The Observation Deck

it should be easy enough to grandfather in allowances for the sale of previously existing clothing.

policing the blackmarket of second hand clothes would take the heat off illegal drugs. the cost of illegal drugs would go down. then there would be more car accidents.

They may have to pull investigators off of "fake designer purse parties" to bust all those second hand children's clothing store owners.

Priorities in this country could change everything. Priorities. Like not letting in the toxins and drugs in the first place. Or making things here in America again. Or fixing the toxins in the Cleveland school buildings and giving the children a better chance for a future. I would love to see our country care about our children again. This doesn't cut it though.

OK the news just reported said first offense is $8,000 for store owners and then possible jail time!!! I thought our jails were so filled we were letting out sex offenders and other criminals!!! And items are $200 to test each? Or a thirty five grand tester?????

Justine Cooper wrote:They may have to pull investigators off of "fake designer purse parties" to bust all those second hand children's clothing store owners.

Priorities in this country could change everything. Priorities. Like not letting in the toxins and drugs in the first place. Or making things here in America again. Or fixing the toxins in the Cleveland school buildings and giving the children a better chance for a future. I would love to see our country care about our children again. This doesn't cut it though.

American culture is more damaging than trace amounts of lead in polyester clothing. They may as well ban cell phones, mp3 players, and rap music.

I agree Ryan andl lets be honest, our country allowed tobacco companies to do what they did and target kids to smoke. There are more places to start I would think!

UPDATE!

Consignment sales and stores are free from the testing requirement:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

whoohoo!!!!! I guess they didn't have a choice but to rethink that!!!! It absolutely should apply to the big companies MAKING the stuff but never to resellers of it. Thanks for the update!

There were also tentative exemptions made for toys and other items made from all-natural materials, toys with lead parts the child cannot access and electronics that cannot be produced without lead.

Brian Pedaci wrote:This law is an enormous clusterf*** that is a prime example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. As with most poorly-written regulation, small businesses who follow the rules are unfairly burdened and corporations who can afford the testing are minimally inconvenienced.

And only four members of Congress had the clarity of thought to vote against this?

Most regulatory agencies are founded to manage what are perceived to be really big problems. Over time the agencies expand their oversight to expand their mission to expand their payroll to expand their power.
Initially there is some thought given to cost vs benefits. Eventually cost vs benefit is not considered.

Business create products or services. Governments create regulations.

My brother owns a beverage store that sits on an old gas station lot. He had to spend $9,000 to have the ground tested. Because nothing was found the State made him spend another $4,000 to do addtional testing. Trace amounts of kerosene were found in the soil. The State said that even though the trace amounts were barely enough to be measured and impossible to clean up he had to spend another $6,000 to have more testing done.

The company doing the testing told my brother that 20 years ago the state would have stopped after the first test. However, many of the people working for the state are close to retirement and don't won't to be laid off for a lack of work. The testing will continue and even more burdens will be established not to clean the environment but to maintain employment in the bureaucracy.

what we need more of, is tolerance.

the price of modernity is the pollution caused by producing modernity. That idea is beyond most peoples frame of reference. Outsourcing puts all that out of our minds. What would George Carlin say?

The upholstery and interiors of most cars emit a lot of toxic stuff. it is the valued "new car smell". classier than huffing spray paint. Second hand cars are less toxic after a few years. For sale as is.

If capitalism is the free exchange of value for value, it is necessary for some familiarity or acquaintance of what it takes to make most things used on a day to day basis. That is the only way folks can gain some idea of what things are worth. It doesn't work with fedex, McDonalds Hamburger, ebay, or the WTO.

It will just create another underground economy. Garage Sales, rummage sales will increase. Place that are stores, will close and run out of backyards on Fri, Sat.

I am amazed that they will do this to clothes, and kids toys, but what about the antique market.

Will it no longer be allowed to sell you Roy Rogers cap gun set, in the box for $3,200 on ebay?

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the most recent news story on television mentioned some details. it was for "clothing" for kids 12 years and younger.

When I go to the thrift stores, most of the stuff is way too big for me.

There are a lot of three hundred pound people out there. Their clothing can be purchased at thrift stores, cut up, and re-sewn into 3 or 4 pairs of pants and shirts for kids.

ryan costa wrote:the most recent news story on television mentioned some details. it was for "clothing" for kids 12 years and younger.

When I go to the thrift stores, most of the stuff is way too big for me.

There are a lot of three hundred pound people out there. Their clothing can be purchased at thrift stores, cut up, and re-sewn into 3 or 4 pairs of pants and shirts for kids.

Ryan

I do hope you have received your call from the Obama Team. As much as I will hate losing you to Washington, I would be willing to take one for the team.

Besides, I hear they have WiMax there, so you can keep in touch.

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ryan costa wrote:what we need more of, is tolerance.

What we need more of these days is common sense!!!!!!!!

This column has some relevance:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... cmoduletmv