Restricted products and the environment

[Johanna]

The bottom line, summed up by Siegel Leather CEO Steven Siegel is:

For the time being, bottom line is this: Products which are on this (restricted) list can only be sold in California to entities (individuals, companies) which will be consuming the product in production of an item which is made for re-sale. [This applies to California customers only in the following way:1) Purchaser must have re-sale license.2) Purchaser cannot re-sell this product to a retail customer.3) Purchaser can only use this product for consumption.

The list includes more than 30 items, ranging from Barge cement to Fiebing products like all spirit and oil dyes, to leather balm, aerosol boot stretch, antiques and stains, reptile cleaner, deglazer, Snow Proof aerosols and suede dye. (The state of California banned the use of alligator, python and kangaroo back in the 70's, btw. These animals haven't been endangered for many years now!) A typical California liberal said this:

I think we need to look beyond our inconvenience and think of what the stuff does to the environment in the long haul. Keep in mind....California isn't alone in this and all of you will be involved eventually. We cannot be so narrow minded that we only think of ourselves because all of us will be in the same boat... ....it has been talked about for several years....and they WILL come up with an alternative that will have to work because they want to make money too.

but, hey, she has a business license. What is the hobby leathercrafter supposed to do while they are waiting on replacements for traditional chemicals to be manufactured? This doesn't just affect leatherworkers, there are pottery and gourd people, for example, that are just an inconvenienced. Buy the products over state lines? Set up a black market? Pay for a business license and worry about the IRS? I suspect my lawnmower pollutes the environment more than my small arsenal of chemicals. That line "all of you will be involved eventually" is what frightens me. Do the tree huggers that have driven all the tanneries to Mexico and other countries think that the rest of the country will be persuaded to save gay seals and ban our chemicals, too? Are we going to let our politicians do this? Here in Ohio, a bar owner can no longer ask his customers if they want the building to be smoke free or not. Smoking is not allowed, period. Casino gambling was just voted down, too, so people will contiue to go to Indiana and spend their entertainment money. It irks me that we are letting them strip our rights from us one at a time "in the interest of the public good". Thomas Jefferson is rolling over in his grave, bewildered by HMOs, seatbelt and helmet laws, banning trans fat in our french fries, emmisions control inspections on our cars, and all the other little things we just let slide away, like sheep. I have to present my drivers license here in Ohio, and sign for a package of Sudafed, a non-drowsy nasal decongestant that has been sold over the counter for 30 years? because some people buy cases of it and steal farmers' fertilizer to make meth labs.

:soapbox: Okay, stepping down, now.

Johanna

[SmilinJim]

Run for president and I'll vote for ya. It is getting ridiculous of how our decisions are made for us. I asked about buying a pint of Barge cement and I legally can't get it. I don't smoke but it irks me that if one person doesn't like to be in a room full of smokers then they can have the room cleared instead of simply leaving the room themselves. And that is just the small part of it. But I don't want to rant and rave about our system as that would surly offend someone too.

Still SmilinJim

[bruce johnson]

Johanna,

As I am understanding this new set of regulations, there is a slew of retail consumer products that are affected. It is designed to reduce VOC emissions. Personally, I have a business license, so the leatherwork will only be mildly affected. The biggest effect for me will be whether distributers warehouse the stuff in CA or out of state. If it is out of state, then HL fees will apply to shipping it in. AS you said the hobby guy will be mostly affected in the leather side of it.

However, the other retail consumer things regulated are going to be the biggie. Things like floor wax, car wax, paints, PVC glue, thinners, wood stains and treatments, have heard nail polish removers, cleaners, etc. are all going to be affected. I think when Grandma can't get her Future floor wax, Joe Carbuff can't get carnauba wax polish, and Do-It-Yourself can't get PVC glue to fix his sprinkler, the backlash will cause some moderating of this set of regulations. This has kind of come in under the radar so far. When it happens, then something hopefully will get done to ease it, if it causes the big problems I see coming. Happened with our DMV fees once. My wish anyway.

The biggest problem with a lot of this legislation is that it is fairly well backed by out-of-state or national groups that know once they have CA, the rest of the country is dominoes. It was that way with the horse slaughter issue. The major funding to legislate the ban came from out of state, saving California horses as their premise. It passed by votes of millions of people who have never owned a horse and wouldn't be affected in the least. Once that was done, it is now a US Congress bill to ban all US horse slaughter that has all the earmarks of passing. Yes our rights are being taken away, but it is generally by votes of fellow citizens and neighbors who aren't affected by the proposed legislation. With a lot of ballot propostions, people don't understand what they are really voting on. Whoever has the most appealing ads is the winner, and neither side wants to share the whole story. OK, off my soapbox now.

Bruce Johnson

[whinewine]

Concerning horse meats & horse slaughter...

Just a little aside: when I was stationed temporarily at the Philadelphia Naval Station awaiting assignment (1969) the chow hall there served, in addition to its regular meal swill, hamburgers... I used to joke that they were made of grease & gristle- the gristle is what held the grease together & the grease is what allowed it to go down.

Years later I read that they were fined for serving and passing off kangaroo as beef hamburger patties!

Edited November 24, 2006 by whinewine

[Patrice]

We don't have any law banning chemicals here in Québec, but for what you where talkin,g than the good and normal people must be asstrain of smoking, going to casino, not buying SUV, because some idiot can't control themself.

I'm tired to se small groups of people controlling the rest of us who live and payings taxes for the rest of the people.

Here, in Québec, about 50% of of the folks is working. The other 50% consist of students, people on welfare, odl people.

So, i really understand why working and paying tax people are getting more and more upset in Canada and Usa! :censored: