Stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008!!

Sign the Petition by Leaving A Comment Below!
Indies Oppose the FDA Globalization Act of 2008

Watch this video and then read the Petition below. Sign the Petition opposing the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 by leaving your name and comment in the comments section below! The petition is for everyone: consumers and the small businesses who make the products they love!

          

This video summarizes the Indie Beauty Network's position against the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, the legislation that would put thousands of Indies out of business by forcing them to pay outrageous registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork.

If passed, this law would drive consumers back to the days when they could only choose between a few huge, faceless, nameless big box stores and brands for their cosmetics and personal care products. And fewer consumer choices always leads to higher prices.

Tell Congress you want none of it by reading this Petition and then leaving your comment below as your signature to the Petition opposing the draft law. Please include your name, city and state with your comment/signature!!

Petition

We are the owners of small cosmetics companies, and the customers who love their products.

We understand that laws must be in place to protect everyone from unsafe products, but we are outraged by the Draft Legislation that would require small cosmetics companies to pay thousands of dollars a year in registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork that would serve only to put them out of business.

If passed the legislation would deny thousands of families the ability to earn an honest living, and also deprive consumers of the variety of cosmetics and personal care products available to choose from.

We oppose this law and condemn any companies that support it as being interested only in creating an unlevel playing field where small and family owned businesses will be forced from the marketplace before they even get a chance to start out.

We urge you, as our representatives in Congress, to stop this law which would serve only to make it even harder for families to support themselves. We call instead for a real and meaningful discussion about how Congressional goals can be accomplished without enacting unfair laws that make it impossible for small businesses to survive.

In signing this Petition, we formally request that the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 be marked up so that the legitimate concerns of small businesses and the consumers they serve can be translated into reasonable laws that protect consumers without also killing small businesses by making them pay unfair fees and comply with burdensome paperwork.

We sincerely thank you for your time.

Spread the Word!

Please feel free to post the video at your blog, myspace page, website and anywhere else it can help spread the word against this anti-small and anti-family business legislation.

Click here for the YouTube link. Then copy the Embed link to the right of the video into your website, blog, etc.

Please send your customers and colleagues to this blog post to sign this Petition so we can easily keep count of the number of signatories.

After you sign the Petition by leaving your name and comments in the comments section below, you could even cut and paste the Petition text and send it to Virgil Miller at [deleted]. Mr. Miller is a Professional Staff Member with the House Energy & Commerce Committee.

Our goal is to collect 100,000 signatories to present to Congress. Support small businesses! Support a vibrant marketplace! Make Your voice count!

To enjoy regular updates about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, subscribe to Indie Business Blog today.

Related Links

Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008
Share your thoughts and questions at Indie Business Forum
Join the Indie Beauty Network

Comments

[Stacie Branson]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008! My business is very small and paying the $2000 fee would put me completely out of business.

[Stephanie Barron]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. As a small independant business, I find the new imposed fees and regulations would be too cumbersome for my business to endure and would ultimatley be the demise of a business that I have worked on for the last five years.
I am just now obtaining a level that my business can support itself without bootstrap funding, and this would seriously put me back.

[Regina]

This sort of legislation is parallel to that of small farmers in my opinion. Do we sit idly by and allow it? Nope! Diversity, local, and sustainable choices on food AND beauty products is what I'd like to see as a consumer much less a small business owner. Let me know how I can help. ~Regina

[Anne-Marie]

I would love to post the video at my blog. Can you tell me more about how to grab it? Is it on YouTube to post or another format?

It's a complete overview of all that is flawed about this misguided act. Kudos to you for taking copious amounts of information in and distilling it down to something that is easily understandable for everyone.

[Christine Stanton]

The FDA Globalization Act of 2008 really ties the hands of small business owners. The fee is unfair and would put many of us out of business!

[Funlayo]

Please Stop FDA Globalization Act of 2008.

Thanks dM for spearheading the effort

[Kristen Leigh Bell]

Donna Maria, Thank you for your hard work representing the Indie Business Network members in relation to the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. Aromaleigh is completely at odds with any legislature which forces unfair fees on small businesses. These fees are nothing for large corporations. How about a fee structure based on gross sales, not just the same fee for everyone?

We as small businesses aren't trying to escape regulation, we just want consideration and fairness!

Thank you again!

[Colleen Johnston]

Thank you for creating and posting this petition and for looking our for Indie Business Owners. I will be adding a link to this post on my blog to help spread the news.

[Kathy Tarbox]

dM, like I said the other day - thank you for all your hard work and all that your doing for the protection of the industry.

[Ken Amato]

The FDA Globalization Act of 2008 must not be passed in it's current form. More regulation will just hurt those of us that abide by the law. Certainly it will do nothing to stop the unscrupulous manufacture of dangerous products. It will likely be the end of a vast number of independent businesses and startups like myself. Independent business is about all this country has left that in any way resembles what the American Dream is about.

[Cindy Hoats]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. It would be unfair to many small business owners.

[Linda Laubenheimer]

Please, please stop this atrocity!! I sell less than $2000 a year (gross) of soap!! The paperwork and outrageous fees of this would guarantee that I would have to stop all sales and not expand my small business.

Putting fees like this on natural home-made/hand-made items would cripple an entire cottage industry, and leave many consumers stuck with only buying mass produced chemical junk.

