My name is Lizi, and I’m 11 years old.  My mother previously sold toy stuffed animals on Etsy.com.  Although they are probably lead-free, she is unable to test them to prove it, because the testing  price is more than her yearly income. I also had plans to open my own shop, with my mom’s help.  My hope was to sell clothes and other items for kids my age.  For a few weeks, I bought plain shirts, decorated them, and planned to sell them.  When I first heard about the CPSIA (The Crappy Pointless Stuff Invading America, as I call it), I actually cried.  I didn’t see how they could pass something so stupid.  My dream was either impossible, or a lot more complicated.  I couldn’t sell clothes, Mom couldn’t sell toys, and come on – as if the economy wasn’t bad enough already!

As an avid reader, I think that the effect that the CPSIA has on libraries and book stores is just horrible.  A lot of my favorite books when I was little were definitely printed before 1985.  I thought everyone was concerned about kids not reading enough! I also love to shop at thrift stores.  You can find great deals, unique things, and it’s better for the environment.  Now, because of the CPSIA, all of the cool kids’ stuff is gone.  I’m getting big enough now that I can fit into the women’s clothing sizes, but what’s my three-year-old little sister supposed to do?

In school, I am studying American History.  It’s interesting to me that our government, which started out so great, could turn into…this.  From my studies, I thought that Congress was supposed to represent us, the Americans.  Now, when people ask them to change the CPSIA, they don’t even listen.

It seems to me that a better solution would be to ban everything– or at least test– everything from countries whose exports have proven harmful.