Companies Can Claim Foreign-Made Products Are 'Made in USA' if Prop 64 Pas

[Judi Lynn]

October 25, 2004
3:21 PM

Companies Can Claim Foreign-Made Products Are 'Made in USA' if Prop 64 Passes; 64 Supporters Call Legitimate Case to Protect Consumers A 'Shakedown'

LOS ANGELES -- October 25 -- Desperate Proposition 64 proponents are claiming a legitimate consumer-protection lawsuit that forced Kwikset to stop falsely claiming their product was "made in the USA" is a so-called 'shakedown lawsuit,' said consumer advocates today.

Under Prop 64, false advertising claims could not be prosecuted by members of the public. The initiative would eliminate the lawsuit that forced Kwikset Corporation to stop violating state law by claiming its locksets were "Made in U.S.A." after the company closed an Anaheim factory, moved more than 12 percent of its workforce to Mexico, and assembled a critical lock component out of the country. Prop 64 would eliminate consumers' ability to bring suits like this to stop companies from lying about where their products are made.

"If Prop 64 passes, Made in the U.S.A. won't mean anything, because companies won't be accountable to the public when they lie about where their products are made," said Carmen Balber of Election Watchdog. "Companies that move American jobs abroad should not be able to hide behind the Made in America brand. Prop 64 proponents say they care about jobs, but allowing false advertising like this will lead to more American jobs going South of the border."

Prop 64 proponents claim that only a few pins and screws were made out of the country and the company should not have been penalized for saying the locks were "Made in U.S.A." In fact, the latch mechanism that is critical to the lock's function was assembled in Mexico. When the part was sold separately it was labeled "Made in Mexico," but when inserted into locksets the company claimed they were "All American Made." Other parts of the lockset were imported from Taiwan, including rivets, pins, support washers and springs, and still others from Canada and Malaysia. The suit is Benson vs. Kwikset.
(snip/...)

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1025-16.htm

[Anakin Skywalker]

1. Who are Behind Prop 64?

Which congressional members are the sponsors of this Prop 64 Bill? I need to know so I can spread the words. THANKS!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Haven't found that out, yet. Here's a list of interested companies

and special interest groups:

http://www.electionwatchdog.org/whosbehind.php

This source indicates "TOTAL $10,027,661.14

(...$5.7 million comes from Auto Dealers)" are invested in seeing it ennacted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The last line of this article, published 4 days ago:

The latest polls show Proposition 64 losing, but a significant number of voters are undecided or unaware of the issue.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/politics/102004_politics_prop_64.html

"Gov." Schwarzenegger is pushing it. Don't have any info. on California Congressional sponsors, however.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Huge difference in money behind proponents and opponents

.....Supporters: The California Chamber of Commerce, the Civil Justice Assn. of California and the California Motor Dealers Assn. sponsored the measure and gathered signatures to place it on the ballot. A range of business interests, including oil companies, health maintenance organizations and small business groups, have raised about $13 million to support the measure.

Opponents: The California Trial Lawyers Assn., the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, the Sierra Club, the California Nurses Assn., and other conservation and consumer watchdog groups have raised $220,000 so far to oppose the measure.
(snip)

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-ee-prop64oct05,0,4661132.story?coll=la-class-employ-career

[OutsourceBush]

4. Republicans are behind it, i don't even need to research it

this stuff is getting way too obvious. They are doing everything to screw the american worker. They would outsource their mom if there was a buck to be made.

[David__77]

5. I am mortified that the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats endorsed this.

I received notice of the club's endorsements. They said "YES on 64!" I am appalled. That's what I get for not being at that meeting. They're the only Democratic club I could find that endorsed this garbage.

[Supersedeas]

6. in Hastert's 'Merica, the label means everything

[Kimber Scott]

7. Considering nothing's made in the USA anymore, the liars will be easy

to pick out.

[flying_blind]

8. Kick and Read Up on a huge issue in our democracy

that few beyond Noam Chomsky seems to adegequately rail against IMHO -

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/personhood/

Our Bill of Rights was the result of tremendous efforts to institutionalize and protect the rights of human beings. It strengthened the premise of our Constitution: that the people are the root of all power and authority for government. This vision has made our Constitution and government a model emulated in many nations.

But corporate lawyers (acting as both attorneys and judges) subverted our Bill of Rights in the late 1800's by establishing the doctrine of "corporate personhood" -- the claim that corporations were intended to fully enjoy the legal status and protections created for human beings.

We believe that corporations are not persons and possess only the privileges we willfully grant them. Granting corporations the status of legal "persons" effectively rewrites the Constitution to serve corporate interests as though they were human interests. Ultimately, the doctrine of granting constitutional rights to corporations gives a thing illegitimate privilege and power that undermines our freedom and authority as citizens. While corporations are setting the agenda on issues in our Congress and courts, We the People are not; for we can never speak as loudly with our own voices as corporations can with the unlimited amplification of money.

Read our draft constitutional amendment to revoke corporate constitutional "rights" and offer your thoughts.

Overviews
Our Hidden Corporate History

This overview of the rise of corporate power in the U.S. also is available as a 2 page flier (pdf), making a great handout.
Timeline of Personhood Rights and Powers

by Jan Edwards (pdf)

[Art_from_Ark]

10. "Legal persons"...

That explains "hojin", the Japanese word for corporation, which is comprised of the characters for "legal" and "person"�@(–@�l)

[Blue_Tires]

9. car companies have been doing it for years

there's no such thing as a car made totally in america...at least some component is made overseas or mexico