Libraries may consider banning children instead of books in response to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act’s required lead testing, an option Garrett County librarian Cathy Ashby doesn’t want to consider.
“That would be one of the ways to comply with the law, but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of civil disobedience,” Ashby said of her concern that the new law may prevent children from accessing educational materials at Ruth Enlow Library in Oakland where she is the director.
The Consumer Product Safety Act was passed by Congress Aug. 14 in reaction to findings that some toys imported from China contained dangerous levels of lead. President Bush signed the legislation, which includes stricter limits on lead levels in children’s products.
The American Library Association said it fears the law has unintended consequences, and libraries may face the choice of closing their children’s sections, banning children under the age of 12 or completing expensive lead testing for every book.
Found by Aric Mackey.
Another stupid Bush policy. Wahddya expect from the Chimp? He wants kids to be uneducated and buy only corporate toys so they can be better brainwashed by the system.
We’re still going to be stepping in his messes for yeare. Obama’s got his work cut out for him. I won’t blame him for any apparent failures for at least 4 years…
Just keep your eyes wide shut there Thedogsarealright. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was sponsored by Rep. Bobby Rush [D-IL] and passed by all but 4 legislators in the house and senate. Take a peek at how many democrats who voted and passed this bill.
Yup your right most republicans voted for it too. See how your uninformed opinion fails yet? Little clue for you, all the politicians from both parties are out for their own skin and will screw you and the country if it will get them elected. It is a poorly written law designed for election cycle politicking.
Blaming Bush and only Bush for this is retarded. Did you know your savior Obama voted for it? So in a sense you are already stepping in Obama “messes” just like the rest of us. Oh my gosh did I just say Bush and Obama made the same “messes”? Yeah I did. Shoot the messenger all you like it won’t change the truth.
Open those eyes The dogsarealwrong and see the truth or remain an idiot like your favorite politician – your move.
The mother of the stupids is always pregnant. Einstein said “Two things are infinite, the universe and the human stupidity. But I am not so sure about the universe.”
Ciao
Oooh, the Bushie-Brigade has arrived to defend the single worst leader in US history!
At least Obama didn’t vote for an illegal war for oil has so far that killed over 600,000 civilians and counting. Tell the orphan kids and the cripples of Iraq that it wasn’t all his fault all you want.
Bottom line is he signed it into law. it’s his responsibility. Buck stops there.
I LOVE when libs write a law then complain about it. LOL
#4, I hate Bush as much as the next guy, but saying it’s his fault because he signed a law that passed by a veto-proof margin is a crock of crap.
I also don’t expect Bush (or Obama now) to read every word of every law that passes his desk. They don’t have the time, and that’s what aides are for.
I do blame the Congregational aides as a group for not having enough people notice these problems and bring them up. Same for the congress-folk that were involved in the creation of this legislation…
Looks like everything Bobby Rush has done is bad for America:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Rush
#6, nomadwolf
“I also don’t expect Bush (or Obama now) to read every word of every law that passes his desk.”
Well, I do. Every legislator and executive who is responsible for voting on or signing/vetoing a bill should read every last word. That’s the very least they can do.
Of course, fully understanding the consequences of a law may take more or at least different knowledge than any individual may have, but all the same it is the job of our elected officials to make good law. Ultimately they are responsible.
In this case, I think the old saying “A good plan now is better than an perfect plan later”. Congress had to do something about toxic toys. So they pumped out a half-ass bill and got it passed in to law. Happens all the time.
What they need to do is follow up with corrections now that these stupid parts have come to light.
This law has great intentions. Unfortunately, it also has some unintended flaws. This is what happens when things are quickly rushed through Congress.
No, this law is NOT Bushes fault. I am even hesitant to blame Congress. The true blame is the garbage and poisoned products and foods exported to America from China. While we shouldn’t excuse Congress, we should look more closely where this originated.
#1 & 4, the dogs,
Get a life. There are a few things Bush is not responsible for. This law and my hemorrhoids are two of them. Just because you were wrong in #1 is not an excuse to continue your rant on another subject in #4.
Check out Obama’a voting record, I doubt he voted for this… of all the candidates he had the absolute worst voting record as in non votes. He appeared a couple times to push minority recognition legislation but was MIA for any other vote. Makes me wonder where he spent all of his time.
Now, concerning the closing of libraries rather than do some simple test… same knee jerk reaction business uses to avoid something, claim hardship and they get away with it. I’m no chemist but I would think a simple swab and some litmus paper would show lead or not, a couple seconds. What about that pen that detects counterfeit money? Can’t they make one of r detecting lead??
This law is a bureaucratic wet dream.
First the law requires that the testing be performed by an independent lab registered with the government. Then a series of ‘certificates’ and forms are submitted and transferred between the CPSC, the lab, the manufacturer and later the retailer.
The real kicker is that the lead testing destroys the original sample. So in the case of books, they’ll be out the lab fees and the books. So it pointless.
#8 & 9,
NS & Ron,
Good points and I agree. This could be passed in less than one day as a rider attached to another bill if there is a will.
Lead toxicity is relative and qualitative in every regard except when injected ballistically. So, it’s OK to bring dad’s Uzi to show and tell, but not OK to touch a book?
Anytime the government tries to move fast they end up screwing things up. This bill has lots of unintended consequences that could have been avoided, but no one in congress spent the time to read it to find out why. One problem here is that the time between the bill is approved in committee and the time it is voted on is so short that everyone can’t read it. If you have less than a day to read a 300 page bill you won’t read it.
Obamam should request congress to right a bill that corrects this law and makes sure it addresses the problem.
I would love to see mandatory time periods after a bill passes out of committee and before it is voted on. This would allow people, the media, and the congress to actually read and understand it. After a lot of fights, they will start writing better bills. If you know your stuff will be reviewed you will always do a better job, if you know it won’t be gone over with a fine tooth comb then you get sloppy. Look at the bailout this past fall, they rushed that so quickly they screwed it up and it hasn’t helped at all. They are about to do the same thing again.
Don’t ask the government to protect you, you will almost always lose.
This bill has had lots of unintended consequences; it’s time to scrap it and start from scratch. A simple requirement for spot testing of articles produced in numbers larger than 10,000 would suffice. The law as it is has two layers of stupidity built into it; absolute requirements (which kill small businesses who aren’t the problem)and retroactive. The combination is disastrous.
Off topic; why do the children have to turn everything into a partisan battle? I mean, complain about Bush if we are talking about war crimes, the economy or the wars, which are his deformed, malignant children, and defend him if. . .well, we are talking about something without his fingerprints on it. But things like this are far more a result of the great affinity to boondoggles (solutions that cause more problems than they solve) on both sides of the political isle. Totally non-partisan douche-baggery.
We elected a bunch of incompatant people who like to show they are important and taking care of use by passing stupid laws that hurt us.
Would that it wasn’t so but most of these bleeps never read and certainly don’t understand the crappy laws they pass. I’m not sure they even care if the laws are actually good or bad as long as they can claim they did something.