Flibbertigibbet

You Sold It, You're To Blame

Yahoo! News: China lashes 'irresponsible' reaction to safety woes

BEIJING (AFP) - China on Thursday hit out at the foreign press and "irresponsible people" for raising fears about Chinese-made toys and other exports that have been recalled due to safety concerns.

"Some media and irresponsible people take a small problem and make it into a large one," Commerce Ministry spokesman Wang Xinpei told reporters when asked about various recalls, most recently by US toy giant Mattel.

[...]

Senator Dick Durbin called for the inspection of all Chinese toys imported into the United States, following the recall by Mattel of 18 million Chinese-made products worldwide.

"We can't wait any longer for China to crack down on its lax safety standards," Durbin said. "This needs to stop now before more children and more families are put at risk."

I've talked before about how stupid it is of China to be worried about their image in light of the fact that they are actually exporting dangerous products, but now I'd like to point the finger of shame at some Americans.

Of course, I want to shame Congress for, again, trying to pass unnecessary laws which inhibit freedom and fail to effectively address the problem. The laws in question are those calling for regulations over the goods imported through China.

If history is any guide, we can expect some people to try to get around regulations by various means including smuggling and exporting the goods to a less restricted country first before exporting them to the US.

There is a much more effective and proper means of dealing with this issue: hold those who sell the goods in the US responsible. They are, after all, responsible for the goods they sell even if they import them from another country first.

This will place pressure on those companies to ensure that they are selling high-quality goods.

Some argue that the companies are already paying because consumer will be wary of their goods and that is right and proper. It's also possible that these companies do already face a legal liability for the damages -- I don't know.

But if the legal liability -- if it exists -- is sufficient to punish business who sell goods that prove harmful, I find myself questioning the ultimate purpose of regulations. The nicest thing I can say is that it appears to be more of the nanny-state mentality that dominates our political scenery today. The most truthful thing I can say is that it's just more power-mongering by petty bureaucrats, politicians, and their lackeys.

No good can come of Senator Durbin's proposals. It can only serve to employ more petty tyrants.

Cartoon courtesy of Cox & Forkum!