Wow, corruption between big business and government. Who saw that coming?

$1 million in lobbying? I don't get it, you'd figure something like this would be worth milliond and millions of dollars. I knew the government could be bought but I'm surprised at the cheap price.

Oh... wow. I'm not exactly "surprised"... but I can't find the correct word.

Imagine that. Big Co. lobbies for "pro-consumer" law that burdens small competitors then wins an exemption for themselves. Meanwhile products have to be pulled from the market because of unintended conseqences.

YAY Government "solutions"!

Why Barbie, why?!

Yet more childhood crushing news.. I don't know if I can take much more.. Stupid getting older and wiser.

Mmmmm yeah oh yeah, Mattel, you straddle the government, oh yeah, thats hot, government, you spread your legs wide, Good! GOOD!! Yes! Now 'do' the government Mattel! DO IT! OH YES!! DO IT!! HARDER!!

I've given on on being surprised by corruption in politics and collusion with big business. But it still never ceases to surprise me how cheaply it can be had. You'd think a few dotcom millionaires would divert some of their charitable funds from art parks and day care to hiring lobbyists and get some actual good work done.

@Radi0logy: That pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter and combines it with all the previous comments. Thank you for thinking for me.

From the sound of it, though, Mattel will soon by joined by other companies who also earn an "own lab" exemption.

Presumably there was self-testing going on when all the lead-based stuff was getting through--how does oversight or policy differ sufficiently now to make it acceptable?

@Radi0logy: Lmao. If I'd been drinking my monitor would have been soaked! Thanks for the entertainment.

@Doug Nelson: Well the article does say MORE than $1 million, that could also mean significantly more than $1 million.

@starrion: Not government. Industry controlled puppets we refer to as "government"

@Alexander: Eh, well, the economy is bad, everyone is lowering prices, including the government.

While it's hard to be surprised by corporations bedding with the government, it's important not to resort to apathy. I'm extremely pissed off at this bastardization of the very law designed to prevent this type of thing. They effectively dismantled the part of the law that punished them because of their own negligence, and while doing so, crowbarred the knees of all their small toy company competitors.

Well there is a good way to fix this. If they do not want to play by the rules and submit to testing then I will automatically ban Mattel from my house. I will also make sure this article gets sent to my daughter's school for all the parents and local media to pick up on. It is a grass roots effort but it is a start.

@Alexander:
yeah, well, you have to figure they get some credit for all the money they've shoveled out over the years.

@floraposte: Who said it had to differ? They just wanted to push the smaller competitors out of the market, presumably because people would move to smaller/local toy companies after all of the scares about mass produced lead toys from China. Also, there are some political types that are a bit richer now, so there's that making it acceptable, too.

I always laugh when certain people clamor for some new regulation or another because this always seems to be the result - exemptions for the connected, higher prices for everyone else.

How did anyone find out about it if the CPSC did not publish the vote? I checked the federal register it is not published there either.

Government in action. Or was that inaction?

Given the fact that other than Barbie and Hot Wheels, it's next to impossible to find a Mattel toy on the shelves, we have nothing to worry about regarding lead paint.

I collect action figures, and it is crazy ridiculous how hard it is to find a figure from Mattel. No idea why, whether it's their distribution or stores aren't ordering, but it shouldn't be so hard to buy a freakin' toy.

What can "we the people" do about this?

Is it any wonder we're so cynical?

No Mattel toys for Mini-McGee.

@Alexander: There was a coupon on DealHack.

I truly hope this story spreads like wildfire, and increases small-company toy sales by 2500%. I know I'm going to go out of my way to avoid Mattel shit now.

@Segador: I'm certainly going to write to Mattel telling them I won't purchase their toys for my kid, because I can't be sure they're safe, and that I will be informing all my mommy friends of the same.

wow, I am so angry over this. well, I am going to make sure to never buy mattel...ever.

@Alexander: A million in lobbying. That could buy quite a bit of real independent testing. So is the real goal to just not bother to make toys safe?

@AnxiousDemographic: Personally, I'm passing it on to all my upper-middle-class hyper-mom friends. That's a lot of buying power and a lot of parental anxiety.

@tawni:
word!

@dragonfire81: Have they gotten rid of Nancy Nord yet? This might be part of the problem.

@Doug Nelson: I have always wondered what might happen if enough pissed off people put their money together to do things like that. Buy herds of lobbyists or do hostile takeovers of shitty companies.

The same reason tort reform was left out of the healthcare legislation. Lobbying works.

@tawni: I am glad my kids are getting out of the toys phase of life. Mattel is being banned at my house too.

@Segador: Given the cost of getting products tested by approved labs, there are probably a lot fewer small toy companies to choose from than there were this time last year.

@redskull: They own a ton of different brands. You need to either look at the smaller print on the back of the box or the corporate website to see all the brands they produce. I was going to cut and paste the list but it is too long.

[www.mattel.com]

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): This is probably the best way to make a real impact on this. Parents have word of mouth contact with tons of other parents through play groups, day care, friends with kids and such. It could easily spread faster in these groups of people.

Hmm. Get day care centers to ban new mattel toys and send a copy of the article home with all the kids.

@bohemian: I already posted it to facebook, forwarded it to my mommy friends, forwarded it to my relatives (no Mattel Xmas for mini-McGee), and contacted the local children's affairs reporter. I am irate.

@Radi0logy: Thanks - Now I'll have the mental image of government wearing a ball gag and restraints for the rest of the day.... *shudder*

Unfrigging-believable. My wife sells on Etsy and you can't imagine the pain CPSIA has been causing small businesses, artisans, and crafters for the past year as they try to adjust their business around the $1,500 per item tests.

Keep in mind, if everything you make is one-of-a-kind handmade, it means you need to make one item to sell to someone for $30, and one item to have tested for $1,500 out of your own pocket. This is what CPSIA means to to small business owner. Educate yourself: [cpsia-central.ning.com] -- and -- [www.handmadetoyalliance.org]

How incredibly disappointing.

I blame the OP. He got what he deserved.

don't oversimplify!! CPSIA has many provisions and Mattel is only exempted from THIRD PARTY lab testing. Mattel can test in their in-house testing facilities, which are certified by international certifying bodies. So Mattel has the cost and overhead of maintaining laboratory facilities. Labs have to keep records of all testing conducted. So this is not a rubberstamp for Mattel products; it is not a loop hole to evade compliance with the law.

Still, it give the impression of conniving and underhanded chicanery that does not serve the public interest.

Note-- I do not work for Mattel

I really hope the ratings hungry local media outlets run with this story.

Yeah Mattel just earned themselves a "time out" from my wallet.

I have a 5 year old so all that toy money gets to go to someone other than Mattel.

@The_IT_Crone: nauseated?

Why again do we allow corporations to lobby again? I'm sorry, but am I the only one that thinks that the Constitution should not be extended to corporations? We each have an individual voice, let the members of these corporations personally shell out cash to lobby congress.... I doubt we'd see such blatant vote buying...

@bohemian: The thing is though, the gap between the haves and have nots is great enough in this country that even if everyone in the lower tax brackets ponied up all their funds they'd still be outbid by a few individuals and large companies.

All I have to say is, politicians better watch it with flagrant displays of corruption. Revolutions were started by just such things, and those who flaunted their corruption the most were the first to be executed.

"The tree of liberty often needs to be rejuvenated with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson

@HiPwr: Exactly! When are we going to wake up and realize the corrupt politicians in Washington CAN NOT be trusted with ANYTHING! This goes for Democrats and Republicans.