I can't believe it's not a democracy!

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Don't buy a fucking thing made in China.

Why? Well contemplate the scariness in this story: Chinese officials say that potentially deadly radioactive material lost in north-western Shaanxi province may have been found at a steel mill. Hey, you may be saying, no worries, the Chinese found the "lost" radioactive material. It's all good, yes? No. The missing radioactive material was "found" to have been sold to a steel mill. Now they are doing a clean-up operation at the mill. My guess? The radioactive stuff was smelted with the other scrap. So where is it now? And the workers...what will happen to them? It's all bad.

I'm sure they are going to have a fair trial and will be given an appropriate sentence:

China arrests men for tainting milk used in baby formula. I'd rather that China spend its money regulating the manufacture of food and other items, than spend it on the bullets inevitably used to mete out "justice" to those who get caught fucking up.

Christ, there's toxic Chinese crap in our drugs, too:

Contaminant found in heparin . The AP reports: U.S. health officials have identified a contaminant in batches of the blood thinner heparin associated with 19 deaths and are trying to determine how the chemical got into the drug.

Trying to determine how the chemical got into the drug? They know: The lots of heparin, whose key ingredient was imported from China, were recalled Feb. 28, and Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday that no new deaths have been reported since that time.

Ok, the FDA is trying to find out if the fucked up ingredient was deliberately or negligently fucked up. I am opting for the later. The Chinese simply are either not willing or able to regulate their manufaturing base. Period. Problem is, even someone who is as vigilant as I am can't be sure about the pedigree of any product they buy. For example, I take a daily vitamin and the bottle clearly states that the vitamins are Made in the U.S.A. But where did the Vitamin C in my morning vitamin pill come from? Probably China. Click the link to find out how China entered and quickly dominated the Vitamin C market. Here's a hint on how China did it: predatory pricing.

I'm sure you heard about Mattel apologizing to the Chinese government

for suggesting that Chinese factories were at fault for Mattel's various toy recalls, no? My immediate question was what did the Chinese offer (or what threat did they make) to get the Mattel CEO to blow them on tv? Why so cynical, you ask? Here's why: China-made kid's jewelry, toys recalled .

Here's an easy guide for you to follow when shopping for children's gifts: if the item says made in China, throw it the hell back. Same rule applies for every other fucking thing you buy. Truth is, I'm going to try to stick to U.S., Canadian and EU made products. There are no guarantees that U.S., Canadian and EU made products are going to be completely free of crap, but the EU is anal about regulating food products, for example, and at least we have some regulation in the US. As for the Canadians? They are very polite, and there is nothing mannerly at all about selling us poison coated toys.

Christmas shopping is going to be a bear:

Toys "R" Us recalls China-made wooden art sets. Why? Lead paint and lead in the watercolor paint, of course. I generally buy my cousin's girls craft or art sets. She likes those kind of toys and the girls really like them too. But this year? I won't buy anything made in China, naturally, but what will be left? I think Legos might pass muster, but who knows? Looks like I'm going to have to wrap up some grass-fed beef jerky for the kids. Sure, they'll hate it, but I'm pretty sure it's free of lead. And melamine. And anti-freeze.

China TV airs shows defending products....

in China. Um, this confuses me. Why is the Chinese government airing television shows defending "the country's safety standards" in China? Unless I am mistaken, the problem with the toxic Chinese crap stories is that consumers abroad are concerned. Maybe there have been (suppressed) problems in China as well? That said, apparently the newest toxic Chinese product is clothing. According to the AP: New Zealand's government ordered an investigation after scientists testing clothes for TV3's "Target" consumer watchdog program discovered formaldehyde concentrations up to 900 times above the safe level in wool and cotton clothes.

I will repeat: don't buy any Chinese made stuff. Certainly not until and unless real regulation is adopted and practiced in China (that is independently verified, of course). Unless, of course, you like to wear clothing treated with formaldehyde as you feed your pet melamine tainted dog food.

Whether the government acts or not, I think Chinese toy manufacturers and their U.S. enablers are fucked:

Smaller toymakers find stressing quality has rewards. The AP reports: With about 80 percent of all toys sold in the U.S. made in China, German toy maker Haba knows it supplies a tiny market from its base in Bavaria. But the recall of millions of Chinese-made toys tainted with lead-laced paint has brought more attention to smaller European toy makers that stress natural and safe materials — if parents are willing to pay the price.

