Another Chinese toy recall: Aquadots = date rape drug
Taking a little break from politics and the war for a moment to do some momblogging:
I bought Aqua Dots for my kids over the weekend. It’s this year’s “Floam”–advertised ubiquitously, arts-and-crafty, irresistible. What are they? They’re little beads that stick together when you spray them; you use them to make little trinkets, cute animals, etc. I wondered in passing what they might be made of, but didn’t give it much thought. Who would have guessed date rape drug chemicals:
More than four million Chinese-made toys sold in the U.S. as Aqua Dots are being recalled after reports surfaced that children swallowed beads containing a chemical found to mimic the effects of the so-called date-rape drug.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it has received two reports of children swallowing Aqua Dots and slipping into comas. Both children are now fine, the commission said. At least three children have been hospitalized in Australia, where the product is called Bindeez, after ingesting beads from the toy.
The incident deals a blow to the toy industry just as the Christmas shopping season is getting under way. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. listed the product as one of its “Top 12 Toys of Christmas.” Wal-Mart has instituted an “electronic stop” at its cash registers to prevent further Aqua Dots sales and directed employees to remove the toys from its shelves, according to a spokeswoman. Toys “R” Us said it has pulled the toy in the U.S., and the toy was removed from other major Web sites and stores, including Amazon.com and Target.
The recall highlights a common practice in Chinese factories: cutting costs by substituting ingredients. The toy’s manufacturer, Moose Enterprise, of Melbourne, Australia, yesterday said the problem had been traced to a Chinese factory it contracted that substituted a toxic chemical for a safe glue during manufacturing.
Moose declined to name the manufacturer but said the beads contained an adhesive solvent called “1,4 butylene glycol,” which can simulate the so-called date-rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate when ingested, causing seizures, coma or death. The toy hasn’t been linked to any deaths.
You know, in California, there’s a toxic substance law passed by environmental zealots called Prop. 65 that requires labeling of practically every product that contains potentially carcinogenic or teratogenic substance, no matter the dose or exposure.
Given the spate of Chinese toy recalls, it might be far more helpful to parents to know which kids’ products are made in corner-cutting China’s factories. How about 20-point font warning labels with “MADE IN CHINA” and “THIS TOY MANUFACTURED BY THE MAKERS OF DATE RAPE DRUG MIMICKING AQUA DOTS?”
***
On a more positive note, Glenn Reynolds is toy-blogging, too. His nephew gives the Fisher-Price Smart Cycle a thumbs-up.
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Are kids supposed to eat them?
They are not supposed to eat them. I bought my daughter a set for her 8th birthday. I guess what’s left will be thrown out.
No, they are for crafts. But kids will put anything in their mouths. And, as they said on Fox and Friends this morning, they kinda look like little candies.
I think manufacturers should just assume that when in comes to kid’s toys, anything that can fit in the mouth will likely end up in there.
YIKES! Well, I’ll be looking for MADE IN USA.
When is Congress going to stop issuing pointless statements and institute some kind of controls for importing products from countries that have a track record of cutting corners in a potentially lethal way?
Our kids are playing with these products, this is insane!
I was gonna say, the kids aren’t meant to eat them. Don’t see why this is that big an issue. Of course, these toys could be targeted at the wrong age group, since it’s rather irresponsible to be giving beads to children who would think nothing of eating them.
Michelle, did you start shaking after you heard about this? just after buying some, scary.
#3 RaisedRight:
“…when in comes to kid’s toys, anything that can fit in the mouth will likely end up in there.”
Yep. We raised three.
Good, sound, advice.
Absolutely correct.
You have to wonder with all these toxic toys being exported from China, what’s happening to Chinese children over there?
.
Did I read this right pg? that big an issue? you cant be serious.
#9 –
Ooh, I never thought about that. I wonder what China’s standards are for products sold there…
my guess is pgtips is not a parent.
How much of chemicals are going into the peoples system that are making them?
Seriously.
If cutting costs is the impetus for them having to use substituted ingredients, how do they intend to correct the situation when; as a result, of cutting costs the exports that are flawed and harmful. Thereby fueling the need to cut more costs.
