Low Income Families Hurt By Ill-Conceived, Anti-China Consumer Safety Law
By Michael Barone, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Blogger-lawyer-radio talk host Hugh Hewitt directs our attention in this column and in an earlier blog post to the unintended consequences of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. It was passed in response to the presence of lead in toys manufactured in China—a genuine menace. But its broad terms, and the fact that it authorizes lawsuits by private lawyers, means that thrift shops are removing clothes from their shelves because they cannot rule out the infinitesimal possibility that the zippers contain lead. And it covers products intended for children up to age 12, even though 10-year-olds are not very likely to suck on their zippers. The result: low income families are going to have to pay more for their kids' clothes. And outfits like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are going to take a needless hit. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota's sole senator at the moment, played a major role in drafting the bill and now expresses puzzlement over its application. Maybe she and her colleagues should have thought more about this when they were getting positive news coverage for protecting innocent children.
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Tags: China | trade | consumers
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Reader Comments
Slow zone ahead
Given the Chinese history of melamine in milk and tainted pet food, I would be cautious in eating White Rabbit Creamy Candies.
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=why-is-melamine-in-baby-formula-you-2008-09-24
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/07/business/pet.php
"Tainted wheat gluten, used as an ingredient in moist pet food, killed at least 16 dogs and cats, sickened thousands of others..."
American made
I'd like to see more American made items here in America. Everything I try to buy is made in China. I want to buy American made clothing, appliances,food,toys and all the rest.I don't understand why aren't we making more in America.I'd like to know why the White House and congress is not on top of all these posinous stuff. The only problem I have is our auto industry, they don't build to last and have poor service. They are to greedy.
Democrats likely slow to fix this.
I called Sen. Klobuchar's office today to register my suggestion that she expedite the re-write (or at least, a moratorium on implementation) before more damage is done to small companies, charities and the jobs associated with them. Her staff acknowledged that they were surprised with the consequences of the bill but didn't give me the impression that they'd be able to persuade Sen. Reid or Sen. Durbin to "fast-track" it back on the Senate floor for action. So much for "saving or creating" jobs!
The Law of Unintended Consequences operates like the Law of Gravity.
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