What's behind GOP attack on product-safety database?
The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee has approved a spending bill that cuts off all funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission's online database of product complaints.
What is it about consumer protection that Republican lawmakers don't like? Is it that they want to see their constituents fleeced and flimflammed by businesses? Is it that they don't care?
Or is it something as craven as carrying water for corporate interests simply because that's where the money is?
The online database is one of the most important consumer tools to emerge from Washington in years. It enables people to report potentially faulty or harmful products, as well as to research goods before making a purchase.
"If this bill passes, it will destroy the database," said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America. "They're trying to pull the plug on a vital consumer resource."
A provision included by Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson, who chairs the financial services subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, seems innocuous enough.
It says only that "none of the funds made available by this act may be used to carry out any of the activities described in section 6A of the Consumer Product Safety Act."
The Consumer Product Safety Act was a landmark bill passed in 1972 and updated in 2008 that created an agency charged with overseeing the safety of more than 15,000 types of products, from baby cribs to power tools.
The 2008 update strengthened the Consumer Product Safety Commission with new powers safeguarding whistle-blowers and cracking down on hazardous children's goods. Section 6A of the legislation required creation of the product-safety database.
If passed by the House and Senate, Emerson's innocuous-looking provision in the spending bill would in effect shut down the database by denying the safety commission funds to maintain it. At least $3 million has already been spent developing and launching the online tool.
"The thing that's so insidious is that the database is already up and running," Weintraub said. "This would basically waste all the money and resources that have gone into creating the database."
Emerson told me her budget plan for the safety commission "reflects some difficult choices."
"Funding should go for other priorities of the agency before being spent on a poor and inaccurate resource for consumers," she said. "The public deserves information from the government which is held to the highest standards, and the flaws in the database prevent it from serving the public interest."
Those flaws, Emerson said, include fostering inaccuracies online and making it difficult for manufacturers to respond.
This echoes protests lodged with the product-safety commission by manufacturers, who said the database could become a dumping ground for misleading information and unanswerable consumer gripes.
In reality, just the opposite has happened. According to the latest data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 84% of reports filed in the database include such specifics as the model and serial number of the product in question.
Eighty-two percent of people filing reports also gave permission for their contact information to be passed along to manufacturers.
"Consumers are going above and beyond what's asked of them," said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the commission.
He said that of about 1,600 complaints now included in the database, only 194 were found to contain inaccuracies. Of this amount, most involved people mistakenly naming the wrong manufacturer of a product.
"These are mistakes that we can easily correct," Wolfson said.
So why is Emerson so opposed to the database? Perhaps the answer lies in her close ties with the business world. She raised more than $2 million in contributions in the 2009-10 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
In February, Emerson received an Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence from the National Assn. of Manufacturers for her "consistent support of manufacturers and their employees across the United States."
The industry group honors lawmakers with a voting record of at least 70% "in support of NAM's positions on key manufacturing votes." It said Emerson voted in line with manufacturers 83% of the time.
A similar attempt to cut off funds for the product-safety database was attempted earlier by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.). His largest campaign donors last year were Kansas' Koch Industries and affiliated individuals, the Center for Responsive Politics found.
Koch Industries — run by billionaires Charles and David Koch, who are active in conservative causes — also reported spending more than $200,000 lobbying against creation of the database.
You've got to wonder why businesses are fighting so hard to keep this resource away from consumers. Is it because their fears are justified that we'll misuse this tool (all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding)?
Or is it because the last thing they want is a consuming public armed with the latest and most thorough information on the safety of their goods?
And if it's the latter, you might now ask, what are they trying to hide?
David Lazarus' column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
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Or is it something as craven as carrying water for corporate interests simply because that's where the money is?
Whatever the reason, the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee has approved a spending bill that not only slashes the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission but also cuts off all funding for a recently launched database of product-safety complaints.
The online database is one of the most important consumer tools to emerge from Washington in years. It enables people to report potentially faulty or harmful products, as well as to research goods before making a purchase.
