Comments on: Dr. Ron Paul Casts Only Vote against Ban on Lead in Toys, Ban Passes House 424 to 1

By: Sasha

Sasha — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:51:15 +0000

BARRY DONEGEN: Thank you for that extremely eloquent defense of how the free market handles problems like this more quickly and effectively than government can.

TERRY: 1st, we are not a Democracy, we are a Republic. Learn the difference. 2nd – Do you really think the people control the decisions of a Democracy? Have you been paying any attention the last 200 years? You write your congresscritter, you get a polite form letter back, and then they vote with whoever can fill their campaign coffers. That’s how it works 98% of the time. American Democracy is an extension of corporate rule. This is a law that puts moms and pops out of business, so that we will have to buy all our toys from China. They might feign indignation, but do you really think Mattel is against this?

JON: on the Constitutional point. The Commerce Clause gives Congress the ability to “regulate international commerce.” In your estimation, does that include the power to made thrift stores throw out all of their children’s books and merchandise? Is that “International Commerce?” This law vastly oversteps the Commerce Clause, and is blatantly unconstitutional. But, noone cares anymore. Thousands of unconstitutional laws, dozens of unconstitutional wars… but you dare smear someone who speaks out against these just because you disagree with his stand on abortion. You’re as bad as a Christian Coalition types who has a “litmus test” for a pro-life stance.

Ron Paul voted heroically on this, voting with common sense and the Constitition and against the “save our children” demagoguery. Proving once again that he and Kucinich are the only two people in that house with a shred of integrity or independent thought.

By: Jive Dadson

Jive Dadson — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:32:26 +0000

Ron Paul’s foresight and courage never fail to amaze me. Unless something is done quickly to repeal this horrible law, an untold number of mom and pop makers and retailers of all natural and used toys and clothing will be forced out of business in early February. Thrift stores will also suffer. Many will be forced to take huge losses on perfectly good inventory that will be illegal to sell in the US. Read all about it: http://nationalbankruptcyday.com/

By: Nation bankruptcy day

Nation bankruptcy day — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:57:37 +0000

I’m not a Ron Paul supporter by any stretch of the imagination, but now that we actually know what the law does this piece looks more and more ridiculous.
Libertarians love lead let’s go!

By: Qtpies7

Qtpies7 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:34:30 +0000

I don’t believe he was voting against regulations, but against THIS amazingly stupid regulation.
Check out the stats, kids are not being poisoned and having brain damage from lead toys. Yes, a few children have had elevated lead levels. This is not so amazingly outrageous as to ban every single item made for a child until it has gone through $1200 worth of testing. You can’t spend $1200 to test a $5 barette. It is outrageous!
How are parents going to pay for clothes? They are going to more than double in cost, and you will NOT be able to buy used clothing under this law.
Do you have any idea how much a package of diapers is going to cost now?
68% of children’s products are small businesses, and they will not be able to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for testing. That is more than half of the business going under. What is that going to do to the economy? How about unemployment?
Who is going to pay for that?

I don’t know Ron Paul, but I am guessing that he was actually the only one who READ the law and the only one with enough balls to not vote for it. With some major changes, this is a needed law. Right now it is a nightmare.

I am kissing my business good-bye. And my suppliers are going to lose more than 80% of thier customers. They won’t be able to stay in business, either.

By: indnajns

indnajns — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:55:50 +0000

Now that a few months have passed and the truth of this law comes out, Ron Paul is seen as the LONE congressman with a brain to see past his nose. Amazing how someone so vilified as “wanting to allow lead in baby products” is now obviously the only sane person up there voting! I don’t care about his stance on marriage, abortion, hiccups, green shoes, or whatever else they’re whining about. I care about his vote on this one law. He saw through it. *421* other legislators did NOT. Knee-jerk reaction PR was good enough for them.

The man at least votes his conscience and not what the well paid lobbyists want. Amazing how many Americans have issue with that.

By: Robin Smith

Robin Smith — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:59:53 +0000

Protecting our children (indeed, all people) from lead exposure is a GOOD thing. But this is a STUPID law, poorly written and if it is not modified, it will do incalculable harm to the U.S. economy. Go see nationalbankruptcyday.com for more information on this, but the short version is that every small manufacturer of clothing for children (not toys, here, but clothes) will be put out of business by the insupportable testing burden this law imposes. Textiles are inherently lead free, and while dyes may add some lead, dyed fabric still meets the no more than 100 ppm standard the law requires as the ultimate goal. I am not a supporter of Ron Paul for any reason, but you have to wonder if he is the only one of our elected representatives who read and understood the ramifications of this law.

By: Etl World News | Is February 10th National Bankruptcy Day?

Etl World News | Is February 10th National Bankruptcy Day? — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:15:06 +0000

[...] recap, this law was passed (424 votes to 1) to protect children from unsafe toys after last yearâ€™s widely publicized recalls (by the way, [...]

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:06:51 +0000

As Donk, and others have stated, this bill doesn’t magically make our kids safe. It puts the burden of proof on the manufacturer. And what does that mean? That you won’t be able to go down to the local market & buy a handmade locally made wooden train set for junior because that person who does woodwork on the side cannot shell out $10,000 for testing to prove that he/she isn’t using lead based items. Nor can a work-at-home mom who makes clothes, diapers or other kids items afford the testing to prove that the fabric she got from Joann’s fabric is lead free. Joann’s won’t have to prove that it is, because it is fabric in their hands, but in a WAHM hands it becomes a children’s item and there lies where the proof is needed. Instead of the “buy USA”/buy local movement, the only choices will be shoddy items made in sweatshops because of the volume of items that are made there, the way the letter of the law is.

By: Fashion Incubator » Blog Archive » National Bankruptcy Day

Fashion Incubator » Blog Archive » National Bankruptcy Day — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:16:50 +0000

[...] recap, this law was passed (424 votes to 1) to protect children from unsafe toys after last year’s widely publicised recalls (by the [...]

By: Eric Hm

Eric Hm — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:41:42 +0000

The main problem with this “information” is that HB 4040 does not “ban lead in toys”. It mandates testing … on toys and clothing including adult clothing. It imposes costs that will put small businesses out of business and boosts the market for certified lab testing. In other words, it is pro-big business. It’s called “rent-seeking”.

Whateverâ€¦libertarianism is the fast-track to fascism.

So, Weimar Germany (run almost exclusively by the Social Democrats prior to Hitler’s selection as Chancellor) and Italy (where Mussolini was once the editor for the Socialist party newspaper) were libertarian?