CPSC Head and Toy Industry In Bed While Our Kids Suck Lead
By Logan Murphy Friday Nov 02, 2007 4:02pm(Guest blogged by Bill W)
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Steve wrote about this scandal previously, now the author is now speaking out and giving more details. Just four days ago Speaker Nancy Pelosi was calling for Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Nancy Nord to resign after she fired off a couple of letters to Congress opposing tougher legislation that would strengthen the agency that is supposed to oversee the safety of consumer goods, echoing White House concerns that favored industry profits over the health and welfare of consumers, especially children in the wake of recall after recall and the revelation that the CPSC has only one full-time employee that tests toys.
Well, as it turns out, Nancy Nord should have taken Pelosi's advice and left to spend more time with her family while the getting was good. CNN had WaPo's Elizabeth Williamson on to discuss her article today which reveals that Nord "and her predecessor have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate" while parents were buying millions of lead-tainted toys. Some of the trips "were sponsored by lobbying groups and lawyers representing the makers of products linked to consumer hazards."
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Reagan said govt was the problem. His party has proved it.
Out, out damn spot!
Bush in a Santa suit:
"Ho ho ho boys and girls, have a very scary Christmas, and don't get lead poisoning!"
This clown deserves the death penalty! The legal sentence for treason against your country is automatic death, right?
It may seem a bit drastic, but if we had an incompetent boob like Nancy Nord out here in the good old west, who was negligently responsible for the actual and potential ingesting of lead by millions of children, and she ignored responsibility for it, and declared she had 'No intention to resign', we'd at least consider making her 'swallow some lead'.
Personally I think every parent in America should buy a lead testing kit and test every toy in their house. If they find lead they should take the toy and the test results to their local TV station. That should result in a record number of recalls. That should get their attention.
The BITCH is just another morally challenged and mentally deficient BUSHBOT, PROBABLY ALSO A "SWITCH HITTER" just like Condi, Dubya, Larry "Wide Stance"Craig, Mitch McConnell and who knows how many more, so what the hell did you expect, an upstanding, moral, compassionate CHRISTIAN?
If you WERE expecting that, then what is the beef, here, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU GOT!
I suppose it's nice to know that once Nord is bought, she stays bought-- I like loyalty in government employees, don't you?
/snark
As a parent and a citizen, I'd like to see her tried for corruption, which I believe carries a vacation in Fort Fed as a possible sentence, taking care of her travel needs. I am saddened by the fact that she needed a better travel budget (which the rest of the department also needs, if they have one full time employee for toys), and the department definitely needs a visit from an independent auditor, just to verify that the lack of funding originates at the budgeting level, not the employee level.
I think this just proves that the need for a systematic and very thorough audit extends to every department that receives tax funds. Even if I don't read all of the results, I want them to be made public as a gesture of accountability.
And we wouldn't necessarily have noticed her if she hadn't squawked, just assumed that she would apply the funds to the job we thought she was doing.
Just another NeoCon operative. Shouldn't someone eventually go to jail?
Oh be still my beating heart. You mean another Bush bot acted UNETHICALLY???
[deleted - over the top]
Musharraff declares state of emergency in Pakistan. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071103/ap_on_re_as/pakistan
Maybe the F**k-up in Chief should have spent more time focusing on Pakistan and Al-Queda spending our time and resources their, you know the nation that actually HAS nukular weapons with countless islamic extremist that could threaten the US, instead the on the oil rich nation that didn't have WMD's who had a dictator that was keeping terrorist our of Iraq? I'm just saying. But then again this is BushCo who would through the nation and our security under the bus for their own oil riches. Impeach and then charge with treason!
So, who wants to bring the pitchforks? I've got the torches.
nancy needs to call for her own resignation.
Ruthless People @ 10:
Of course not. Pakistan is our 'friend'. You know, just like Saudi Arabia.
Writing some letters is a start, but unless Pelosi backs this up with some action, it's just more of the same: empty rhetoric.
Nice Rhyme...
Don't worry kids, the free market has everything under control. Here's how it works:
When the cost of lawsuits exceeds the profits from a particular product, they stop making it.
