Made in China

I've blogged before about the strange sensation I get when, in the middle of my day, I realize that half the hard goods I am using are from China. Besides being an evil, repressive regime that denies basic human rights to its people and persecutes Christians, I have nothing against China.

I would have some perplexity if I suddenly realized that half my world was being provided by - say - Germany. Then again, the items I have purchased that were from Germany have tended to be of high quality. And there it is; the difference between what China does for us -- or to us.

Can American businesses get some perplexity about China? One would think they might. A look at some news stories about how American business and consumers experienced China last year is pretty revealing. Let's take a look.

Illinois-based RC2 Corp., maker of Thomas the Tank Engine toys, recalled 1.5 million of the wood trains because of excessive lead in their paint.

Consumers who returned the above trains to RC2 Corp. were sent free boxcars ... some of which had to be recalled three months later for the same reason.

Mattel was forced to recall almost 20 million items made in China because of lead paint on toy cars and tiny magnets that could be deadly to children.

Lead paint problems were found in 844,000 Chinese-made Barbie accessories and toys with the Sesame Street brand.

Pet food makers like Menu Foods recalled more than 60 million cans of food laced with tainted melamine in wheat gluten from China after some animals died. The practice of adding "melamine scrap" to animal feed is reported to be widespread in China --- because it gives the appearance of increased protein content in the food.

A huge underground distribution network for steroids, human growth hormones and other bodybuilding drugs is traced to 37 companies --- in China.

Chinese-made lunch boxes, given away by the California Department of Public Health to promote healthy eating habits in children ... were found to contain toxic levels of lead.

Nike recalled 235,000 football helmets because the Chinese-made chin cups had defective straps that had caused at least two concussions and a broken nose.

Ehylene glycol is found in Chinese made toothpaste. It is an odorless, sweet tasting chemical that is commonly used to make antifreeze for automobiles. It has some industrial uses. It has no uses for human consumption. Ingesting it is considered a medical emergency.

The government of China executed the former head of its Food and Drug Administration. I wonder if that will fix the problem.

So here's the deal, America. We are selfish and greedy. If we can get more for less and get what we want when we want it ... we do. But there is a price. And it's not always paid at the cash register.

Think about what YOUR price might be the next time you haul some crap home from China.