The US would be wise to “Just Say No!”
The US would be wise to “Just Say No!”
I agree 30 pcs.
I wonder how many wackos rushed out to get some of these aqua dots after they heard the news?
top of the mornin’ to ya aj.
#16, funny but wrong.
aj – I don’t know if people will actually try to use these as date rape drugs now. I think a woman might notice a glow-in-the-dark green dot floating in her cocktail… Although, the type of people that would try to use date rape drugs can’t be too bright.
Yeah, sometimes I think our Congress is ‘Made in China’
I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve noticed that I check now when it comes to the “made in china” label. You just can’t be too careful anymore. There has to be something that can be done about all of these recalls and the dangers posed by the imported toys, shoes, etc.
AJ: The black market for Aqua Dots will really open up now, since they’ve been banned. I foresee prices going into the stratosphere. And I also foresee the formula for that coating soon appearing on an internet site near you. No need for the wackos to rush out and buy them – too many alternate sources.
After the recalls this summer I put out an extremely strict letter to all family and friends that I will not allow my daughter to accept any toys from China for either her birthday (last month) or Christmas and that I will return any gift that says “Made in China.”
Chinese manufacturers–making the stuff that American manufacturers can’t even get illeagals to make.
This is getting very scary for young children. I would also question any type of dishes,etc. made in China due to potential high lead content.
Here is a website that is interesting regarding China’s recalls.
Only one female Senator from New York. But I shall not name names here!
You’ll be looking fruitlessly. The labor unions in the USA have priced themselves right out of the manufacturing market.
Toys such as this are a western-European and American luxury. Most Chinese families can’t afford something like this.
Homer Simpson “Mmmmmmm. Aqua Dots.”
My mom called last night after seeing this. (She stays right on top of all of the recalls.) My daughter got a set of these for her birthday this fall and loves them. She’s old enough to know better than to eat them, but I’ll still be sending them back, since we have friends and family with younger children who frequently come over. I simply do not understand how manufacturers can think, “This is cheaper / more available / whatever, so I’ll just use it. What’s in it? Who cares?” I guess they don’t think about it — that’s the point.
Oh, and pgtips? I’m guessing your tune will change when/if you ever become a parent. “Not that big an issue…”
Two links for American made products.
I was wondering the same thing AJ.
Yes, there are some who would try and spike a drink of some girl at a party. How many teen girls do you think know about funny dots in their drink?
Oh, that’s just the “new, cool thing” – don’t worry about it.
Please. I raised 4 teen girls and heard the stories.
Girls, if you set your drink down, leave it – PERIOD.
AJ, make sure you girl knows this every time she is out of your sight.
This IS a big issue. It is actually a continuation of a big issue and something Congress needs to look into. We have the RIGHT to know what is coming into our country and how it is being made. While I put some blame on the chinese manufacturer I also have to put blame on the toy company itself. Always going to the lowest bidder without concern for product quality control and configuration management of what it is being made of will result in a manufacturer making it any way they can and cutting costs however they want. Our laws are not their laws and we can’t expect them to live up to our laws unless it starts to hurt them when it does not.
Raised, you’re right but I dont know if you can take them apart or what the scoop is on em, plus the morons rushing to get them may want to use them for personel drug addictions. who knows? just thinking aloud I guess. anywho pretty scary stuff.
soap, yes she’s aware, and thanks.
So that would be kind of a chicken-or-egg question. You kind of have to wonder why they made a toy out of date rape chemicals in the first place, regardless of cost cutting.
a US manufacturer has standards regarding raw materials used on their products. these standards are supplied to the vendor. makes me think that the Chinese Vendors are not paying attention to the specs…..
that being said, it is the responsibilty of the Manufacturer to ‘ensure’ their standards and specs are being followed. the Manufacturer would be wise to begin testing samples from each batch to verify these standards of materials is being met. yet, this will cost them. but, it is better than waiting for a recall and loss of reputation or lives, checking the pc code and canceling that vendors contract. they will just pass the cost on to consumer anyway.
because pretty soon made in china will not be the ‘lower’ cost effective business venture.