"If this bill passes, it will destroy the database," said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America. "They're trying to pull the plug on a vital consumer resource."
A provision included by Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson, who chairs the financial services subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, seems innocuous enough.
It says only that "none of the funds made available by this act may be used to carry out any of the activities described in section 6A of the Consumer Product Safety Act."
The Consumer Product Safety Act was a landmark bill passed in 1972 and updated in 2008 that created an agency charged with overseeing the safety of more than 15,000 types of products, from baby cribs to power tools.
The 2008 update strengthened the Consumer Product Safety Commission with new powers safeguarding whistle-blowers and cracking down on hazardous children's goods. Section 6A of the legislation required creation of the product-safety database.
If passed by the House and Senate, Emerson's innocuous-looking provision in the spending bill would in effect shut down the database by denying the safety commission funds to maintain it. At least $3 million has already been spent developing and launching the online tool.
"The thing that's so insidious is that the database is already up and running," Weintraub said. "This would basically waste all the money and resources that have gone into creating the database."
Emerson told me her budget plan for the safety commission "reflects some difficult choices."
"Funding should go for other priorities of the agency before being spent on a poor and inaccurate resource for consumers," she said. "The public deserves information from the government which is held to the highest standards, and the flaws in the database prevent it from serving the public interest."
Those flaws, Emerson said, include fostering inaccuracies online and making it difficult for manufacturers to respond.
This echoes protests lodged with the product-safety commission by manufacturers, who said the database could become a dumping ground for misleading information and unanswerable consumer gripes.
In reality, just the opposite has happened. According to the latest data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 84% of reports filed in the database include such specifics as the model and serial number of the product in question.
Eighty-two percent of people filing reports also gave permission for their contact information to be passed along to manufacturers.
"Consumers are going above and beyond what's asked of them," said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the commission.
He said that of about 1,600 complaints now included in the database, only 194 were found to contain inaccuracies. Of this amount, most involved people mistakenly naming the wrong manufacturer of a product.
"These are mistakes that we can easily correct," Wolfson said.
So why is Emerson so opposed to the database? Perhaps the answer lies in her close ties with the business world. She raised more than $2 million in contributions in the 2009-10 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
In February, Emerson received an Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence from the National Assn. of Manufacturers for her "consistent support of manufacturers and their employees across the United States."
The industry group honors lawmakers with a voting record of at least 70% "in support of NAM's positions on key manufacturing votes." It said Emerson voted in line with manufacturers 83% of the time.
A similar attempt to cut off funds for the product-safety database was attempted earlier by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.). His largest campaign donors last year were Kansas' Koch Industries and affiliated individuals, the Center for Responsive Politics found.
Koch Industries — run by billionaires Charles and David Koch, who are active in conservative causes — also reported spending more than $200,000 lobbying against creation of the database.
You've got to wonder why businesses are fighting so hard to keep this resource away from consumers. Is it because their fears are justified that we'll misuse this tool (all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding)?
Or is it because the last thing they want is a consuming public armed with the latest and most thorough information on the safety of their goods?
And if it's the latter, you might now ask, what are they trying to hide?
David Lazarus' column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
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pj.evans88 at 8:07 AM July 5, 2011 Why do people who hate governmetn and want it to go away, insist on being IN government?
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FreddyB at 7:42 AM July 5, 2011 David Lazarus, you should Google(TM) "regulatory capture" if you're going to cash a paycheck for writing about regulation and politics and have a clear conscience. *Sigh*
Let's look at the FDA and its effects on food safety: they ran all the small slaughter houses and meat packers out of business with a maze of regulations. Now when there's an e-coli outbreak it affects MILLIONS of pounds of meat at a time. Intentions are not results, not stated intentions, anyway.
