I think I have a new idea!

[Former_Member]

The more I read about this the sadder I get that this will devastate so many people in the craft area, particularly here on Etsy.

I know a lot of people here have signed petitions and sent letters to our congressmen and women and even contacted the media, I have watched utube videos some have made and the news stories they were in.

I can’t find the topic now but someone was talking the other day about the lobbyists that helped in the making of this law and all the special interest groups that support it.

Today while reading yet another sad story from TheTutuFary somewhere around page two it hit me, why not find out how to contact the lobbyists and special interest groups that are supporting this. Tell them what you do, how you do it and most importantly why you do it. Tell them how this will affect your ability to support your family and pay the bills or put food on the table and so on, tell them that you like the idea of protecting children but the cost of testing will just be too much and will force you out of business. Send them links to the stuff here that will no longer be available when the time comes for the third party testing.

I bet they have not even thought about us at this level.

[LoblollyRidge]

bumping this up, whilst i go look for the sig's that supported it.....

[Former_Member]

Great idea!

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

The special interest groups would like to see us all go down. They are angry that anyone would dare to ask have for any exemptions. Some of them are really really hateful and nasty.

[RuthiesGirlDesigns]

Are doll clothes on this list?

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Absolutely.

[Former_Member]

Well I agree they are hurtful and nasty, but they may not realize they are wiping out a whole industry of people who depend on this income.

And what have you got to lose?

[Former_Member]

not all of the avid supporters are extremists. i think targeting the lobbying groups is a great idea.

i think if we call, it will make it easier to get a feel for whether they are prepared to listen and be sympathetic, or if it's a waste of time.


my suggestions for
WHEN MAKING CALLS:

1- be well and accurately informed (this includes knowing why they are concerned, and what's at stake from a safety standpoint. no assumptions! do your research!)

3- be polite, and give him or her the benefit of the doubt (keep in mind that you don't know anything about their personal thoughts, feeling, or involvement)

2- be sincere in your appreciation for their cause and efforts (don't bother, otherwise. we don't need to pick fights)

3- have a solution in mind that will serve both interests

4- be prepared to discuss (as in, don't try to bulldoze them with your ideas. it would need to be a collaborative effort)

[Former_Member]

the above really applies to every call you make, but specific to calling organizations, i have one more caution:

calls to the lobbying groups shouldn't just be about informing them of your opinion. they already have an opinion, and have no duty to listen to yours. in fact, they're probably really good at glancing over and dismissing angry letters.

it needs to be approached from a collaborative and appreciative standpoint, and it needs to serve their mission. otherwise it's likely to be considered an unfortunate side effect for some other lobbyist to fix.

[Former_Member]

I posted them on a couple of threads, but it didn't seem like anyone even noticed lol. Let me see if I can go find them again.

[Former_Member]

Here they are. I can't take credit for them as I found them on someone's blog, who found them on someone's website or blog. Anyway, for what it's worth, I think it's a good idea to contact these people too. Because they may not otherwise be able to see both sides of this issue, you know? Anyway, here is the list I found:


Jennifer Fuson, Consumers Union (202) 462-6262
Rachel Weintraub, Consumer Federation of America (202) 387-6121
Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG (202) 546-9707
David Arkush, PC (202) 550-0107
Celia Wexler, UCS (202) 331-6952

Here is the blog article I found them on:

http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2009/01/special-interest-groups-behind-cpsia.html

[Former_Member]

Oh, I didn't realize the abbreviations on the list. It looks like David Arkush is with Public Citizens Congress Watch, and Celia Wexler with Union of Concerned Scientists.

Actually there seems to be quite a bit of info about them on the web. If anyone is planning to call, maybe Google them first so you have a good idea of who you are calling and then take it from there. I mean, I'm sure they mean well. But it wouldn't hurt for them to have more information either.

[rabbitwhiskers]

I think it's a good idea too! They need to understand how misdirected this law is and the devastating effects it will have on thousands of people and yes, ESPECIALLY the children. What is going to happen to all of those children whose parents can no longer support them because they have been put out of business. - And what about all of the children who will never be able to benefit from all of the wonderful items that are handmade. We are just getting further and further away from the human touch. All these children will know is mass produced. What kind of a society will that create? The more the human touch is removed from "things", the more we create children who treat others as "things", because that's all they know. We will end up with a society of mass produced, unfeeling, uncreative people because that's all that they will know- Is that the kind of future we want for our kids?
And they pose this law as being FOR the CHILDREN. If it really were for the children, it would be dealing with the problem of lead in the paint of toys imported from China.
-----If they really want to help the children---------