Dang! My 4-yr old son will be so disappointed. He’s been bugging me to get him some for months and I was finally going to give in for Christmas. Thank goodness for the blogosphere. At least now I can tell him it’s the mfr’s fault and I don’t have to take the heat for not wanting little plastic dots all over my floor for my 1 yr old to find.
remember, these toy companies like Mattel used to be manufacturers.. they outsourced their manufacturing to China..
Michelle,
I think it is pretty naive of you to flag toys that are made in China as a dangerous.
Corner cutting is a global endemic of companies with poor ethics and China is not isolated in this. You may see higher incidents of this because up to 70% of the worlds toys are made in China.
If you are trying to advocate that we as consumers put preference to toys that are made in the USA why do you not highlight the high cost of doing business here that causes toy firms even the “American” ones) to outsource their production capacity.
I just returned from a two week trip to Beijing and Shanghai.
The problem is, the Chinese see nothing wrong with piracy and shoddy manufacturing materials, it’s a cultural thing.
I met with two business owners (I won’t name the companies). One company operated on a similar principle to the old file sharing program Napster, by pirating old music into an iTunes like player on a user’s computer. To make matters worse they used the same “skin” as Microsoft Media Player, the same logo as Kazza, and the same user interface as the iTunes player. When we asked about piracy and copyright issues they said it wasn’t a big deal because they were too small to be noticed and because the Chinese governmnet didn’t have any laws against what they were doing.
The second company was a company like Skype that lets people make calls over the internet. The problem is, they have somehow found a backdoor into the mobile phone providers and found a way to use mobile phone lines without being charged by the carriers. When asked what would happen when the carriers found out, they replied that they were too small for anyone to notice and if they did there were technically no Chinese laws against it.
This is not only a huge deal to consumers, but is an unbelievable threat to US businesses.
Everytime we buy made in China (which is about everyday), we are fueling their justification for piracy and horrendous manufacturing practices. (Ever since Sony moved its manufacturing to China from Japan they have lost significant market share because their products are no longer top of the line)
Supposedly it’s getting better, but the Chinese people have been brought up to think it’s ok to steal ideas from others (they don’t steal ideas from other Chinese companies) and manufacture them as their own, so changing the culture of more than a billion people is going to be tough.
So, when you see “Made in China” it’s ok to ask questions.
I have absolutely no idea why anyone buys anything made in China. The first thing I do is look at the label to find a products point of origin – if it’s China, I don’t buy it.
If you’re a conservative, how can you justify enriching a communist government that is hellbent on becoming the next superpower, militarizing space, targeting nuclear missles at us, building new ballistic missile submarines, and stealing us blind by violating almost every known copyright and patent law at will?
If you’re a liberal, how can you justify supporting a government that uses slave labor, jails political dissidents, has horrible environmental laws and has no OSHA or fair labor standards?
There is absolutely no reason for any of us to support Chinese manufacturing. Wake up people and use your wallet to fight back. Or even better, write Mattel and those other companies that have outsourced our childrens safety to China and tell them we’re not buying their China made products anymore.
pgtips… I guess you dont have small children or you wouldnt say something so ignorant. Small kids regardless of what age group is listed on the package will put things in their mouth.
We need to stop importing junk into our country and start buying America again. From what I understand from stories from friends who have been there, China is a cesspool of trouble and we need to stop buying from them “to save a buck”.
StrangeLove, I so agree with your points. We need to stop buying China and many imported items, and start reinvesting in our own country.
Here’s a thought: If you don’t absolutely need it, don’t buy it if you see the “Made in China” label.
While I admit to buying items made in China, I do evaluate each one to determine if I really need it, or if might be an alternative from somewhere else – maybe even the USA…
… sorry should have added… and our own citizens as well.. we need our jobs back here, not in these other countries where they dont care about what they put out as long as they make a buck or save a buck and line their pockets at our expense of lost jobs and bad/unsafe products.
geez, dial 1-800-get-a-clue
aj… is that your home phone??
The three-year old has been bugging me for aqua dots for a while now. This weekend was the weekend I was going to go get them. GHB?????
Que pasa, China?