Mattel Inc., the U.S.' largest toy maker, announced a worldwide recall Tuesday of 18 million items such as dolls and action figures because of lead paint and tiny magnets that children could swallow.

That followed the company's recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made Fisher-Price toys because of possible lead-paint hazards, and came after other issues with Chinese-made products.

"It's scary. First cat food and dog food, and now the kids' toys," said Whitney Settle, of Petroleum, W.Va. "I have a 2-year-old boy who chews on everything. I doubt I am going to buy (Mattel) anymore — or it's going to make me look twice."

I have a co-worker who doesn't strike me as particularly interested in political/economic issues, but she is really concerned about the tainted toy story. Why? Because she's pregnant with her first child. Suddenly she is pouring over the stories and wants to know where to turn. I'm going to send her a link to a toy store in the village that sells adorable toys that I would bet are all free from poison. Yes, the toys cost more, but what price for piece of mind? U.S. companies selling Chinese made toys are going to have a very blue Christmas. Oh well, reap what ye sow.

Thanks to Jim for the link.

There are two candidates running for the democratic presidential nomination who I wish

were taken more seriously: Dennis Kucinich and Senator Chris Dodd. I've gone to Kucinich's campaign site* and I don't think there is a position he holds that I disagree with. Of course the corporate media dismiss him because he's a bit goofy looking, vegan and a bit new agey, but his positions are rock solid (and he does have the most attractive and interesting potential first lady). That said, Dodd is overlooked even though he would otherwise fits the mold. And it's a shame, particularly given his willingness to take positions such as this one: Dodd Calls for Suspension of Chinese Toy, Food Imports to US. It's just right to keep toxic products out of our marketplace. Period.

That said, maybe a formal suspension isn't necessary if www.treehugger.com survey reflects the mood of most consumers. The survey asks whether Treehugger readers are avoiding Chinese products. Only 23% say they will trust the market or have no options other than to buy cheap Chinese goods. Slightly over a third say they have always looked for well made products and local food (that would include me) and the others say they will now avoid Chinese goods--5% say they won't even buy Chinese takeout anymore (fear of imported food products, I'm guessing). I hope that consumers refuse to buy Chinese made goods until such time that true regulation and controls are in place. I would add that environmental regulation and higher wages need to be addressed too. Long and short, the Chinese government is going to have to do something, because while this administration will not likely bar entry of Chinese goods, the marketplace may end up doing the thing that the government should.

I am planning on linking to manufacturer's that sell products made in the U.S. It's one thing to say you won't buy Chinese goods, it's another to be able to find real alternatives. I am leaning towards also including EU made products, because the EU is anal about regulating products, particularly food (for example, genetically modified food cannot be sold in EU countries), and there are fairly strict employee protection measures in place in EU countries. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail me or leave a comment.

*The link to Kucinich's website brings you to a page holder with a link to his old campaign site. His new website "is coming soon."

When will American corporations learn?

Mattel recalls millions more toys. I have started to see declarations that some products are "Made in the US." I'm guessing that holiday shopping will be interesting this year, as parents try to find toys that won't poison their kids. I know that I remain committed to checking every label and avoiding anything Chinese made, and I'm guessing that I am not alone. I'm going to keep my eyes open for what I assume will be a growing movement to support American made goods at the expense of crap made by underpaid or slave labor and absolutely no regulation.

That said, I had to link to this asinine commentary by Erin Burnett of CNBC who actually had the guts to say the following:

A lot of people like to say, uh, scaremonger about China, right? A lot of politicians, and I know you talk about that issue all the time. I think people should be careful what they wish for on China. Ya know, if China were to revalue it’s currency or China is to start making say, toys that don’t have lead in them or food that isn’t poisonous, their costs of production are going to go up and that means prices at Wal-Mart here in the United States are going to go up too. So, I would say China is our greatest friend right now, they’re keeping prices low and they’re keeping the prices for mortgages low, too.

China, by making toys with lead paint and poisoned food, is our greatest friend? With friends like these, etc.

Fisher-Price to Recall Almost a Million Toys Worldwide

Because of Lead in Paint. Guess where the toys were made. Yep, China. Again. Don't buy Chinese made goods, unless, of course, you don't have enough lead, melamine and anti-freeze in your diet.