This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Who's up for a good old fashioned book burning?

edited March 2009 in Politics
There's been a lot of contention online about the CPSIA. Now, second-hand stores have actually begin discarding and destroying all of their children's books from before 1985 (along with other children's products like toys and clothes). After a month of this law being active, there are few children's items in any of the thrift stores I visit. Now, I don't have kids...but for those that do, this could be a huge blow.

I certainly hope all those books we donated to Mr. MacRoss's school will be spared this fate. I know for a fact some of the books in my boxes were pre-1985 publications. A statement from the ALA has made it clear that they consider libraries to be included under this law.

Supposedly, this law makes it illegal not only to sell said books, but to give them away as well. No more family hand-me-down books from before I was born. I find it ironic that the baby book my parents kept when I was born is now considered unsafe for children. I don't suppose the congress has thought about the ramifications of taking away even more resources for children to learn to love reading? Our country is illiterate enough as it is.
«1

Comments

  • We buy them for 1p (About 1.5 cents) each, put them on a boat and ship them to places that need them (say, Africa).
  • This is like that law in Japan that was going to destroy used technology sales. What ever happened to that? Clearly, whoever wrote this wasn't thinking.
  • We buy them for 1p (About 1.5 cents) each, put them on a boat and ship them to places that need them (say, Africa).
    Nope. The law covers export, too.
  • If it applies to the books you donated, it isn't being enforced.

    This is really horrible. Second Hand shops have recently been limited not only in being able to carry children's items (like clothed and books - regardless of how old/new they are), furniture, certain kinds of clothes, certain electronics, etc.
    I know my Mom relied on thrift stores when I was young. If it weren't for garage sales, thrift stores, and lay-aways - our house would have been empty. It is a shame that these goods are being wasted rather then reaching families that would find good use in the items and limiting an industry that not only provides jobs, but also has entire charities around them (like Goodwill and ABVI).
  • So, what are we doing about it?
  • edited March 2009
    So, what are we doing about it?
    Writing our government officials, bringing these issues to light, and letting them know we are against the policy (if we are). Some people have gone so far as to start hoarding pre-1985 children's books to preserve them, since they can only be sold as "collector's items" now. I posted the issue to see if it would initiate some discussion about what CAN be done, and also to educate people that there is now a law to this effect.
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • Can people still sell them at swap meets and flea markets?

    Is this going to create some weird black market?
  • edited March 2009
    @Nuri: Ohh.. I was hoping for some kind of underground used book gray market or napster-esque Internet system.
    I'll get writing to my MP (Minister of Parliament).

    @Mrs Macross:"She's selling used books to children!! Get her!"
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • edited March 2009
    Can people still sell them at swap meets and flea markets?

    Is this going to create some weird black market?
    Nope, it's illegal to sell, trade, or give them away unless you are selling it as a collector's item. Even then, it must be priced accordingly so that people can't use the "sell everything as a collectible" strategy and just give them to kids anyway.

    It's going to be so damn hard for them to enforce the giving away part though. Where are the records? How do they prosecute? It will rarely happen. I suspect that people are going to ignore the law and everyone will be branded criminals. Heck, we're probably already all criminals. It's impossible for any one person to know the full extent of the law in the US.

    @Omnutia: LOL. We've all got to do our part to be fine upstanding citizens! I can see the lynch mobs forming now...
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • All this will accomplish is depriving poor children and libraries. Whose brainchild was this?
  • edited March 2009
    And so began the great used book prohibition..

    Baccano meets Library Wars

    @Mrs Macross: "Concerned" parents.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • The author of the blog Nuri posted said that it had been passed in the "OMG FREAKOUT" aftermath of lead being found in childrens' toys.
  • The author of the blog Nuri posted said that it had been passed in the "OMG FREAKOUT" aftermath of lead being found in childrens' toys.
    Yep, it was the congress's attempt to say, "Look! We care about the welfare of your children, and we are doing something about it!"
  • edited March 2009
    All of the hooplah is about new toys and materials. While the dyes used pre 1985 may contain lead; how much lead and is it in a format that would be detrimental to children who aren't eating large quantities of books (which probably cause other, more immediate health concerns)?
    Post edited by Kate Monster on
  • ...is it in a format that would be detrimental to children who aren't eating large quantities of books (which probably cause other, more immediate health concerns)?
    image

    NOM NOM NOM!
  • Yeah, but would a 5 minute munch on the corner of a book really pose such a problem? I am genuinely asking.
  • And how many books do you have to munch through before ingesting dangerous quantities of lead paint?
  • edited March 2009
    If You’re Eating the Book, You’re Doing It Wrong

    Oh yeah, and those blocky teether books that are designed to be chewed on anyway? You're better off buying those new for a dozen reasons, so it's not really an issue for those.
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • Will this affect comic books? I know a lot of 1984 comics to get for cheap that could become rare.
  • I just realized that this law makes a huge assumption that those purchasing old children's books are purchasing them for children. I have picked up several old children's books for my own personal pleasure (either for neat art or a quirky story). Even if you are trying to protect kids in this ass-backwards way, you are limiting adult's access to the media as well. This is all bunk.
    Are there any petitions or groups about this issue that I can take part in?
  • edited March 2009
    Scott, I suppose that depends on whether those comics are considered children's items. Some stores will probably get rid of them.