When it comes to the safety of my three- year, cost is not an issue. Most of my daughters’ toys are made in the USA. Yes, I do pay more but I have piece of mind. The quality of her American made toys are higher and last longer. After the discovery of GHB in toys made in China, you wouldn’t think twice about buying these toys for your children? You’re joking right? Let me guess, your wife is named Morticia, and you have a brother named Fester. Oh, and you have a doorman that looks like Senator Kerry.
It isn’t that the kids will go “Hmmmm… I wonder if these taste good”, but more of an issue over “here little girl, eat this candy”
The issue is that pedophiles might try using this to have their way with young kids.
It isn’t about sickos floating one bead in somebody’s drink. It is about sickos buying large quantities of beads and floating hundreds in a pot of water to extract the drug in solution.
We are talking about sickos having concentrated doses of the drug to use in droplet form.
Just to clarify the danger of leaving a mass inventory accessible to perverts.
Like leaving concentrated dosages of ephedrine available commercially to meth manufacturers.
The bottom wrung of our society is unraveling fast. The problem is that it is connected to our Country’s fiscal dependence on China buying so much of our paper debt.
National suicide for a country that is not as economically powerful as its appetite for natural resources might lead one to conclude. Our trade imbalance with them in dollars is roughly the equivalent of Wal Mart’s annual gross profit last year.
So where is the strength in that?
BTW, friends, please look into shorting the Euro in the near future. It is going to be a great ride as the Big Panda is forced to re-think it’s currency valuation. You can make your retirement much sweeter by watching the action in this arena.
When one of my younger children celebrated a birthday recently, people asked me what my child wanted. I said, “Nothing made in China!”
They thought I was making a snarky joke, but I was serious. Christmas morning this year is going to feature a lot of books and clothes.
@ RenaOconnor: “not in these other countries where they dont care about what they put out as long as they make a buck or save a buck and line their pockets at our expense of lost jobs and bad/unsafe products.”
Although I agree with you, when it comes down to it, most US companies are no different – it’s just that laws are in place here to control it. That’s the downside of capitalism – the drive is for constantly increasing profit margins to keep shareholders happy, rather than product quality and social responsibility (unless it can be used to make a profit), and that can lead to all sorts of unethical if not illegal practices. Of course there’s also just plain old greed as well.
They are. Pray tell in what way is she naive? Have you forgotten about the pet food incident?…Guess who – China.
Your assertion is insulting. I think you are confused. You seem to think Michelle is behind some grand conspiracy to flesh out news stories that are adverse to China? All the while completely ignoring and/or making excuses for China’s shoddy business practices.
Somehow America has to be the fallguy.
Again, your assertion is insulting. Do you not think that if these toys were American made that Michelle would be less inclined to report it? Nevermind the danger it would pose to her own children? You seem to be the only person who cannot see this story for what it is. There has to be some deeper meaning. Get over yourself and get a clue.
Jose,
My point was on the content of Michelle’s post not on my purchasing criteria.
FYI: I buy toys for my kids based upon they safety rating and educational value not based on their price. I place a added bonus for toys made in the USA. Many toys made in the USA are competitively priced but hard to find in main stream stores.
I would love to be able to have the choice to select toys for my kids that are only made in the USA but as Mercutio will soon find out almost all of the dolls, electronics, cars, etc have a majority of their components and assembly “Made in China”!
What am I to do not buy toys?
30 pcs of silver:
What is the tag line of the post?
“Made in China”
Is that clue clear enough for you?
I wish there were a way to convince my kids that there were a problem with the WII system they want!
The bottom line is you can’t trust the Chinese for safety. Now, they’re dumping our dollar. It’s about time U.S. companies get back in the business of MADE IN THE USA
Or look a little more widely for toys made elsewhere. You may have to skip the WalMarts, etc. and pay a little more, but who knows? You may end up with better toys. And maybe we send a message to the ChiComs while we’re at it…
Yes, thank you for clearing up the matter…
I wonder how this may affect the rate of unwanted pregnancies in the land of misfit toys.
Who do you think makes them?
OK, probably not so much anymore…
Serious note – they also manufacture many of the chemicals that go into pharmaceuticals. Scared yet?
