Ranting & Letting off Steam (not solutions based)

[Beth C]

Ever since I found out about this last night via an email from a resale store, I've been reading up on everything I can find. It's making my head spin.

From what I gather this law is going to make it impossible to live now. As I read the law, it says that "all products intended for children up to the age of 12" have to be tested for lead.

ALL products?? From the comb they use (and who hasn't bought a generic comb for their child) to the spoon they eat with (special silverware for kids now??) right down to the socks and shoes on their feet?

Shampoo is made for children - is that being tested? What about bar soap? My children use what I use, does it have lead? DVD cases - how about those? My children touch those - AND my tv, radio, stereo. What if my 12 year old starts her period early? Have the tampons and maxi pads been tested for lead? Are they 150% safe for her to use?

Books too - is every single book printed going to be tested? What about the desks they sit at while in school? Do the schools have to close to get the desks tested for lead? Why not? Pencils, paper, folders? Tape, scissors, glue? Where is the line drawn?

I've read that you can't give away outgrown clothes now without proving they don't have lead. You can't do hand-me-downs to other people in your family. I can't pass a bag of clothes to my sister down the street for her children because I might go to jail??? What if her kids come to my house and her daughters share clothes with my daughters? Do we still go to jail then?

What about toys? Is every single toy that has ever been produced now a banned illegal substance once February 10th passes? What do my kids do with their toys they have now? Thow them out? Get caught playing with the neighbor's kids playing with something that is banned in America??

Why are they still making and selling sewing machines, if we can't sew a darn thing now? What are they good for?

We are not allowed to buy used clothes now, so who is paying the price for new? I can't afford to buy all new clothes for my children (mother of 3) from their heads to their toes just because everything they now own is "banned" in the USA.

What kind of crazy lawpeople did we elect? Why not just BAN crap coming out of China instead of making the USA into "Your household is now full of banned illegal material" place to live?

I used to be pro-life. Now I'm pro-choice. Don't have children if you can help it. Not here. Generations of traditions are about to be cut off. You can't make, teach, sell, or even live a normal life any longer. Big Brother (the governement) will find you if you sew, or pass on clothes, or even trade toys. And you will go to jail, where you will wonder how the heck you got in there, when you have done the same things for years that was previously legal.

Yeah, I'm ranting but I can't understand the total scope of the law as it is written. I'd have to clean my whole house out of stuff and start over. I can't certify anything in my house and don't want to keep everything forever. I can't sell, trade or give away outgrown stuff after Feb 10th. Pretty soon it will be illegal to throw it away. Then what?

Help me understand just what is going on before I go totally insane here. I live in Largo, Fl and I just want to live my life as I usually do.

[Kathleen F.]

Please please please, this is rants only. People need to vent and have a safe place to do it. So let's do that here but lets NOT respond to entries here with reason or logic because people posting or being moved here are not looking for solutions. They're looking for an opportunity to complain, vent, gnash teeth, beat chest etc. Iow, ignore this thread, there's nothing to argue with or analyze so let's move along now. I needed a place to stash these kinds of posts, that's it. thanks for understanding.

[Frustrated]

I wanted to agree with you Beth, wholeheartedly! This is a well intended set of laws that are ridiculous and dangerous to those of us trying to survive day to day, who rely on second hand and buying from WAHM/P's who in turn survive off the income they make from me.

I'm in Pasco County, FL - so if you want to find someone to illegally trade with after Feb 10, look me up, lol. Maybe we can do some jail time together after swapping our banned hazardous materials, haha!

[Aztek]

I think our best bet is to put all kids in a lead-free, plastic free, CPSIA regulated white padded room.

If kids go outside, make sure your yard is lead free too, test all the trees and grass and sand and air and sunlight and rain and...

Better idea! Start making CPSIA regulated plastic bubbles if they need to go outside. Look but don't touch. ANYTHING.

No pets. They might get into lead somewhere along the way.

Hell, no parents! Test tube babies so they can never ever come in contact with the SLIGHTEST bit of lead!