    Technically, anyone buying these items as collectibles can still buy them, but you have to find a place willing to sell them as a collectible.
    I just realized that this law makes a huge assumption that those purchasing old children's books are purchasing them for children. I have picked up several old children's books for my own personal pleasure (either for neat art or a quirky story). Even if you are trying to protect kids in this ass-backwards way, you are limiting adult's access to the media as well. This is all bunk.
    Are there any petitions or groups about this issue that I can take part in?
    I wrote all about how the government can try all it likes to protect our kids...until parents have the common sense to do it themselves, the government will always fail (short of taking away the kids). What happens the first time Mommy gives her kid a non-child item to chew on?

    I linked a few articles in my blog post(rant) on the subject. I think one or two of these pages had links to groups, but I haven't checked them out yet. I have already been doing what I can politically since this came up on Etsy.
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • This law is obscene. It is a senseless waste and I can assure you, nothing donated to our school will be thrown away. They'll take books from the cold dead hands of our librarian. What about children's books that are out of print? Are they just going to be purged forever? This is ludicrous.
  • Yeah, but would a 5 minute munch on the corner of a book really pose such a problem? I am genuinely asking.
    Depends on the amount of lead ingested and the duration of exposure.

    My guess, and this is just a guess here, is that a book, even one pre-1985, contains far less lead than a toy from China these days.

    I'm all for the government making sensible health regulations where none existed before. For example, I fully support funding studies to determine the safe levels of uranium that can contaminate dog food, so that we can force pet food manufacturers to actually care about what goes into their product.

    However, this is just some draconian law. I want to see studies on the levels of lead and other toxins in pre-1985 children's books. I want to see the information used to justify this law. If the information doesn't exist, the law shouldn't either.
  • I am all for protecting kids by providing information for parents to make their own dicisions and to ban the very few items that pose a massive health risk. Howerver, a stove, matches, scissors, etc. pose a greater threat than old books.

    On the subject of lead, (which still is a major problem) if the groups that seek to ban every toy with lead genuienly care about lead poisoning in children, then they would focus their efforts to update lower-income housing and clean up contaminated soil.
  • Yuck, this sucks. I am displeased.
  • edited March 2009
    I'm all for the government making sensible health regulations where none existed before. For example, I fully support funding studies to determine the safe levels of uranium that can contaminate dog food, so that we can force pet food manufacturers to actually care about what goes into their product.

    However, this is just some draconian law. I want to see studies on the levels of lead and other toxins in pre-1985 children's books. I want to see the information used to justify this law. If the information doesn't exist, the law shouldn't either.
    Wasn't there already a lead law in effect? If they had just enforced the existing law instead of having a knee-jerk reaction, that should have been sufficient. The thing that really gets me about this law is that they made it retroactive. I mean, even the seat belt and emissions laws aren't retroactive!
    Post edited by Nuri on
  • I'm all for the government making sensible health regulations where none existed before. For example, I fully support funding studies to determine the safe levels of uranium that can contaminate dog food, so that we can force pet food manufacturers to actually care about what goes into their product.

    However, this is just some draconian law. I want to see studies on the levels of lead and other toxins in pre-1985 children's books. I want to see the information used to justify this law. If the information doesn't exist, the law shouldn't either.
    Wasn't there already a lead law in effect? If they had just enforced the existing law instead of having a knee-jerk reaction, that should have been sufficient. The thing that really gets me about this law is that they made it retroactive. I mean, even the seat belt and emissions laws aren't retroactive!
    There's a lead law somewhere. I'm pretty sure there are multiple lead laws covering a variety of products. I have no idea if there's ever been a toxin law for books, though.

    The retroactive part has more to do, I think, with the fact that books tend to stick around for a while.

    I'm not saying I agree with the law at all; I'm just dissecting it and trying to figure out the reasoning. In other words, how do we make this useful instead of knee-jerk and overreaching?
  • Big chain shops introduce hazardous products into the market, legislation is passed to prevent this, second hand shops suffer greatly, big chains profit from increased sales (even with the fees for testing).
  • Great, this lessens my chances even further of finding a mint copy of The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments.

    See it here.

    That's definitely the reason they want this enforced (read old how-to books sometime; you'll find that they are dangerous as HELL), but I've always thought that kids need a longer leash. The government doesn't exist to play mommy-daddy to the unwashed masses' unguided children.

  • See it here.
    This link is broken, and now I'm really curious.
Sign In or Register to comment.