It is not just toys! In the manufacturing sector, I have had to use Chinese manufacturers for things like die castings, forgings and machined products. I have continually been frustrated by poor quality, substituted materials that are not up to spec and shoddy worknmanship. The Chineses do not seem to understand tolerances and therfore the parts cannot be relied on to function properly or safely. I do not understand the thinking of buying cheap parts in China that we have to rework in the USA that then have an overall cost higher than what would have been if they had been made in the USA originally. I had a mold made in Bejing that was out of spec. and over the course of a year and a half, they made no changes even though we demanded them to bring it up to spec. The project was aboandoned and tens of thousands of dollars thrown away. The the same Co. went right back to that Chinese manufacturer for another mold. I left the company.
I do not think that the argument should be we cannot trust the Chinese either for product safety or product quality.
What we need to do is put the blame (and liability) for these incidents firmly on the companies responsible for importing and marketing these products without performing their due-diligence.
Speaking as someone who deals with things manufactured in China, I can say with full confidence that they settled that last argument years ago.
My 14-month-old daughter plays with 70′s era Tupperware measuring cups and spoons from my Mom’s kitchen. She stacks the same wooden blocks that I did when I was her age. At the moment, she is ‘reading’ an old magazine. The only thing new I buy her is books.
So yeah, maybe you don’t need to buy toys. But I don’t know how old your kids are. Seems like the younger ones can make ‘toys’ out of anything.
BigViking:
I have worked as a quality control consultant for complex manufacturing firms that build capital equipment. Shoddy quality is a global issue and not limited to any one particular region.
I remember outsourcing a critical assembly to a manufacturer here in the USA but due to capacity issues with the supplier we were forced to dual source the assembly to meet delivery commitments. Our second supplier in China delivered on time and had a 100 percent NO DEFECT rating for the duration of delivery. We can also swap horror stories of quality issues but I put the blame on the company not the region
To think…just last week, my lovely bride almost bought that toy for our kids…(shudder)
She is probably being a Mom first (I believe she preferenced the posting with that).
I bought tainted dog food for my four legged child a few months back (manufactured in China – IAMS and EUKANUBA) and I was absolutely livid.
I can’t even IMAGINE on any level if I bought toys for my kid (don’t have any…but like I said…couldn’t imagine) to know this carp was in it!
I’m not very fond of using pricing justifications to argue against safety issues.
lol. oh, my. that brings back memories for me.
There is a big difference between a “defective product” and an “Adulterated” product.
“Assembly of a product” and “chemical compositions” included within the componants of that product.
CO:
I have 2 daughters 4 1/2 and one 1 1/2. Thankfully, the little one loves books and we can avoid buying potentially dangerous toys for her.
Our bigger girl is a big fan of Barbie and electronics.
I always try to buy American whenever possible. But, most electronics are made in China now. Wal Mart and Home Depot are full of Chinese products. Whenever one buys something from Home Depot the receipt includes a link to a website to rate the quality of one’s visit and to make a comment. I always say I want more American made products and fewer Chinese, but they don’t seem to listen.
It’s a catch 22: One needs to buy something to be able to go to that website and tell them that one wants American products, but by buying something one is supporting their current policy of selling Chinese products.
Oh well, we won’t have a perfect world until Jesus Christ returns.
Along with the bible ban, all the more reason to BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS !
Bottom line: the US consumer holds much power over this.
Boycott. Use your consumer clout. Sure, we cannot not buy Chinese made stuff in the absolute. But we can use our discretion.
My family doesn’t shop at grocery stores that imports Chinese grown produce. If it is out of season, we don’t buy it. That’s $4500 a year the Chinese produce brokers don’t get from us.
Toys. With a nine year old techno fiend in our home, we don’t buy any new electronics designed for kids. We trade with kid friends for new game boy games or buy used. That keeps another $800 out of their pockets per year.
Furniture. The US still has some great mills in the Carolinas. Last year that kept $1200 from going overseas.
None of our household hazmats are purchased from companies manufacturing in China. $1800 a year
Currently we are keeping $10,000 a year out of the hands of US companies who would pass on maybe 25 per cent on to their Chinese “Sources”.
