A clearing house for dangerous products is proposed

    Mark Pryor, an Arkansas Democrat, has sponsored a bill to create an easily accessible database for dangerous products.  Given the ineptitude and inadequate resources of the Bush-led Consumer Product Safety Commission, the difficulty of supporting any government entity through tax revenue, and the practical ineffectiveness of product recalls, this is an excellent idea that would help consumers to protect themselves and their children.

    None of like to pay taxes.  Many among us would like to strip the government to bare bones.  As we spend billions, each day, in Iraq, government frugality becomes more and more important.  The CPSC is a case in point.  President Bush has appointed industry insiders who don't believe in regulation or investigation to run the CPSC, and successive budgets have cut it to the bone.  Other weblog entries document some of the severe weaknesses in the CPSC, and the impact on consumer safety.  On top of that, studies show that when products are finally recalled, only a small percentage actually come out of circulation.

   Pryor's bill would supplement the actions of the CPSC by creating an accessible database that would allow consumers to better educate themselves on dangerous products.  That is important in a nation where wax cosmetic teeth contaminated with lead are not recalled until the day before Halloween, and where there have been record recalls of food, toys and prescriptions.  We hope it is a rare victory for consumers in Washington D.C.