms. Tenenbaum and her political patrons. Ms. Nord was gaveled silent by the majority party – they had heard enough, I guess. Other issues impacting business interests from a fairness standpoint were also ignored or blunted.

This kind of treatment is completely outrageous. This example of government-out-of-control explains why the public spoke so profoundly last Tuesday. Nevertheless, the people running the shop at the CPSC didn’t hear you on Election Day. We MUST stop the Dem’s plan – unless you want to be eaten alive by trial lawyers. Listen to my testimony – it’s a road map to litigation doom.

Eric Cantor has called for substantially increasing Congressional oversight of the activities of federal agencies which he says are “now actively working to enact [President Obama's] agenda through agency regulations”. Could Tenenbaum, Adler and Co. be doing JUST THAT at the CPSC right now? Hmmm.

Please WRITE ERIC CANTOR to tell him what you think. His fax number is 202-225-0011. Please post your letter as a comment to this blog.

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CPSIA – Report Abusive Database Rule to Eric Cantor!

CPSIA – Election Day is FINALLY Here

810 days have passed since ANY Democrat in Congress did ANYTHING to help us on the CPSIA.

ELECTION DAY IS TOMORROW.

[Here's the long version of this clip, with people screaming out the windows "I'm as Mad As Hell and I'm NOT going to TAKE THIS anymore!"]

Tuesday is the BIG DAY, guys. We have an opportunity to pay back the perpetrators of the CPSIA in the voting booth. Don’t miss this opportunity – it’s your right as a citizen, speak out and tell them where you stand. Ideally, make them PAY with their jobs for their refusal to listen.

I have thrown my efforts into two Congressional campaigns – Bob Dold running in Illinois’ 10th district against Dan Seals, and Joel Pollak running in Illinois’ 9th district against CPSIA perpetrator Jan Schakowsky. As you know from this space, I have given up on the process of “dialogue” – no one in the Democratic Party will listen anymore (if they ever did). The next phase is politics. If they won’t listen, we will throw them out.

Tomorrow is the day we measure what we have achieved.

It didn’t have to be this way. When Inez Tenenbaum came on board as Chairman of the CPSC, she promised to engage in dialogue and to listen to all stakeholders. As far as I can tell, that was a bald-faced lie. If it wasn’t a lie, it turned out to be completely untrue. Sham processes like two-day workshops and comment periods were thrown up as a smoke screen to cover up a scheme to impose draconian regulatory change whether we wanted it or not.

Listening isn’t this CPSC’s forte. Nor is data analysis. With the cram downs evidenced in the final rules on the definition of “Children’s Product” and the public database, it is perfectly clear that Ms. Tenenbaum has no interest in views that diverge from hers, whether based on fact or data or reasoning. She’s on a mission – and there’s hell to pay if you stand in the way. Just look at her penalty record.

The next big event at the CPSC is implementation of the final rules on component testing and testing frequency/reasonable testing programs. This is coming SOON – all to ensure that the stay on testing requirements can be lifted in February – you know, so we can all be so damned safe. [Do you have a sense, by the way, that we are UNSAFE today - despite the stay? Oh yeah, that's data and reasoning again. Pah!] When they cram down those rules, your goose is cooked.

You’ve been warned (many times).

So tomorrow is your big chance to tell the Democrats that you aren’t going to take this anymore. That goes double for the people principally responsible for the CPSIA, like Jan Schakowsky, Henry Waxman, Bobby Seals, Barbara Boxer and other Democratic “luminaries” up for reelection. Here is a list of the members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce – I hope you will vote AGAINST any and ALL Democrats on this Committee. NONE of them did ANYTHING to help us despite our pathetic pleas for help literally for years. They have PROVEN they don’t care – and you need to throw them OUT.

People ask me – how can I be so certain that the Republicans will help us? Will they be better than the Democrats, really? Aside from the fact that some Republicans have gone to great lengths to try to help us, taking political risk along the way (something I will never forget), I can say this with CONFIDENCE – I know EXACTLY what to expect from the Democrats. If we don’t make a change, we’re goners. So the Republicans are my choice and my strong recommendation to you. When they are in power, we’ll see what they will do. I am confident, but as voters, we all must remember that the proof is in the pudding. In the meantime, we need to make some serious changes NOW.

After the Election winds down, I have a long “to do” list and will publish a number of essays on CPSIA subjects that deserve your attention. In addition, we must engage in dialogue on how to fix the mess Ms. Tenenbaum and Mr. Waxman have created. That’s to follow . . . but as for now, you must vote.

MAKE THE CPSIA PERPETRATORS PAY WITH THEIR JOBS.

Read more here:
CPSIA – Election Day is FINALLY Here

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