Doublespeak on the e-cig White House Petition - Did we all get fooled?

[John Phoenix]

What am I missing here...

This petition page clearly says 5000 signatures needed. We currently have 5047.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitio...nd-support-job-creation-new-industry/57vtB0QK

On the Responces page it says: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/responses

If a petition gets 25,000 signatures within 30 days, it will go into a queue for the Administration to review and respond. We will do our best to respond to petitions that meet this threshold in a timely manner, but it may take a few weeks to issue an official response. All responses will be posted in this section of the We the People platform, and if you signed a petition that we respond to, you'll get an email from the White House to with the response.

The video on the How and Why page: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/how-why/introduction says the current threshold is at 25,000 signatures.

Now perhaps they changed the threshold since they made that video and Responses page but if so, and not advertise it as such, is very sloppy, incompetent and big time misleading for our Government. You just don't screw up a big important Government website like that! Issues are too inportant.

So either I'm missing something big time or we all just got hoodwinked by a thief and a crook.

I want clarification on this issue.

 

[Stosh]

Not surprised our government is not living up to promises, and changing the game after it's started.

Currently ECF has 68,242 members, 5,047 signatures is a little embarrassing considering the petition has been spread to other forums and vendor newsletters.

 

[SnakeFarm]

Not surprised our government is not living up to promises, and changing the game after it's started.

Currently ECF has 68,242 members, 5,047 signatures is a little embarrassing considering the petition has been spread to other forums and vendor newsletters.

Perhaps some of us didn't feel like there was much... uh, "hope", that our government would use the petition for the stated purpose. I'll be curious to see how much political spam petitioners get in the coming days. I don't trust any of these people any further than I could throw them; most of them, a lot less than that.

 

[SnakeFarm]

... if you signed a petition that we respond to, you'll get an email from the White House to with the response.

"to with?" What does that even mean?

 

[Dingus]

From what I read, they changed the threshold shortly after this petition was made, but I think for any petitions started before that, 5000 was still the threshold.

 

[tybin]

yes this is correct! ours is fine

From what I read, they changed the threshold shortly after this petition was made, but I think for any petitions started before that, 5000 was still the threshold.

it now says we have 0 left required, but we really need to get well over the minimum i think in case there are some disqualifying sigs

 

[CountVapula]

regardless, 5000 is an embarrassment.. we all know theres more then 5000 vapers out there with internet access and like someone else stated 60000+ on this forum alone. i hate to say it but it kind of shows you what this country is made of, few willing to fight and many willing to be sheep.

 

[Dingus]

You have to keep in mind that a lot of the members on this forum are probably not from the US - myself included - so those can't sign the petition.
Also, a lot of the 60000 members are probably no longer vaping (or never were, but were merely curious), and no longer active here.

 

[John Phoenix]

From what I read, they changed the threshold shortly after this petition was made, but I think for any petitions started before that, 5000 was still the threshold.

" shortly after" ??

Can anyone confirm that 5000 was the norm just less than a month ago and the Responses page and How and Why pages info was edited or added within that time?

Perhaps someone who is really savvy with the WayBack Machine?

If this is true, then the rise in the threshold could be due to Panic. "Oh no, people are getting 5000 sigs for issues we don't want to deal with, It's too easy for them.. We gotta make it harder. We can't let We The People have any real say in this country. Quick, raise the limit !

 

[Nunnster]

I read on one of the news sites I frequent that the threshold did change from 5000 to the new number of 25,000 . I do not recall the reasoning, but it was along the lines of you can get 5000 people to sign anything. Ours is fine for the moment to be looked at, however I fear that its going to get shot down, and we are going to have to make a new one and reach the 25000 number limit.

 

[Allan.GH]

This petition beat the increase of threshold by three days. In so doing, the "old rules" applied as far as signatures go.

These are not the droids you want...

 

[madjack]

This petition beat the increase of threshold by three days. In so doing, the "old rules" applied as far as signatures go.

These are not the droids you want...

That was/is my understanding as well..........................................

...the droids you want went thataway<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

madjack

 

[Snowblind258]

" shortly after" ??

Can anyone confirm that 5000 was the norm just less than a month ago

In a Mad Vapes email I got Friday it talks about the petition, also adding:

If we can't get to 5,000 signatures by October 27th, we'll have to start all over again, and it will be five times more difficult since the threshold for official response goes up to 25,000 for petitions filed after October 3rd. Stand up and demand that our government address this issue.

 

[Allan.GH]

Thanks for that. I thought the breakpoint date was September 30th.

 

[ScottB]

This subject was brought up in the Legislation sub-forum here...

A news article stating the same thing was posted later in the same thread...

Keep soliciting for signatures... More is better... More is better... We have "enough", but... More is better!

 

[John Phoenix]

Thanks for the answers folks. Hopefully I can rest easy on this. Hopefully they look seriously and honestly into this issue and the response will be favorable without tons of unsubstantiated claims and BS.

 

[CharlieGirl]

We were grandfathered into the 5000 sigs rule because they changed the requirement after the petiton had started. That is why the urgency...if we could barely get 5000, there isn't a chance we'd get 25,000 if we had to reapply!

 

[erich]

regardless, 5000 is an embarrassment.. we all know theres more then 5000 vapers out there with internet access and like someone else stated 60000+ on this forum alone. i hate to say it but it kind of shows you what this country is made of, few willing to fight and many willing to be sheep.

<sarcasm>
Yeah! Hoorah for the cause! If we believe in anything, we should petition the government!
</sarcasm>

Signing a vague request for an unspecified action by officials doesn't make you a brave warrior, nor does it deviate from the populist, group-think mentality implied by the term "sheep". What are the signers of such a document hoping will be the result? FDA "recognition"? Wait, that's what no one here wants. Hrmm... Oh! Federal aid for new vendors! That'll open up the market! Of course, the new guys won't know or care much about the product... they're grant chasing. Plus, they'll be in an unfair competition with the great vendors worthy of being associated with this site, but no matter. I'd bet some of those vendors even fall under the "millionaires and billionaires" umbrella the current White House so casually waves around, and we've been telling everyone that these are the very people who need to "pay a little more" or "their fare share" anyway.

Lo and behold, we have Recognized electronic cigarettes! So we have a special new task force of the FDA looking into potential health issues, and you can use what's left over of your earnings -- after the IRS siezes half of it to pay for things like ecig supplier subsidies -- and buy from inferior vendors.

A country full of sheep indeed... those prostheletized into the belief that a federal bureaucracy is the best way to promote a product and create jobs. The best thing the white house can do for vaping is stay the hell away from it.

 

[ScottB]

...<snip>...

Pure pointless pontification. Hope you feel better now.

 

[Creniker]

There going to wise up soon either way to vaping, better we initiate so we have some say.