Stupid Fahrenheit 'book burning' over the top rules.

Bleagh.

My dad lived through the depression as a child in Oklahoma, they used an outhouse, wore clothes til they were threadbare, Grandma cooked in cast iron skillets. The kids worked. You got hurt, it was your fault. You got sick from eating something you shouldn't, cry me a river.

Personal responsibility. What a concept. Too bad we lost it somewhere.

[Kathleen F.]

[Tina HD]

I hate that just about the time I feel like a have a modicum of understanding, and have formulated a plan that *might* keep me in business, I find new or conflicting information that changes what I need to do.

My dh has asked me to stop talking about it, because he can't keep up with all the different scenarios. My kids are sick of hearing about it too. And yet it's all I can think of.

As to lead in the environment, better not plug anything in, because my dh told me every power cord has lead in it to help keep it flexible.

Personal responsibility--yeah, we lost that somewhere along the way. In favor of "the government can fix any problem you might have, and even those you don't know about."

[Aztek]

I cleaned out our garage a few months ago...

Amongst the things that had to be properly disposed of:

A pan with melted lead in it, lead sinkers, and a chunk of lead - about 10lbs. Dad used to make his own sinkers. I know I went fishing a few times with him. I'm pretty sure I never chewed on the sinkers or got lead poisoning.

Seriously, all the 'older generation' must be totally blessed that they survived at all. Really.

Sorry. I sell on Etsy (artwork) and Ebay (comics and trading cards) and this is just sickening me.

[Guest]

Thanks, Kathleen, for creating an open forum where everyone affected can rant. It feels good to let it out, especially when everyone in your house is sick of hearing you complain (DH's eyes now glaze over in two seconds flat).

A few months ago, I decided to re-evaluate my business plans in light of the lousy economy... and now this. I have leftover stock that I've packed up, not sure what I can do with it, and I've let my website lapse, not wanting to pay to keep it up until all the minutia of this legislation is finalized. It's truly limbo. Rant over (for now).

[DarbyC]

Oh, that was me above... forgot to sign in.

[Beth C]

[Aztek]

I promise I'll shut up after this...
Like everybody else, I'm just frustrated...everybody
I talk to about this goes 'oh don't worry...that won't happen'
And I'm worried. And it looks like it will happen.

There's a 'Goth' musician named Voltaire whom I adore...
His newest CD has a track that's sorta related. If you can
download it from Itunes or whatever you should check it out.

The Industrial Revolution (and how it ruined my life)

Once, long ago there was a time
in what now seems a distant land
Each small boutique was precious and unique
'Cause every little thing was made by hand
Then there came a revolution
The progress of production was its aim
Now instead of one, there were many
And each costs just a penny
But every single one looks just the same

Now there's a Starbucks on every bloody corner
McDonald's on everybody's street
There's White Castle, Wendy's and Walmart
And then it all repeats
If you're the kind that looks down on the masses
Even for you there's a feint
Get some New Rocks or a pair of Docs
Look just like those who ain't

(Chorus)
And that is how (Tell us how)
It came to be (How can it be?)
After two long centuries
That in the name (What's in a name?)
Of human greed
The industrial revolution fixed everything for me
(Everyone) (For every bloody one)
It came into our lives and gave us uniformity
by taking choice away from you (and me)
(By taking choice away from you. Taking choice away from me. Taking choice away from you and me)

And so now if one does will with a business
They open two more and then three
They buy in bulk in big massive hulks
At which point it's nearly free
As they grow bigger their prices get lower
Until they become a chain
The smaller stores all shutter their doors
and buckle 'neath the strain

(Chorus)
And that is how (Tell us how)
It came to be (How can it be?)
After two long centuries
That in the name (What's in a name?)
Of human greed
The industrial revolution fixed everything for me
(Everyone) (For every bloody one)
It came into our lives and gave us uniformity
by taking choice away from you (and me)
(By taking choice away from you. Taking choice away from me. Taking choice away from you and me)

Now the machines are working tirelessly
Through all night and day
Making garbage in our image
For a world that's made our way
And they won't stop until every inch
From Peru to Bombay
Looks like a mall in the US of A

[Pixie]

I am angry.