And we are using our publishing business to bring US and Chinese businesses together through virtual meetings to discuss these problems before trade protection winds begin to rain on this tawdry parade. The smaller businesses in logistics and supply chain (and there are many) will be hurt most if the 40 million container shipping volume is upset in any way—- and that will hurt everybody.
We can all do our part to move past the problem with ground floor management of our own lives and businesses to solve this without the Government making a bigger mess than they have already by promoting the bandwagon effect of trading with a juvenile economy on steroids that is China.
Feebie:
Defective by definition is a item that does not conform to specification whether it may be mechancial, chemical or asthetic.
To drill a level further into the analysis done in manufacturing quality, substituting one material for another would be classified as a non-conformance defect
bear…
great analysis but the stat is off a bit:
I would say 30% of the funds you have successfully reallocated would have gone to China the rest would have gone to their respective parent company (e.g.: Mattell) and toy store (e.g.: Walmart)
SEriously, do you as a QC guy, check for non-conformance defects? Or just your regular ol’ run of the mill product defects?
I don’t agree with you that Michelle is Naive…but I am interested to know exactly what processes our companies go through for these products.
I told my mother last night when we were talking about this, that I believe that this is being done on purpose.
I’ve decided to shun China and go American. I may pay a bit more or have to look harder, but I’m no longer going to support the Chi Coms.
If you look at it this way it makes sense to buy American. Cost per use. You can justify spending more on an item, such as a crock pot made in America, by figuring it’s cost per use.
Ramble off/
Well, I’m not a parent so when (if) I do become one a few years down the road I might understand what the fuss is about.
As far as I can tell, these are toys that kids shouldn’t put in their mouths. I can only go by my limited interaction with toddlers under the age of 4 and my vague memories of childhood. I grew up in the 3rd world so the toys we’re used to probably were made out of toxic chemicals. It was drilled into our heads from an early age that you do not put toys in your mouth. Ever. Not only do you not know what it’s made of, you do not know where it has been.
Since you’re not meant to put them in your mouth … why put them in there?
I don’t know. Maybe I’ll sing a different tune when I have my own kids.
Feebie:
The problem that I see with the quality of toys is that the checks are not done by the companies that are outsourcing their manufacturing.
I cannot speak to what processes are currently in place for the toys but I can tell you how they should be:
1.QC should be done on-site by the toy company (Matell) at the manufacturer for all production lots.
2. A second study should be done on completed lots. This should be done by a standards organization in the mold of the UL
pgtips:
If you could only see what my one year old does when she gets home from day care… toys, clothes, shoes, pretty much everything goes straight to the mouth….
you’d need a hannibal lector mask to slow them down!
My toddlers used to play with anything that was in an unlocked floor level kitchen cabinet.
Hours of fun. Still have most of itin my kitchen today. Complete with teeth marks.
#81 – does this include chemical composition testing?
crickets chirping
I say let the Olympics roll! The Chicoms are going to end up with egg on their faces as they try to pull off being Western.
LMAO
did you see the part where I said “great analysis“? I think your post was a great way to see what the real impact one can make. I wanted to provide clarity and truth to the numbers.
BTW: why does your profile link to the supply chain brain website?
feebiebabe:
To be effective, yes. In the high tech industry, a proper qc process does not just test the functionality but also the material quality and adherence to the specification.
I do not see how our children do not deserve the same level of attention to detail!!
Relax. The “truth”, as you put it, is somewhere in the middle. Crickets chirping, for me, is a way of saying, no reply.
My profile links to the scb site because it’s our family business. Thanks for asking.
Just as I don’t understand why we are continually dealing with a country that modifies products outside of the specifications given to them by their client for cost purposes which endgagers the health and safety of our children families and pets?
IMHO, how many times do you get bit by the snake before you wake up and start walking around the damn thing?
We’ve had this happen to dog food, chili, variations of human food and NOW children’s toys.
If they are making a habit of doing it, and US companies refuse to check because it is too costly, well then maybe we should stop dealing with that region all together.
Not worth it.
#55
You make it sound like I’m some retard without the common sense to see that most toys are made in China.