Let's look at the FDA and its effects on food safety: they ran all the small slaughter houses and meat packers out of business with a maze of regulations. Now when there's an e-coli outbreak it affects MILLIONS of pounds of meat at a time. Intentions are not results, not stated intentions, anyway.
affableman at 7:46 AM July 5, 2011 The FDA doesn't regulate meat, the Agriculture department does...
pj.evans88 at 8:07 AM July 5, 2011 Intentions aren't magic.
What they're trying to do is allow manufacturers (and food producers) to ignore consumer health and safety, in order to increase profits (and even more, to increase executive pay).
GOP: the party of defense-only government (with volunteer military, because they don't want to pay for people either).
What they're trying to do is allow manufacturers (and food producers) to ignore consumer health and safety, in order to increase profits (and even more, to increase executive pay).
GOP: the party of defense-only government (with volunteer military, because they don't want to pay for people either).
LAsportsGUY99 at 7:38 AM July 5, 2011 You know the old saying that "sunshine is the best disinfectant".
When you shine the light on the GOP sponsored laws is you see is the the dirty hand of Koch brothers and big business.
We also have some ringers who are the hired guns of these wealthy blood suckers who constantly come to blog here or call progressive talk shows trying to defend their puppet masters.
At the end though no matter how hard these fools try,the truth comes out shows what great cheaters these GOP blood suckers are.
When you shine the light on the GOP sponsored laws is you see is the the dirty hand of Koch brothers and big business.
We also have some ringers who are the hired guns of these wealthy blood suckers who constantly come to blog here or call progressive talk shows trying to defend their puppet masters.
At the end though no matter how hard these fools try,the truth comes out shows what great cheaters these GOP blood suckers are.
JPMullowney at 7:37 AM July 5, 2011 Keep those campaign contributions coming, because that's why I am in office. Product safety, who needs it, not us...our companies are trusting, safety conscious and are always lokking out for us...NOT
Good luck to us all
Good luck to us all
jakevich at 7:36 AM July 5, 2011 I hope all the children of those idiots who voted in these pandering, blatantly corrupt Republicans will enjoy the filthy, poisonous, degrading, polluted, dangerous, truth-deprived world their parents gave them. Seriously, how can anyone with a brain larger than a snail's support such obvious evil?
wrylyfox at 7:26 AM July 5, 2011 It is just more of the Republicans' Kaabuki dance to entertain their loyal base and aggravate liberals.
chatmandu002 at 7:04 AM July 5, 2011 Gee, all the liberal/prgressive/socialists got up early today to spout their babble. Showing their hatred for republicans and capitalism while saying nothing about their loving liberal/progressive/socilaists ideas and programs that are running our country into bankruptcy.
Stop the deficit spending!
Stop Big Government!
Let the free market do its thing, make money and jobs.
Stop the deficit spending!
Stop Big Government!
Let the free market do its thing, make money and jobs.
jlee4680 at 7:20 AM July 5, 2011 Hey chatmandu do you think we should abolish medicare and social security? These two programs are socialist
moxnix at 7:36 AM July 5, 2011 chat, what we have today is not free enterprise, what we have is referred to as rigged market capitalism.
TruthBeKnown at 6:24 AM July 5, 2011 Most blogs show that most people have caught on to the fact that neither the dems or gop represent the people. All the care about is reelection. This forum however seems to be filled with sheeple who have bought into the nonsense from the LAT. No wonder California is sinking.
prolgazinternet at 6:55 AM July 5, 2011 "TruthBeKnown" will be writing his political encyclopedia soon and everyone will line up for his ten-volume hardcopy edition. The best seller list already has his twenty-volume edition.
jlee4680 at 7:29 AM July 5, 2011 Most blogs are bull****. And unbearable to read. The whole system is pretty disheartening, i guess, but dems are definitely the lesser of two evils. At least their stated intentions say the right thing. Republicans are so evil it's almost cartoonish.
And anybody that buys wholesale what blogs say and uses the word 'sheeple' is a retard. You're a retard, truthbeknown. Must include the obligatory smack on LAT and California as well, of course.
