Sent today, and I will be sending a similar letter to my representatives. I only stand to lose a little inventory and my hobby, but so many people are going to lose everything they've worked for. So sad. *shakes head*
Even sadder is the fact that the letters to Oprah may be more effective than letters to senators. *snerk*
Dear Oprah,
I'll admit right away that I do not watch your show. However, I do know that you are a very influential woman. When you talk, people listen. People hear. And people need to hear about the consequences of H.R. 4040, also known as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, or CPSIA.
This law is intended to force the importers of children's products to certify those products are lead-free by having them tested at a third-party laboratory. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the law applies to *all* children's products, not just imports, and not just those made by big companies. This means that thousands of small businesses will have to close due to the prohibitive costs of testing. Many of these cottage industries make one-of-a-kind items, one at a time. Testing each unique item would cost hundreds of dollars *per item*. To give you an idea of the burden that will be placed on small business owners, the average one-of-a-kind handmade baby sling (which is made from about $20 worth of materials and ordinarily sells for about $50) would have to be sold for at least $400 to make up for the cost of testing. Small businesses obviously can't survive under this new regulation, and soon consumers will have few choices besides mass-produced plastic toys and clothes made overseas and sold in big-box stores. The unique products, handmade in America, will be gone.
The CPSIA will go into effect on February 10, 2009, a date which is being referred to as "National Bankruptcy Day" by many small business owners. I implore you to raise awareness about this poorly thought-out and confusingly worded law that will put thousands of people out of work if it is enacted without further ammendment. Provisions need to be made to protect the small businesspeople, artisans, and craftspersons who were never the intended target of this law.
Thank you for your time, and I sincerely hope you will give this issue some thought.
Sincerely,