Strange, though. My daughter’s birthday was in October. She got a dozen or more toys. Interestingly enough NOT ONE was made in China. In fact, I don’t think a single toy she owns is from China. There may be a few from India, Indonesia, or Malaysia, but nothing from China. I checked them all.
So I don’t think I’ll have any problems with that, thanks. Don’t try to second guess my parenting skills or common sense again.
supersean,
Cost cutting and quality control are global problems, but you haven’t seen anybody else trying to slip lead based paint into child’s toys.
Sooner or later, enough isolated incidents begin to look like a pattern. They just don’t have any standards for this kind of stuff. Why would they care? This is just getting exported to Capitalist America.
Someone above asked when will Congress do something about protecting us and out children form this type of negligence , as soon as we vote them out of office and get a new crop that will pay attention until they get bought off.
The Chinese to have beat us in a war…we’re submitting to them…they control a large portion of our money, now while threatening to dump it on the market and ruin our economy, 2nd they’ll kill us off with their imports. Medicines for adults and kids or poined toys…
Someone above asked when will Congress do something about protecting us and our children form this type of negligence , as soon as we vote them out of office and get a new crop that will pay attention until they get bought off.
The Chinese don’t have to beat us in a war…we’re submitting to them…they control a large portion of our money, now while threatening to dump it on the market and ruin our economy, 2nd they’ll kill us off with their imports. Medicines for adults and kids, poisoned toys…no need to fire a shot. We can thank ourselves for voting these sellouts into office.
There is a pattern.
How many major brands originating in the USA actually have a sign all up and down their supply chain that says, oh well- for example- Doggy Pet Food Co?
Not many. There are a number of non-recognizeable company names that handle the product for Doggy Pet Food Co (which is likely a brand owned by a conglomerate).
The Chinese are not usually dealing directly with Doggy Pet Food Co. They are dealing with a service provider that is doing the heavy lifting for the Doggy Pet Food Co. Doggy Pet Food Co. cannot afford to have all of these handlers built into their personnel systems. So the service is outsourced.
The Chinese know they can suck up to the Board of Doggy Pet Food Co. and screw their handlers to the wall. Doggy Pet Food Co will find new handlers because they need the crap the Chinese manufacturers are making.
The way it gets made, shipped, unloaded, distributed and shelved is mostly all done third party. Few American companies doing business in China are directly involved in managing the process from cradle to grave.
There is a lot of wiggle room for error, theft, counterfeit product manufacturing (billions lost in knockoffs each year coming out of china), defective manufacturing, and consumer safety violations.
Some US companies are in on this. Some are not. Very little of it can be proven who is at fault.
It’s not like doing business with Belgium.
The new business development and trade game with China is a wild west kind of environment. Lots of people getting rich and lots of people getting screwed.
It takes two to tango.
The next President has a lot of fish to fry on this very big issue.
I don’t have a “position” on this matter. It’s so complex and delicate. Can our government wake up? Consumers seem to be.
What protections can government provide that aren’t nanny state solutions?
And how will major US manufacturers deal with the crisis in confidence in their leadership as well?
my two cents.
sorry about my 1st post, must zig when…
I had Chinese food for lunch today.
And because the knuckleheads in Washington don’t understand how fiat currencies work, they just print more.
If China were to dump the dollar it would mean that somebody would have to buy those dollars. So it means that the somebody would increase their exposure to risk of owning too many greenbacks.
So China is unlikely to dump too much too fast. It is like musical chairs. There are only so many empty seats to move to. And it depends on who wants to give up there seat to get into another one.
China is overextended and refuses to re-value its own money which is artificially low in value. European Union countries cannot over extend into deficit budgeting, so it’s currency remains high as re-investment shenanigans of Britain, US, China, and India surge to keep growing the two newest economies.
In short China is constipated. It cannot nuke the US economy. But Congress refuses to use the power it has because there is not strategy. Just profit taking.
The best Chinese food in Berkeley is made by Mexicans
Kirin on Solano in Berkeley
Mercutio:
In my opinion a boycott on “Made in China” is not the answer. The problem is with toy companies poor quality control by who outsource to the lowest bidder with little or no oversight. Are you willing to step it up and boycott all toys that do not have the proper oversight?
I did not (and would not) question your intelligence or parenting skills.