It’s often been observed that the movement to reform CPSIA brings together people with remarkably diverse cultural, political, and social backgrounds, in a coalition that includes small-town woodcrafters and urban libertarians, homeschooling moms and regulatory economists, back-to-the-land localists and NPR-fan library administrators, and so forth. In her much-awaited article for the June Reason, now online, Katherine Mangu-Ward profiles people in groups like the Handmade Toy Alliance, Etsy, and the craft-fair world, few of whom ever expected to find themselves in a pitched battle against the regulatory state. Further discussion: Reason “Hit and Run“.
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The “Reason” article brings tears to my eyes. It was well written and told well of the hardships for well intentioned very nice people. But there is a degree of nuttiness with these people that plays into make it absolutely safe regulation. What happens to the various craft businesses is of no import if, indeed, their doo-dads actually pose a risk to children. Even Representative Barton missed this point. CPSIA will save not a single child from anything. It is based on pseudoscience.
We have the beginning of dredging the Hudson for PCBs. Every sane person realizes that the program is a half billion dollar waste. Even Ms. Whitman who approved it knew that it made no sense.
Democracy can work only if the populace has some understanding of issues. We see in California a democratic state that votes for physically absurd regulations and unlimited services while reducing taxes.
From the reason article: “As the Handmade Toy Alliance points out on its homepage, “If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.””
Well, HR 759 and NAIS will make that happen!