Things Currently Pissing Me Off
I can't believe what I read on Cake Wrecks today. Apparently the government has passed a ridiculous bill that will destroy thousands of home businesses. By February 10th, all businesses will have to have items that are intended for children tested for lead--at the cost of $300-4,000 dollars per item! This goes for handmade toys, clothing, books, you name it. Can you imagine being a small business owner having to pay $300 dollars to have ONE hand-knit pair of mittens tested for lead? This law was intended to make toys imported from China (remember all the ones that had to be recalled?) and elsewhere less dangerous.
Learn more about this truly outrageous oversight in lawmaking at the Handmade Toy Alliance website: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
These folks are the most vocal and organized, but keep in mind that it's not just toys, it's items that you might want to buy or make too!
So I am begging you all to PLEASE spam your representatives and senators to have this bill amended! (If you follow the link to the Handmade Toy Alliance, they make it very easy. There's no excuse!) We can't afford to put more people out of work, let alone miss out on all the cool indie products that are sold on websites like Etsy! This most fundamental part of the American dream is being taken away right before our eyes, and I would wager that 90% of people have not heard about it. Post this in your Livejournal, on your Facebook, MySpace, wherever you can. GET MAD.
Another thing that was pissing me off was the Bush administration's attacks on women's health care. Come January 20th, I don't think I'll be that pissed about it anymore. Not that I think Obama is going to solve everything, but I feel pretty confident that he and our Democratic-majority Congress will do much to overturn the poor, short-sighted decisions that were made this last term in this area. However, now is not the time to let our guard down, and you can be sure I'll have angry updates about this if it turns out these issues get ignored.
Learn more about this truly outrageous oversight in lawmaking at the Handmade Toy Alliance website: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
These folks are the most vocal and organized, but keep in mind that it's not just toys, it's items that you might want to buy or make too!
So I am begging you all to PLEASE spam your representatives and senators to have this bill amended! (If you follow the link to the Handmade Toy Alliance, they make it very easy. There's no excuse!) We can't afford to put more people out of work, let alone miss out on all the cool indie products that are sold on websites like Etsy! This most fundamental part of the American dream is being taken away right before our eyes, and I would wager that 90% of people have not heard about it. Post this in your Livejournal, on your Facebook, MySpace, wherever you can. GET MAD.
Another thing that was pissing me off was the Bush administration's attacks on women's health care. Come January 20th, I don't think I'll be that pissed about it anymore. Not that I think Obama is going to solve everything, but I feel pretty confident that he and our Democratic-majority Congress will do much to overturn the poor, short-sighted decisions that were made this last term in this area. However, now is not the time to let our guard down, and you can be sure I'll have angry updates about this if it turns out these issues get ignored.