This is the country my forefathers died for. I am a daughter of the American Revolution through every branch of my family. We have been proud seamstresses and crafters and we have clothed our families out of flour bags and reused clothing scraps for generations. We have crocheted and knitted and woven and quilted our little hearts out. And we have given love, infused with every stitch and provided for friends, family and community. We have reached out to the hurting and we have created prayer shawls and comfort blankets for the sick, the poor and the traumatized. When our men were off to war, we put our handiworks to use to serve our communities and feed our children. When the crops were in drought, we did the same. When our country needed a symbol, we worked tirelessly to create handsome banners and flags. We have beautified our homes and our nation, as well as fostered a sense of love in putting all our might into whatever our hands take to do.

And now I feel my country and my right to provide for my own children is being taken away. By people I don't even know and by means I still can't even understand.

I crochet. It's the last fiber art that cannot be replicated by machine. Everything I make is one by one, slow and deliberate, one hooked stitch at a time. The same as my grandmothers before me. I donate my work as well as sell it so I can buy more yarn to donate more work. I don't really even make money - mostly I just feed my need for yarn to keep giving beautiful things to babies and children struggling for life or struggling to face trauma in their lives. And I sell my things for children and adults, things that make them smile and keep them warm.

It's not enough to exempt natural fibers. Some of my clients just can't afford natural fibers, or have animal allergies. And the hospitals refuse to have many natural fibers for many reasons around their preemie equipment and oxygen tanks. Why on earth should I have to re-test my items from the yarns I buy? Surely this is totally ludicrous? Surely I will wake up or someone else will first, before we open the door to unintended consequences of government controlled sources of clothing only. This is too 1984 for me. It just can't be true.... can it?

But from everything I read, I'm overwhelmed and depressed. I can barely afford the yarn I buy to give away love. I surely cannot afford whatever it will take to make my tiny little business "compliant." So will die a long tradition of small town business owners in my family. So will also die the family tradition of donating our work. If this law doesn't change, I can't teach my kids to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, to make and give to the young, the weak and the needy. At least not through any official channels. And what will happen to the yarn industry when people like me can no longer make to give or sell?

How can my country do this to me or my heritage?

[Guest]

Pixie ... it's because the government caters to the lowest common denominator and that is people screaming for them to "do something" for every little pimple. People wanted big government and that is what they got. It's been out of control since before I was born. Just wait ... it will get worse.

[Lisa DOWNTOWN JOEY]

I don't know what to think anymore. I can't believe Congress didn't think this whole CPSIA thing through a bit.

Although it won't put me out of business, it will create unnecesary costs to doing business for me...it will eat away at the little profit I'm making as a young business.

I wish the CPSC would make it VERY clear and concise of what is expected and by who and from who. I know they will be putting out something shortly, but in the meantime if keeps me unsure of what to do...do I test and then they change things around and make me spend money needlessly? Ugh!

Listen...I want to comply, but heck I just wish the CPSC would make it easier.

Ignore me...rant over.

[Sarah R]

Lisa - I keep saying I want to comply, I just don't know how and would like a little HELP from the very government that wrote this really poorly written law.

I mean, I know what the law seems to require, but then for example, this memo about the natural fibers - undyed, etc. - but how does that actually help anyone? If you make something using only undyed natural fibers and only undyed, unprocessed (does bleach count as a chemical?) thread and no fasteners of any sort...

I mean, this does seem to let the all-wood toys folks off the hook (and yay for them, really), but otherwise it only APPEARS to make things better but actually doesn't.

I'm so disgusted by the government. I've been a small government person for my whole adult life, and am friends with mostly more liberal, government is our friend folks, and am happy to see some of them getting a little disillusioned... But my own representatives in Congress have been responding only with form letters - apparently, not only can they not be bothered to read/understand things they sign into law, but they also cannot be bothered to talk to the very people who voted them in in the first place. (OK, except I didn't vote for most of them, lol.)

grr.