title: WAR ON CHRISTMAS: FEDS TO REGULATE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
text: Bah, Humbug!  Manufacturers and retailers can face civil and  possibly criminal penalties  for failing to report any products to the CPSC that do not meet the regulation s requirements. The best time to wage the War on Christmas isn t in December, when regular Americans have their defenses up. A better time is now, and the best way to do it is through faceless, unaccountable federal bureaucracies   for our own safety, of course:The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a regulation for Christmas lights on Monday, deeming some holiday decorations a  substantial product hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission   is issuing a final rule to specify that seasonal and decorative lighting products that do not contain any one of three readily observable characteristics (minimum wire size, sufficient strain relief, or overcurrent protection), as addressed in a voluntary standard, are deemed a substantial product hazard under the Consumer Product Safety Act ( CPSA ),  the final rule said.The ruling applies to a variety of Christmas decorations, including  stars, wreathes, candles without shades, light sculptures, blow-molded (plastic) figures, and animated figures. However,  solar-powered products  are exempt.They will probably also make exceptions for lights powered by windmills, and any holiday lights put up to honor Martin Luther King Day.This is typical:The rule is listed as a  voluntary standard.  However, manufacturers and retailers can face civil and  possibly criminal penalties  for failing to report any products to the CPSC that do not meet the regulation s requirements.Ours is the ultimate soft tyranny. When we get to the point where people are sent to gulags because their neighbors turned them in for celebrating Christmas, no doubt it will be voluntary, like paying taxes.Via: moonbattery