Tell Henry Waxman what you think of the CPSIA!

I’ve been Tweeting about it all day, but here are some details.  Tomorrow 7/7, Representative Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will be on The Diane Rehm Show on NPR.  As Chairman, Mr. Waxman has considerable authority over the fate of the CPSIA, so this is a unique opportunity to ask him why he refuses to acknowledge the need for an amendment.

The Show’s stated topic:

Representative Henry Waxman, Congressman Henry Waxman, 30th District, California chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He offers his perspective on health care and climate change legislation and explains how Congress really works.

Please call in to the show (1-800-433-8850) to question Mr. Waxman directly.  You can also send your question/comment via email (drshow@wamu.org)

Here is the email I sent this evening (I attempted to frame it within the context of the stated show topic):

Dear Ms. Rehm,
I am a huge fan of your show and listen often.  Thank you for the excellent work you do.

As a Liberal/Progressive mom, I imagine Mr. Waxman and I support many of the same causes.  But how can we trust Congress to reshape health care and energy when we have seen “how Congress really works” through their enactment of lemons like the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008?

As a result of that seriously flawed legislation:
- Childrens books printed before 1985 are banned
- Used kids clothing must be sent to the landfill instead of being donated or consigned
- Domestic crafters selling handmade products (like myself) have been shut down
- Big toy companies actually guilty of selling tainted toys have been rewarded by the bankruptcy of their smaller competition, who simply don’t have the economies of scale to support the cost of the redundant testing, certification and permanent labeling specifically mandated by the sweeping new regulations

If these were “unintended consequences” why hasn’t Congress fixed them with a common-sense amendment?  My children are no safer as a result of this law, and their mom is out of business.  With a track record like this, I shudder to think of what my kid’s health care will look like after Congress gets a hold of it.

Sincerely,
Jennifer DeGrace