Amputating the Arm Part 4

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, before reading this post on what you can do about this situation.

I certainly never planned to take all the time I have in reading, researching, and responding to the CPSIA. Even though I’m very concerned about safety (especially when it concerns my children!) I just hoped this was pretty much internet fear-mongering. Sadly, it is not.

I am also very against huge government regulations, i.e. loss of individual responsibility and individual liberty. When I began hearing how far reaching this horrendous piece of legislation is, I had to take a more serious look, and when I began getting personal emails and questions about it, I had to write on it. What I found is far less than pretty. It is an economic nightmare for all parents and all Americans.

I’m not into cheap plastic toys for my children, I’m far too “naturalistic” for that. Give me (my children) organic fabric and natural wood and plenty of old, real books, and I’m pleased. But this law goes way beyond banning cheap Chinese junk (and doesn’t necessarily do that). It does threaten the availability of things we do use and love.

Rather than addressing the problem as it is, they chose (through this law) to regulate everything having to do with children’s products. Rather than banning Chinese imports of children’s items that have not been tested, they decided all children’s products, no matter who made them or where or when, or whether there’s really any legitimate chance that they actually contain anything that is really any threat or not, must be tested and proven to not contain any lead or other banned substances.

The first 3 parts of this article talked about just some of the implications of this bad law. In this final Part I’m giving you some action steps. We all need to take action on this one.

What action can you take regarding the CPSIA?

1) Pray – that the law would be repealed or greatly ammended to make it more realistic.  Most (?all) of the products that caused the problems were imported from China. So why don’t we ban imports of children’s products from China? That would go far in stimulating our economy instead of destroying it. It would boost our economy by promoting American made children’s products.

Pray also for the small & family businesses that are being devastated by this right now. Pray for guidance as they make decisions over the next several days, and for God’s provision for their families. (I’ve already heard from one home ed business friend that they are liquidating their physical inventory and closing that aspect of their business.)

2) Read the legislation itself.

http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/cpsia/legislation.html

And do more research. You’ll find info all over the web, much of it fear mongering, some of it not completely accurate, some of it very helpful. I’m only giving a couple links. The first to the article some of the quotes I’ve given came from:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=85542
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift9-2009jan09,0,7588285.story
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

3) Contact the CPSC.

http://www.cpsc.gov/about/contact.html

Call Nancy Nord – acting head of the Consumer Product Safety 
Commission – 301-504-7923. If she’s busy, leave a brief, 
polite, but firm 
message.

Call the CPSC ombudsman’s office – 888-531-9070

4) Contact your representatives. You can write them directly at these first 2 links, or send a “form letter”, that you can add to, at the last link. I highly recommend personal calls/letters/emails, but if you’ll only do it by form letter, at least do that.

http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
http://www.house.gov/

http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/issues/alert/?alertid=12274476

5) Sign petitions. There are many petitions out there now. You can google CPSIA petitions and get a bunch. Make sure you read any you sign, as all may not state your position. This is one of the first, from the children’s clothing industry. Others have to do with the used items, and not all are worded in a way that applies with the new “clarification.” Others are written in a pro-big government way, just wanting a specific exemption.

http://ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

6) Spread the word! Let your friends, neighbors and even enemies know about this. And encourage them to take the above actions.

7) Did I mention Prayer? Don’t get wigged out about this. Don’t let it steal your peace. Just take the appropriate actions, and then remember God holds all things in His hands. Regardless of how this goes, He is still on the throne!

For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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