And anybody that buys wholesale what blogs say and uses the word 'sheeple' is a retard. You're a retard, truthbeknown. Must include the obligatory smack on LAT and California as well, of course.
madsircool at 7:47 AM July 5, 2011 jlee..Id say anyone who calls someone the r word is cartoonishly evil themselves.
Benjamin Braddock at 5:37 AM July 5, 2011 Lazarus, could the real reason be the trial lawyers? Consumer “protections” usually provide ammunition for “consumer attorneys” who are despised people in the business world. If you think business is corrupt, you ought to study the trial bar (e.g. asbestos).
To be fair, corruption is found anywhere humans are found, including businesses, law offices, unions, and government. But it does explain the sometimes visceral business opposition to “consumer protection” that people who don't understand economics think is benign.
Oh, and the trial bar donates cash to Democrats, hence the partisanship. Not saying it is good or bad, just giving my take on how business people think.
To be fair, corruption is found anywhere humans are found, including businesses, law offices, unions, and government. But it does explain the sometimes visceral business opposition to “consumer protection” that people who don't understand economics think is benign.
Oh, and the trial bar donates cash to Democrats, hence the partisanship. Not saying it is good or bad, just giving my take on how business people think.
affableman at 7:47 AM July 5, 2011 Make sure your products are safe before you release them on the market and you won't get sued.
skinec at 3:34 AM July 5, 2011 Republicans are greedy corrupt politicians who pander to criminals and the mentally unstable!
TruthBeKnown at 6:26 AM July 5, 2011 The LAT usually has some bright posters. Not today.
senior at 2:47 AM July 5, 2011 Conservative Republicans don't care about the safety of the American people or the American workers. They base of funding is the very rich and the very profitable corporations that use their products to kill and injure people and the Republicans have to protect them for the evil public. They scream a bout the evil trial lawyers, while the corporate lawyers rake in millions defending their corporations against the American people. I read a few months a go where the lawyers for GE charge 250,000 dollars an hour. How many hours do they work on shutting down all lawsuits that injure people.
Today's GOP is a subsidiary of the multi national corporati9ons, bought and paid for. Even the Conservatives on the Supreme Court, 'Money equals free speech?
Today's GOP is a subsidiary of the multi national corporati9ons, bought and paid for. Even the Conservatives on the Supreme Court, 'Money equals free speech?
madsircool at 7:28 AM July 5, 2011 Please point out to all of us these " very profitable corporations that use their products to kill and injure people"?
"I read a few months a go where the lawyers for GE charge 250,000 dollars an hour."
Evidence, please. It also sounds like you are against the justice system. Do you not believe that both sides in any legal dispute deserve to be represented?
"I read a few months a go where the lawyers for GE charge 250,000 dollars an hour."
Evidence, please. It also sounds like you are against the justice system. Do you not believe that both sides in any legal dispute deserve to be represented?
DGates at 1:19 AM July 5, 2011 Republicans would just LOVE to turn this country into another China.
madsircool at 7:23 AM July 5, 2011 Democrats would just LOVE to turn this country into another Mexico.
zgonina1 at 8:17 AM July 5, 2011 Madsircool, Mexico has everything the GOP wants: no taxes, no regulations, dirt cheap labor. Mexico is your utopia!
Marty L at 12:47 AM July 5, 2011 It's all of the above reasons you mention. Never has the Republican party been more cynical and corrupt and in the pockets of their wealthy patrons. They just do not care about the average working man and woman. How can a party that professes to love America, hate Americans so much? And for a party that professes to be "pro-life" how can they disregard the health and welfare of it's citizens? Of course, the answer is that thet are simply "pro-birth"----once children are born---to hell with them.
The only issues of interest to the GOP are GOD, guns and gas.
The only issues of interest to the GOP are GOD, guns and gas.
andytek1 at 7:09 AM July 5, 2011 "Or is it something as craven as carrying water for corporate interests simply because that's where the money is?"
