76-13-A4
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1977
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Lawnmowers
TranscriptMy friend, columnist James J. Kilpatrick, has thrown a journalistic spotlight on another longtime American institution that is about to be improved out of existence by the multitudinous humanitarians who dwell on the banks of the Potomac. Some of us still have memories of an earlier day when our fathers would rise from the breakfast table and say, "The lawn needs mowing." Or, if there was more than one male offspring in the family he might be more subtle, by asking, "Whose turn is it to mow the lawn today?" Of course, in later life if you were lucky, a loving wife stood between you and your golf clubs and said, "The neighbors are going to complain if we don't do something about the lawn pretty soon." In this latter-day adult experience, modern technology has lessened the labor and even put a little fun in the job. We have power mowers and there is no way to describe the pleasurable adventure of gassing up the machine and then engineering it around flower beds and sidewalks. Innocently we took for granted that only the tulip bed or possibly the garden hose, left carelessly on the lawn, were in any danger. That, however, was B.C. -- B.C.P.S.C. -- before the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Now we find that it is we who are in danger. How could we have gone so long enjoying our weekend toy, pulling the starter cord, scaring the dog with the satisfying roar of the one-and-a-half horsepower motor, without realizing that we were in deadly peril? But over the hill to the rescue has ridden the Consumer Product Safety Commission. We may have to wait a bit for their proposed standards to be implemented, but at least we've been made aware. Their principal recommendation is for a "dead man's" control -- that would give you an idea of the risk you've been running. This is for the walk-behind mower and the kind you ride. If you should fall in a faint, or carelessly take your hand off the handlebar to mop your forehead, the deadly blades of the mower will stop in three seconds. Jack Kilpatrick has suggested the possibility that the Commission staff responsible for this proposal has had little, or no, experience in mowing a lawn. He points out that "real world" lawn mowing is a series of interruptions; moving a tricycle, garden furniture, a toy or whatever. In real life, under their proposal, every interruption will find you pulling that rope to re-start the motor. But this kill-the-engine gadget is only one of the -- QUOTE -- "improvements" UNQUOTE -- contained in the 200-page proposal. An easier starter is demanded to ease the pain of all that rope pulling. The bottom line is a sizable increase in the cost of power mowers and a major re-tooling by manufacturers in an almost two billion dollar industry. There are 40 million in use and about 33 million a year sold. Economic analysis by the Commission itself indicates that smaller manufacturers will be put out of business with a loss of between one and two thousand jobs. They estimate a 20 per cent drop in retail sales and they acknowledge that customers who do pay the added price will, undoubtedly, go to the nearest mechanic and have the control disconnected. Mr. Kilpatrick quotes a staff member of the Commission who summed it up in these words, -- QUOTE -- "We will be mandating a product that most customers do not want at a price they cannot afford to pay." -- UNQUOTE. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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