Neckties and Tablesaws Just Don’t Mix
If you haven’t yet, you should read the blog post by Ed Pirnik, Senior Web Producer at FWW. Yes, the flesh sensing tablesaw technology is back in the news again. This time an Assemblyman from California has recently sprosored and pushed through a bill called AB 2218 – The Table Saw Safety Act. It passed 52-2.
And once again, the inventor of SawStop, they guy who owns so many patents on flesh sensing technology (FST) that no one else has any chance of competing with it, Stephen Gass, is behind the scenes trying to mandate FST. It has been reported that Gass has “hired a lobbyist to promote creation of a state table saw safety law. In addition, the paper said Gass has made political contributions totaling $46,500.00 to 21 Democrats and half a dozen Republicans, including a $2,500 donation to Williams.” Williams is the Assemblyman who sponsored the bill.
So once again, it looks like the moneymen will puppeteer our politicians with $$$ to get legislation passed through that will ultimately make the moneymen even richer, at the everyman’s expense. And this will happen by creating laws that will make the things we need and want even more expensive.
Rob from the poor and give to the rich. It’s the new American way.
More reading: Home Depot and Lowe’s Oppose California Table Saw Safety Rule
Replies
This is typical in CA
California has been ruled by liberal coastal Democrats for decades, who have dedicated themselves to "protecting" the public from everything but crime.
To counter this, I'm working on a new technology called LawStop. Any time a silly bill is touched by a wonky politician, the bill is automatically retracted.
I'm glad I no longer live in CA.
As Time Passes
We'll just have to wait until someone gets badly injured on a SawStop and sues the company and Gass. A matter of time.
TS safety law
I say let California have the Law. See what the tablesaw users there say when they can only purchase a SawStop in California. I'll bet there will be a lot of state boarder crossers to buy a saw. Then again they could be taxed for noncompliance, sound familiar ?
Non-compliance Tax
The current language of AB 2218 would prohibit the sale of only new saws that don't have "active injury mitigation technology". The seller would face a $5,000 fine for each saw.
Knowing CA, however, an amendment removing the word "new" and adding a non-compliance tax on the buyer would be the next logical (?) step.
how's this surprising
It's california, what do you expect. The are the most wacked out place I've ever seen. My son's stationed there and is coming home in two weeks and can't wait to get the hell out. To bad its being forced. Its a good technology but should stand on its own merrits.
I don't exactly see how its robbing from the poor, though. I've not seen to many people on street corners begging for a TS. Let them pass it. I bet the folks on the 2nd hand market and craigs list for refurbished old iron will see their values go way up.
California signs
I heard one can buy pre-printed beggar signs at many stationary stores: "Will work for a Unisaw". ;-)
It is not over...No Fat Lady Singing in Sacramento
We can assume the assemblyman received his 15 minutes of positive press for so "deeply" caring about the "helpless" woodworkers of CA. We haven't seen the real money come in yet ($46K is chump change), 2015 is a long way away, and let's not forget the power of litigation to delay the implementation of a "law" for years and years. By then, say 2020, the honorable assemblyman will be on to bigger and better (more lucrative) things and this issue will only be a memory.
On the other hand, something positive could come out of this. Maybe the other saw makers could form a consortium and develop an economic alternative to the FST, and discourage Mr. Gass, and his monopolistic tendancies. This may be a better investment of their capital in the long run. I still believe the free market can work, if left alone.
Okay, so much for my journey into LA LA Land. Fortunately, I know a lot of people in Sacramento, so we can count on the greed and self serving interest of a number of our elected officials (and there staff) to vote where the money tells them to vote. Remember size matters, especially in the campaign coffers of our public servants in Sacramento.
Several of the tablesaw manufacturers have worked on trying to develop a safety technology that would provide the same level of safety as SawStop. And they have come up with ones that work. But every one of them were stopped dead in their tracks because Gass, who is a patent lawyer, has patents so varied and broad-based none of them could put their product to market without fearing copyright lawsuits from Gass.
The "robbing from the poor" comment I made was in regard to government mandates that ultimately increase the cost of a product for corporate enrichment. Gass gets rich because we are forced to pay for his invention.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled