I have this awesome wooden game that I got when I was eight. It has three posts and a few disks of various sizes. The trick is to move the entire stack of disks to another post without putting a bigger disk on top of a smaller disk. It's awesome and I love it. But there is a new law on the table that would make the person who made my game a criminal. This law would make it illegal to sell handmade goods to children that aren't tested or approved by the government. That would mean people like my mother, who makes beautiful things with her hands and sells them at craft shows like thousands of other well meaning Americans, could be prosecuted for selling goods that are given to children unless she pays a third party thousands of dollars to test her goods and prove that they are free of lead and other harmful things. Not only will this law kill so many people's livelihoods- mostly women who work from home and provide their families with a second income- but think of all those cute skirts and stuffed animals you find on indie craft sites or in indie craft fairs that you will never see again. Those fairs would probably disappear all together if this legislation passes.
Oh yeah, and this law covers children's bikes and children's books as well. So there go independent bike shops and small publishing houses. I mean, this stuff is crazy.
Please go to this website and learn how you can help Save Handmade. It takes no time at all. I signed a petition and sent an email to my congressman all in five minutes. Please! It is so important.
No comments:
Post a Comment