What could be better than that?
ms. nord was on lehrer last night and said "there's no evidence" she has been taking trips that violate conflict of interest or other laws. also assured the interviewer that she wants more money to do all the jobs congress is putting on her agency. Bush must have put a crony in every possible spot. It won't take just one broom to sweep it all clean, it's going to take lots of brooms.
Joementum @ 16:
Yeah its true. It works even better when the judges are all being paid by corporations. That's truly the free market.
look on the bright side - at least the kids over in India making shirts for the gap won't get lead poisoning.
ain't it always about the kids? well, I mean aside form schip. . .
When Advocates Become Regulators
President Bush has installed more than 100 top officials who were once lobbyists, attorneys or spokespeople for the industries they oversee.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0523-02.htm
Parents really need to get themselves off of the corporate trough and stop buying products made by irresponsible companies that outsource their manufacturing of toys to unregulated cheap labor countries like China. Dollars speak louder than words. Besides with all the dumbing down of kids in this country, it looks like the time is right to give kids books as gifts instead of all this useless, overpriced crap that kids are brainwashed into wanting.
I thought The present administration was all about "protecting americans, I guess that only applies to terrorists and not companies....I would think Osama and his ilk would think to invest in some Chinese factories, a slew of importers and maybe buy some stock in Mattel and Hasbro since it seems a fairly effective way to kill, maim or disable many Americans every year. WTF!! is going on!! Open your eyes people , it's ok for our own companies to charge us money to kill us but god forbid some terrorist should offer to do it for free.
thats Family Values!
... now if it was SCARY BROWN PEOPLE™ putting lead in the toys, BUSH™ could use that to his advantage.
why should this surprise anyone?
the purpose of the chimp's administration has been to rape the american public
and they have succeeded
game over man...game over
Free market does not work when they are able to lie to us in their advertising, downplay negative health effects from foods and medicines and even deny smoking causes cancer for what seemed like forever. You are relying on people that can't even keep their own country out of the hands of psychopaths who use slogans and rally cries to drum up the sheeple into handing over the keys to our democracy. How are they supposed to make realistic choices? Even if they try the advertising alone will bury their kids in tidal wave after tidal wave of psychologist tested and CEO approved state of the art advertising until they give in and inadvertently buy the next toxic toy.
Maybe it's a plan, they spoon feed us lead until we have the brain power of your average idiot who believes everything FOX news spews out. Just when you think America is going to go the way of Ancient Rome, they had to go and add lead to the equation too. I agree with the book idea, I'm just not buying into the concern about free market, free market does shit for anyone that doesn't have something already, and I don't know about you but I don't fall in that 2%.
Government does a good job when competant people are in charge. NASA put a man on the moon. Don't vote for the AWOL coke-snorting fratboy drunk next time.
Another day, more stunning progress in the GOP's war on children.
Anyone here aware of the fact that the 'Surrender Monkeys' of the EU banned the use of lead and numerous other poisons
in toys sold there and that.....wait for it....
American and Chinese toy manufacturors produce toys WITH lead for the U.S. market and toys WITHOUT lead for the rest of the world?
Think I'm nuts?
Nope.
Read Exposed by Mark Shapiro and get the lowdown.
And ladies?
No agency of the U.S. 'government' regulates the use of ANYTHING in your makeup.
Have a nice day.
Lets do like China.
I bet that would stop it.
Geez.
toys manufactured in China are not held to the same regulations as toys manufactured in the states. the problem is, its damn near impossible for parents, especially lower income parents, to buy something *NOT* manufactured in China. whether you're talking Wal Mart (who are responsible for shutting down both the Toys R Us and the KayBee Toys in my city) - or whether you're talking something cheaper from the Dollar Tree or the little corner store down the street - its nearly impossible to find something plastic... thats *NOT* made in China.
the only place I can think of in my city, is to shop downtown or in one of our higher class sort of yuppified districts. they make toys here in the states, sure. safe, quality toys with a focus on education. but they're not advertised so its pretty difficult to hand it off to a kid and have the kid think its "cool" - and they're super super expensive. as in, $10, $15, maybe $20 for a doll or action figure.
the whole thing is disconcerting, because we've outsourced so much more processing and manufacturing jobs, to China. pet food, medicine, clothing, engines and other transportation parts... I think the toys are just the tip of the iceberg.
jesus zimmerman @ 12:
You mean recalled due to a major defect.
