In September of 2007, I wrote a column about a massive recall
of toys made in China for American companies. It was headline
news how paints used in various manners were said to contain
dangerous levels of toxic lead. These products were not “copy-cats,” they
were produced under contract by U.S. companies.
At the time, questions were raised regarding how huge toymakers
could even survive because of the extent of the recalls.
There were threats that heavy fines were
to be levied for non-compliance.
According to today’s news, the threats were just that and they were ignored
or made to go away. Large toymakers are still contracting to have products produced
in China by the same companies that used lead content in the past.
When I did a follow-up on some of the recalled toys in
2007, I found retail outlets that (in spite of national
news coverage) claimed they had not received
information
regarding the products still on their shelves. Some told me they had to
have the UPC code numbers from the manufacturer before
they could dispose of the
recalled items. Do retailers know who the manufacturers were? How could
the general public
ever know if the retailer even got a recall notice?
Are there ways we — the consumers — have of finding out if the toys
were actually ever recalled? And what happened to them if they were? Are they
simply being re-cycled through dollar stores? As I see it, products made in China,
Korea, Taiwan or any other country that are inferior, and pose a danger to our
youngsters health, should be banned from shelves in the U.S. FOREVER.
Although we as purchasers of the foreign made products
may save money buying them, the big profits go to the
big name company whose name appears
on
the package. The same company, in many cases, who built factories overseas
and
hired people
that work for pennies compared to wages paid the workforce of laid
off employees in the U.S.
With just a little research you could find many U.S. companies
who own manufacturing facilities in China and elsewhere
overseas. The sad
thing
is these U.S. companies
pay so much less to have their products made that they can sell them
for a third off and still make twice the profit a U.S. produced company
can
make.
The reality is, we can’t blame the foreign countries who welcome U.S. COMPANIES
and accept their commerce. It’s those U.S. COMPANIES who are committing
harm to our youngsters. They produce toxic goods, made cheap with inferior elements.
We need to stop buying products made overseas — no matter
what the price is. We need to decide how much we can afford
to spend, and perhaps only purchase
half as many items.
We need to acknowledge what we do spend will contribute
to keeping jobs in the U.S. that keep our friends and
neighbors working.
Make a vow as we hear of more and more people laid off
of work — if it
doesn’t say “Made in the USA,” don’t buy it. It would
not take too long to convince the foreign made producers that they cannot take
our jobs AND our money to make illegal, low quality products. If we demand “Made
in the USA,” products we may have to pay a little more for them but the
quality would be superior.
I just went to my clothes closet and discovered 13 out
of 14 of my shirts were made overseas; Korea, Mexico,
Thailand,
Honduras,
El
Salvador, Jordon,
India
and the list goes on. The items aren’t cheap T-shirts with advertising — many
are dress shirts. My wife Pat did a little better, only 12 of 14 were made in
other countries. She was thrilled that her Red Wings jersey was MADE IN THE USA.
Check your own closet; you’ll be just as surprised as I was. Do the same
thing with your tool box, you will find 90 percent of its contents, including
the box itself, were made overseas.
No matter where you look, it’s hard to find anything that says, “Made
in the USA.” If we all begin insisting we want products made here — and
buy those we find that are made here, it won’t be long before there are
more. Farmers markets are a good place to start. We can create jobs and provide
better quality of life, especially for innocent youngsters.
This article was written in the USA, by a USA writer!
Capt. Fred Davis is a retired charter captain and nationally
published author of boating articles. His “As I See It” appears Fridays in the Tribune
and Boat Smart articles are published in each edition of the Thumb Resorter plus
on line at www.captainfredsboattips.com.