The Republican Party consists of the rich, who want to continue to control the wealth of American through legislation. There are not many rich people, so they also use thier marketing arm Fox News to ally with Libertarians under the pretense of limited government (they want enough to advance their agenda and to keep the people from eating them for dinner, but not so much that others can participate in the economy). There are not many Libertarians either so they turn to stupid people with their culture war hogwash. Fortunately, there are lots of stupid people so they hold their noses while they promulgate their Muslim birth certificate ACORN bilge as long as it brings them the votes they need to kill legislation that helps people.
The Republican Party consists of the rich, who want to continue to control the wealth of American through legislation. There are not many rich people, so they also use thier marketing arm Fox News to ally with Libertarians under the pretense of limited government (they want enough to advance their agenda and to keep the people from eating them for dinner, but not so much that others can participate in the economy). There are not many Libertarians either so they turn to stupid people with their culture war hogwash. Fortunately, there are lots of stupid people so they hold their noses while they promulgate their Muslim birth certificate ACORN bilge as long as it brings them the votes they need to kill legislation that helps people.
YankeeMikeBravo at 12:23 AM July 5, 2011 The GOP hates everyday Americans and loves the plutocratic elitel.
madsircool at 7:09 AM July 5, 2011 The Dems hate everyday working Americans and love lawbreaking illegal aliens that take our jobs and depress our wages.
Central squared at 8:04 AM July 5, 2011 @Madsircool
So things like providing health care for all, removing tax breaks for the uberwealthy, providing safe water and air. These things aren't good for everday working americans?
So things like providing health care for all, removing tax breaks for the uberwealthy, providing safe water and air. These things aren't good for everday working americans?
madsircool at 8:14 AM July 5, 2011 Central squared..I counter with loading the productive sector of society with taxes and roadblocks that drive them, and the jobs they create, elsewhere; being funded by public employee union contibutions and then negotiating highly favorable contracts for these people; encouraging illegals to come and then not insuring that their offspring get educated so they might turn into good citizens rather than gangbangers. These things arent good for everyday working Americans.
What some Dems dont understand is that if you want to provide expensive services then you must have a vibrant and powerful economy. The greening of Cali is slowing the economy; so some programs will have to be eliminated. You cant have your cake and eat it.
What some Dems dont understand is that if you want to provide expensive services then you must have a vibrant and powerful economy. The greening of Cali is slowing the economy; so some programs will have to be eliminated. You cant have your cake and eat it.
TomSmith at 5:21 PM July 4, 2011 Just par for the course. The Republican party also is on record denying the SEC the resources to implement the provisions and consumer protections of the Dodd-Frank act. It's as if the Wall Street meltdown never happened, and taxpayer should be grateful that we can bail out banks again soon. Vote Republican. A better tomorrow for our billionaires.
PQuincy at 3:59 PM July 4, 2011 No wonder at all, Mr. Lazarus, no wonder at all!
Anything that would block the irresponsible segments of the corporate world -- and by the way, far from all companies or business are irresponsible! -- from fleecing consumers is good with today's GOP. Their ideological hatred of _any_ government limits on corporations keeps them from seeing that smart regulation is good for businesses and citizens. They'd rather protect companies that lie and cheat than admit that sometimes, the government needs to intervene to protect a level playing field that is the true foundation of free markets, and thus of our entire economic system.
These kind of actions don't just hurt consumers. They hurt honest businesses, too.
Anything that would block the irresponsible segments of the corporate world -- and by the way, far from all companies or business are irresponsible! -- from fleecing consumers is good with today's GOP. Their ideological hatred of _any_ government limits on corporations keeps them from seeing that smart regulation is good for businesses and citizens. They'd rather protect companies that lie and cheat than admit that sometimes, the government needs to intervene to protect a level playing field that is the true foundation of free markets, and thus of our entire economic system.
These kind of actions don't just hurt consumers. They hurt honest businesses, too.
