Do you care? Do we care that the Chinese government, our private corporations, and our government are knowingly poisoning our children? Obviously not. After all, George Bush allowed corporations to increase the amount of known toxins they can dump into our waters, the same waters that our kids drink. So, why should it surprise us that lead-based toys and jewelry are flooding our market?
One of the wide-effects of the Bush Administration is that you always wonder which special interest sock-puppet has been placed in charge of the regulatory agency responsible for keeping us safe, but which isn't.
Well, Nancy Nord is the Acting Head of the CPSC because the head of the CPSC resigned rather abruptly summer a year ago and Bush has done nothing to replace him (the CPSC has a three person directorate; with the party of the President essentially controlling the majority) since March, when he tried to appoint the former head of The National Association of Manufacturers (you know, people who might not like the CPSC) in his place. And why did the last guy resign, you ask? Oh, you know... to go work for a law firm that advises clients on how to... you know, avoid having to deal with the CPSC.
During testimony Nord admits, disturbingly, that despite harsh criticisms of Chinese toy manufacturers and calls for crackdowns in 2004, a "significant amount" of children's jewelry the agency tested still contains lead, amending that, shortly thereafter, to "almost all of it". She also describes the testing facility as a 1950's-era missile testing site in Gaithersburg, Maryland, some of the buildings of which do not even meet code. Nord goes on to report how their lone product tester, a man named Bob, is overwhelmed (imagine that!) and can't reasonably be expected to test the countless thousands of toys and other products coming into the country every day.
This is a still shot of the toy testing facility, the place where Bob ("Our small parts guy") decides if toys--the ones he gets to that day, anyway--are safe enough for Americas consumers and children. Yes, this is really the toy lab, as presented to the Senate Wednesday:
Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
So, there we go, once again, corporations over the common good and profits over people.
Comments
Nothing.
Nothing at all, really.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
One wonders if you called the CPSC to find out about this. . .
kidding.
It's amazing the crap that is on the market for our children - not just coming from China, although that has been in the news recently. Even supposedly developmentally appropriate toys have pinch and break hazards, choking risks, etc. It's extremely difficult for parents and teachers to keep a good eye on all of it. That's why we allegedly have the CPSC. I would urge all parents and teachers to really use their heads when purchasing children's items.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
There was a Kos diary about this
It argued that the Republicans operate from a single prime directive:
Wouldn't Ayn Rand would be proud!
Ayn Rand! ARGH!!!
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
You know the funny/sad thing about this?
Who do you think buys those toys? Or, the most of those toys? Rich people and their kids. I'll bet if you drew a graph the wealthy would have more of these toys in their house than the poor, so in a way, they are killing themselves.
This is why I love the Toy Store in Chapel Hill - no plastic toys, no Barbie.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Wooden toys.
Painted with what?
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
At least it is good old USA lead paint.
; )
Seriously, most of the toys come from the U.S., Sweden, Italy, etc. Mostly places where you can trust that lead paint is not on them. Face it, you can't trust ANYTHING that rolls out of China.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
No kidding.
And it's the parents of the who can't afford to pay for those toys whose children get the lead paint. That's why we're supposed to have a CPSC. Pisses me off.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
An interesting fact and a hypothesis on my part.
It's about clothes and food, but I'll bet it holds for toys as well. There is a misunderstanding out there that today's people are bigger "consumers", that the reason there is so much poverty is because people spend more on food and clothing than they did in the 1950s for instance. We're greedy, we're spenders, we're consumers.
Well, it ends up that back in the 1950s they spent a much greater portion of their real income on clothes and food. Food because families ate balanced meals at home every night, and as a parent of someone with food allergies that cooks everynight, I can tell you that meat costs $$$$, while McDonald's does not. The clothing expenditures were higher because people wore real clothes, real suits, nice leather shoes. Remember the new Easter outfits every year? And, the holiday outfits? They lasted a lot longer, so people bought LESS clothes, but they spent more. (BTW, this fact was researched to show that it isn't our habits causing bankruptcy, it's our mortgages and health care - which have grown out of whack with the rest of society).
I think it would be much the same on toys. It doesn't cost anymore to buy a few good toys that last than it does to buy new crap at Wal-Mart every month. Just a guess on my part.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
I think it really depends on habits.
But that's a very interesting hypothesis. I'm sure we're spending more on housing and food (and for many families, child care) than we did in the 50's, 60's, and even 70's., if you look at it as a percentage of income. You've hit on something there.
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
The Catch-22
Because we are spending so much more on housing and health care, we send the other parent into the workforce and therefore spend almost the equivalent of another mortgage on care for younger children.
Good point.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
For some families
it is the equivalent. In some counties in NC, the cost of care for an infant in child care is $250 a week. If the average month is 4.33 weeks long, that's $1082.50 a month. No wonder so many people either choose substandard care or choose not to go back to work.
For me, it was never a choice - until my son was about 8, nearly 1/2 my take home pay went to pay for his care while I was at work. It didn't give me much extra to buy toys!
Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi
Article in the CharO
I think over the weekend that "Buy American" is coming back.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Who Are The Biggest Poisoners?
who are the biggest poisoners of our youth and adult population?,The Chinese toy manufacturers or our home grown poisoners Reyonolds American of Winston-Salem and Lorrilard of Greensboro?
I will be glad when the FDA starts regulating cigs
Great point
Probably our coal-run power plants.
If you look at total release into the atmosphere.
: )
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Person Co. leading the way ....
.... in toxic releases from all sources courtesy of two coal fired power plants. One of them is one of the biggest emitters of toxins in the country. Hack .. cough .. gasp .... wheeze ....
Person County Democrats
I actively oppose gerrymandering. Do you?
Some stats reported in The Week show that we are
worse than the Chinese. In a study by the Japanese Ministry of Health:
% food unsatisfactory - Chinese imports 0.58%
- EU imports 0.62%
- US imports 1.31%
The Week, Sept. 7, 2007
Person County Democrats
I actively oppose gerrymandering. Do you?