Seriously - if you don't make at least $2,000 profit in a year, how are you going to pay a $2,000 fee for the privilege of being regulated?

[Rebecca Wood]

The FDA Globalization Act of 2008 is flawed in many ways. It discriminates against small indie businesses and will have a devastating effect not only on those small businesses but for consumers as well.

On behalf of our company and our customers I am signing my name as being against this petition.

[Karen]

We definitely need stricter legislation on food and drugs. Almost every day there are news reports on adverse health impacts from one or the other.

But cosmetics?! This is a solution in search of a problem!

[Catherine Nguyen]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008! I love my indie beauty products and mineral cosmetics!

[Jackie Spessard]

Please stop the FDA Globalization act! I suffer from more than one skin condition, and my skin is very sensitive. Without the AMAZING skincare products offered by the small companies I shop with, I'm not exaggerating when I say that some days would be truly torturous.

[Frances Gill]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008! I really enjoy doing business with small, independent, women-owned companies. I receive superb service and excellent products from them. The fees and regulations would put many or most of them out of business -- to the detriment of everyone!

[Shelly Holbrook]

Please stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008! It is unfair to put small business such as myself under such duress.

[Katherine Corkill]

I am against the imposed fees since this would only serve to create a monopoly for larger companies that do not serve the greater good of the public since these fees are a drop in the bucket for them. Mineral Cosmetics are a prime example, as more private label mineral cosmetics companies take a bite out of the commercial products bottom line, they are now jumping on the bandwagon and promoting their own version of mineral makeup with all the parabens and chemicals still included. Remove the handcrafter offering a purer product and again you are left to pick from the large companies chemically formulated makeup. Nothing would make these large companies happier.

This is why there are handcrafters popping up globally. People want and insist on healthier choices and these outrageous fees would only serve to put many handcrafters who specialize in chemical and preservative free products, out of business.

Cooperatives and farmers markets are a strong indicator of public opinion and choices being made for a healthier life style these outlets provide, and the private dollars being spent on these high quality products from food to cosmetics.

As for further comment, Donna Maria pretty much has left no stone unturned and in my opinion, I am happy to have her speak on my behalf as a small Indie Business Owner.

Stop the Globalization Act of 2008!

[Joanne Tartaglino]

Stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008! As a small business owner and consumer, this would be an debilitating. Choice and opportunity are what America is all about, and this would limit or elimnate both.

[Maria Solis]

I just found out about this today. Seems like we are living back in the days of the Prohibition when Mr. John D. Rockefeller felt so intimidated by Mr. Henry Ford's advancements in ethanol-running engines that he rubbed elbows with his buddies in Congress to pass the law. Yes, that's how it went.

It is obvious someone else is doing the same thing. But its 2008, people, and we can make a difference this time if you pass the word along. I am not letting anyone mess with my kids' college money, or my bread or my fried eggs and ham!

(Thanks Donna Maria!!!)

[Lizzy]

In the 1990’s, the NAFTA bill was passed. We were told the NAFTA bill would be good for OUR economy. In mid 2000's we are seeing NAFTA in full action. We are sitting back watching all our jobs outsourced to other countries. I have watched and I am still watching many people lose their jobs and their homes due to Corporate Greed; the sub-prime mortgage scandal. Yet, the large corporations and CEO’s make out with millions while continuing to rack up huge profit margins…!

A large corporation could recoup a million dollars within hours if not minutes! But it could take small business owners months to make a couple of thousands dollars.

A few months ago, President Bush gave a news conference. He said, something like, there are a lot of angry voters…Americans have to find other means to make a living and / or other skills….

What did Mr. Bush say? Did Mr. Bush say find another way to make a living?

O.K., I did find a way. I make natural hand-made products but, if Globalization 2008 were to pass, I would not be able to take Mr. Bush’s advise, because I would not be able to afford to get my small business off the ground.

We pay our taxes! Isn't that enough. Why do you want more money from us?

I CAN’T AFFORD THE FEES THAT WOULD BE IMPOSED UPON ME IF GLOBALIZATION 2008 ACT WERE PASSED.

PLEASE STOP IT NOW!

[Amy C Schwarzkopf]

As a low income woman living on Social Security, I can't even begin to imagine how the impact that this will have on food and personal care prices and other cost of living expenses, much less keep me from starting my own business! Stop this bill!

[blueAnn]

I am a customer. From what I heard about this draft legislation, I am against it.

I get better selection, quality and pricing of items from the indies of my choice. Don't put them out of business and limit my choices to the large corporation's mass-produced and chemical-laden products chock full of ingredients I can't pronounce or make sense out of.

The successes, innovation and quality of indies in selling healthy alternatives are what is making the big corporations stop and change course to try to use and offer healthier ingredients to win back customers. That change of course of the big corporation then benefits and protects the interests of a greater percentage of the citizens of this country who are given opportunities to be educated and choose products less likely to be harmful, less likely to be full of questionable chemical coctails in their cosmetics. But if you make barriers to entry into the free market or make it harder for small businesses to exist, then the big corporations will have nothing to make them correct their course, and the people will continue to be exposed to more and more unwanted and unhealthy chemical dosages, with no alternatives available in the market.

If you are trying to create barriers to entry into the US market by foreign businesses, you are shooting yourself in the foot by killing your own country's small businesses in the process.

[Lisa]

who is this bill really benefiting, consumers or big businesses?