Outsourcing jobs makes obscene profits for shareholders. In order to bring our jobs back the obscene profit motive must be removed. Tax the profits at the same rate as income from labor and pass punative laws against corporations that move offshore.
There is lead and other poisons in goods from China because it is cheaper and more profitable. There is slave labor in China because it is profitable. The CEOs of companies need to be exposed for what they are - murderers. Lead in a child's toy causes death, or at least brain damage. Companies and CEOs must be held accountable. Huge fines and prison terms for every child who has it's life put at risk of poisoning or dying.
And the public must be made aware that Europe does not have these problems. China is doing it to our kids. They are the target. Why? So there will be a ready supply of cheap labor when China calls in it's debt and owns our ass.
burnt @ 31:
Sadly, this is wrong. Chinese toys, those intended for sale in the EU have no lead in them. Those intended for the U.S....
Who knows.
This is deliberate.
Jo @ 33:
The EU does not have these problems because the regulate toxins OUT OF THE MARKETPLACE. The EU has flying squads of inspectors who regularly take toys off the selves and TEST THEM.
Wake up and smell the coffee folks.
These people would be in jail where I lived. Your country has lost.
Carmikl @ 4:
Excellent idea, Carmikl, if you buy toys made in China. No jab there, it's difficult to find toys made in the US at an affordable price.
I worked briefly at a company that imported toys. The testing system is so easy to get around it would be laughable if it wasn't so serious. The (in this case, Chinese) manufacturer is required to submit a sample from the production run to an independent testing agency chosen by the American customer. The sample passes, the documents are in order, and the order ships. Goes thru US customs no problems. I wish I knew how to bold this:
Problem is, there is no way of knowing if the test sample and the product shipped to our children are the same thing.
Jo @ 33 "And the public must be made aware that Europe does not have these problems"
Sorry, but 'fraid they do. The EU, as a whole, has stronger regulations than we do on lead content and other dangerous chemicals, but I have seen products shipped to EU countries under the same bait-n-switch manner as the above. Sucks, huh.
The Bush Administration has been astonishingly successful in their efforts to prove to the American public that government does not work. The political syncophants that Bush has named to head our government agencies are not stupid , and they are not incompetent. They are going about the business of dismantling government as most Americans have come to know it in a very efficient manner, while Bush tells the public how much money he's going to save them in taxes! All they need is another four years of neo-conservative rule to complete the transition from a government built on a foundation of individual rights and equality to one of presumption of the superiority of the state and corporatocracy.
The appearance of impropriety is all a politician needs to offer up a scapegoat to the masses. The most glaring omission in this is, where did the inspectors travel? I want to know if the govt properly funded this agency to perform their duties, like travel to inspection sites. Nine out of ten politicians agree, bureaucrats make the best scapegoats.
Is anyone really and truly surprised by this?
On a side but related note I was listening to NPR today and there was a story about lead and its causal relationship to crime. In countries which had seriously curtailed the use of lead in paint and other products crime had gone down dramatically.
There was also an interesting comment made concerning the disproportionate numbers of minorities in prisons and how if you look at their environments you will invariably discover many older buildings in various states of disrepair and quantities of lead not only in paint, but in dust particles and the soil. Children who are also lacking adequate nutrition, especially calcium, absorb lead at a greater rate than other children which in turn can (notice i didn't say "does" or "will" as there are of course many other factors that go into the motivation to commit crimes) lead to greater instances of violence and crime.
If one were a cynic one would wonder if this whole thing was established by design.
Piren @ 37:
Slight difference between us and the EU. In the EU toys which are found to contain toxins on their list of banned substances the companies who are in possession of the toys are automatically guilty of breaking the law. There are no federal prohibitions on lead in toys. Here you have to sue to 'prove' that you kid's brain damage was from the toy you let him chew on.
I would think you could see the difference but apparently not.
Further, we are not signatories to the POPS treaty. No surprise there as BushCo started whining about our sovereignty which I am sure will be of great comfort to the parents show kids where poisoned with substances banned by same or suffering from genetic defects from phthalates which are banned in the EU but perfectly okay here.
