Safety Board Head Under Fire Over Recalls

Pelosi Calls For CPSC Head's Resignation After She Opposed More Money For Agency

(CBS/AP) 

Despite the opposition, the committee sent legislation to the full Senate that would increase the number of workers at the agency to at least 500 by 2013, modernize its testing facilities and increase the number of safety inspectors at U.S. ports.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission was founded in 1973 with a staff of about 800. It now employs about half that number, while the importation of products from other countries has vastly increased.

Democrats say the limited resources given to the CPSC has made the products used by Americans less safe.

Under the bill, the agency's budget would go to $80 million in 2009 and increase 10 percent each year after that.

“It is very clear to me, as well as millions of moms and dads around the country, that the CPSC is failing to keep dangerous toys and products out of the marketplace,” said Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., who co-sponsored the legislation with Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

More than 21 million toys made in China - from Baby Einstein Discover & Play Color Blocks from Kids II Inc., to Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway by RC2 Corp. - have been recalled because of excessive levels of lead paint, tiny magnets that could be swallowed or other potentially serious problems.

Lead is toxic if ingested by young children.

Pelosi was joined in the call for Nord's resignation by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and representatives like Bobby Rush, D-Ill., and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.

Nord and the White House say they're not against modernizing and expanding the agency, but several parts of the Democrats' legislation concerns them.

“We want to work with Congress on a collaborative effort in order to help modernize and improve the CPSC,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. “This wasn't about the price tag, this was about a couple of the policies that are within a particular bill.”

Under the bill, civil fines would be increased up to $250,000 per violation with a cap at $100 million, and criminal penalties would be increased criminal penalties to five years in jail for those who knowingly and willingly violate product safety laws. Whistleblowers reporting on bad products from inside companies would get additional protection and state attorneys general would be allowed to sue to enforce product safety laws.

“Many of our existing public safety activities would have to be severely curtailed or would cease entirely in order to attempt to fulfill all of the bill's proposed statutory directives,” Nord said in the letter to the committee.

[kaelinda]

This is amazing. Some of you seem to have commented without reading the article. Nord objects to having to fill her agency with lawyers. She agrees that more scientists and inspectors are needed - but there are provisions in the proposed law that would require CPSC to hire expensive and unnecessary lawyers to fight all the appeals that the product manufacturers will file against the imposed fines. Nord makes a lot of sense here; more sense than Pelosi and her left-wing comrades.

[ioweign]

We have 100,000 private mercenary Blackwater types in Iraq protecting 50 to 100 diplomats and military bigshots !

We have 300 million population and a mere 420 full-time employees, including only 150 scientists, to check all the ***** that American business is importing from China and where ever. 420 employees !!

[gkc99]

If Al Queda were putting poisons into toys and sending them to the U.S., Bushit would be on TV warning us all to be very afraid and to forget about the Bill of Rights, because we''re at WAR!

But his corporate buddies put poisons into toys and send them to the U.S. just to line their own pockets with money, and that is AOK with Bushit and Darth!

It''s not sick kids that bother Bushit and Darth, it''s less profits for the billionaires who own and operate the Bushit Administration!

[skyk-2009]

Sounds to me like Nord makes a lot more sense than Pepsicola. Is the Product Safety Commision part of the Justice Department?


Posted by pockoleotis at 09:07 PM : Oct 30, 2007
+ report abuse

Strange but I don''t see anywhere in the proposed change that makes this department a part of the Department of Justice. It would seem that you poor souls have been fed Kool Aid so long that all the Bush people have to do is put it out there and you lap it up. Maybe you should stop allowing OTHERS to tell you what someone means and start looking at it for YOURSELF. What the proposal does is allows law enforcement to bring those who harm our children and our people with cheap products to justice. That most certainly is NOT new... not at all.

[watcher269-2009]

The Bushit administration wants the corporations to govern themselves and doesn''t want this new funding to prosecute those companies who don''t protect americans from their own products. Well, that selve policing is not working - look at all the recalls for unsafe toys, food products, medicine etc....... There is no self policing by companies and they get to walk away with small fines while kids suffer from their neglegence! Seems like Bushit''s admin is against anything and everything that helps the american people. If it doesn''t have oil or the middle east involved then it is not good for American in his opinion!!!!

[johngress]

The Bushites are planning another "FEMA like" fake news conference. They''ll be telling everyone how they fully screen all toys coming into this country and have this issue under control. Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

[walt1944-2009]

Once again, another appointee of the Great Emperor Bush II''s is under attack for not knowing their job, in fact, not knowing which way is UP! It has often been said that the total amount of intelligence of all the Emperor''s appointees, including those in Justice and the supreme Court, wouldn''t fill a lunch bag, and the new battle with Nord and the CPSC is a perfect example.

While other departments are crying for money, she refuses it, claiming they are doing their job without need of more money. Naturally, the Great Emperor agrees with this assessment because after all, what are the lives of the children of the USSA when compared to "supporting the troops" (and Blackwater, and Halliburton, and KBF, etc.)! The Great Emperor doesn''t care one bit if the children of the new USSA are poisoned by the Chinese, just so long as the toy companies can post higher profits, which, the Emperor "thinks" will "stimulate the economy" (and most upper manager''s wallets)!

So, the Great Emperor has another battle on his hands thanks to the evil, cowardly Democrats who don''t want the children of the new USSA poisoned by Chinese lead.
Instead, their attitude is that all those toys should be sent to Rush Limbaugh, Bill O''Reilly, Micheal Savage, Anne Coulter and other Fascist neocons as no one would really miss them except the Great Emperor!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!

[pakaal]

Posted by thefarrier at 09:07 PM

Er, Ron who?

[ixoye_02]

I am not a strong fan of Pelosi, but at least she has spoken up for issues that Americans care about. And I will give Pelosi some credit speaking out. Hastert didn''t seem to speak up much about anything. Would we want the Speaker of the House to be mum on issues? I don''t think so!!!
Also, it is tough for the Congress to to override a presidential veto when there are stick-in-the-mud republican''ts voting with Bush''s veto. Of course, republican''ts and the Liar-in-Chief would criticize congressional democratic leaders for seemingly doing little by way of passing laws. Republican''t are using the same circular and nonsensical reasoning they have been using to confuse the issues. It''s time that Americans at all levels demand better from our politicians. After all, these politicians are entrusted with spending our tax dollars. We''ve already seen the republican''ts give our tax dollars away to lobbyists'' special interests. Not any more....

[Pocko]

Sounds to me like Nord makes a lot more sense than Pepsicola. Is the Product Safety Commision part of the Justice Department?