The rest of the world is operating on the 'precautionary principle' while we are running on the 'profit principle' profit for Big Pharma and Big Toy. Google 'precautionary principle' and educate yourself.
Bottom line major toy companies use different supply chains to bring toys to the market here and in the EU. They due that because the EU is protecting their citizens as best they can and prohibits many substances which the U.S. supply chain does nothing to remove. Indeed, does nothing to prevent from appearing in these toys.
I'm done with this thread but I leave you with one question:
'What U.S. government agency regulates what may or may not be put in makeup sold in the U.S.'
Warning, that's trick question.
A.Citizen @ 41:
Too bad Freidman is dead so he can't see the destruction his "theories" have wrought on our society and the rest of the world. But he'd probably say it's a good thing.
For the nutjobs who say that our universities are soooo liberal, I give you the University of Chicago School of Economics. Anyone got a match?
A couple of comments on Nord's travel:
1. What is the purpose of her trips? The trips appear to be perks for her to get out of the office, especially the 9 day trip to Asia. She is not an inspector, but a corporate lawyer. Send a technical person instead. That is what was needed.
2. I have not read the total cost of her travel but I suspect it is under $100k. Since she runs a major government, it is hard to believe the government does have a not a travel budget for necessary travel. But if they cannot afford a travel budget and have only one full-time inspector, why even have a dept. itself? This dept is a sham!
It makes you wonder about the entire government. Does anybody do honest work?
Welcome back to Robber Baron America
the rich get richer everyone else is on their own
the junta will put out for any corporation that leaves money on their dresser
The Bushies and their corporate buddies have spent years lobbying (or rather strong-arming) to ensure the new EU chemicals standards and safety law (know by the acronym REACH), is now seriously watered down from what was initially proposed in 2001 - so their friends could continue to make $ hand over fist - product saftey be damned.
"The attack on REACH by the Bush administration was "one of the most aggressive foreign lobby efforts ever to influence a proposed piece of EU legislation."[38]. ...The highest levels of power play were used, with Colin Powell sending a series of cables to US embassies in Europe. The US Secretary of State wanted diplomats to focus their lobbying efforts on national governments, arguing that they would be "much more sensitive to impacts on EU competitiveness, employment and other implications that other commission bureaucrats."[39]
and the results...
"Indeed, the new text reduces the scope of REACH, which will only ensure now an appropriate safety assessment for about 10% of existing chemicals, and will leave most chemicals entering the EU via consumer products largely untouched.[47].... "The United States has got 90% of what it wanted", Stefan Scheuer of the European Environmental Bureau commented.[48]"
Check this link for the whole sordid tale.
http://www.corporateeurope.org/lobbycracy/BulldozingREACH.html
Nord is doing exactly the job she was hired to do. In order to get the government small enough to "drown in a bathtub," it behooves the Rethugs to totally disillusion the citizenry as to the competence and effectiveness of any government entity intended to serve the public.
One would that Republicans everywhere are feasting on carcinogenic shrimp and other seafood and chewing on lead paint, but they can afford to buy American.
I have to bust this back out.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfWjQZVNd4o
Wot??
Porter Wagoner died?
We gonna give Nancy something to contemplate.
We bribed the Chinese to paint her personal 'Toy' order (a case of size xxxLLL dildoes) with a combination of LSD, Tabasco sauce, and some of Idi Amin's frozen sperm.
Why does this woman or any person involved in industry consulting have a job overseeing those industries? There should be a law against it.
Can we prosecute these people finally? When will someone step up and take it to these people and expose them for the criminals they are and imprison them with someone named "bubba"?
So Gerald Ford was called the man from Steelcase because he got that corporation lots of business.
Since the government don't buy lots of toys yet, the Mattell Mom is just letting us citizens act as we are good agents of the gub-mint.
They have no problem with putting lead in the paint on the toys, because lead is linked to brain damage in children.
Brain damaged children won't require a proper education in school, so the government can then lower the funding necessary to teach the population.
If the population does not get an education, then they won't be informed or intelligent, and therefore, they will vote for the candidate who will continue to sell your country to every possible bidder. Which is where you are now, and where you will be unless you get out and vote against them.
just another day in repug amurKKKa...
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