Here’s a better idea… instead of assuring they’re safe before they hit the shores why not find ways to enourage companies to stop outsourcing manufacturing in the first place.
This isn’t a Repbulican or Democrat debate (Clinton signed NAFTA for example), it’s a national security, domestic employment, internal economics debate.
The people on The Hill need to start doing what’s best for the American people and we need to start holding them accountable and being active members of the electoriate. Pay attention to your elected officials and hold them accountable for their actions.
It’s sad that more people vote for American Idol with more fevor and attention than they do for American President, Congress, local offices, etc.
Stop with the “I vote for whoever has an (R) or (D) after their name on the ballot or who’s name I recognize (or sounds the best). Pay attention – to more than CNN soundbites, get involved – actively, and vote – responsibly and informed.
This is really a free market issue. People will “vote” with their wallets. If I don’t like a company’s track record I will purchase something else. If it’s important enough I will even pay more. Everyone does this. It’s not a foreign or domestic production issue – it’s a quality control issue. Comapanies increase quality when the consumer demands it.
It seems to me that we should hold the company responsible that is doing the importing and selling the item in this country. That company should set up government approved standards and inspect to insure a minimum quality. If they don’t and someone is injured from the purchase of their imported product that company gets fined out of existence.
Shield is right, but our industry allows importers to not care about this. As a Products Liability underwriter, I see a lot of submissions for importers. I ask about their testing and quality control procedures on every submission. I’ve yet to receive an answer other than “they only import, they’re not the manufacturer”. The importer is the last domestic party in the cahin of commerce and courts will find they hold the liability of the manufacturer, but our industry refuses to treat their insurance as such. There are plenty of underwriters who don’t price their product this way as well as agents & brokers who won’t sell if they do. Get with it people.
You cannot deny the economic benefits of trade. It allows everyone to have a higher standard of living.
What I cannot understand, is why the Federal government needs to be involved with this at all. The media and the market will take care of this problem.
More socialism please! I can’t decide what to buy so I need some people in Washington to do it for me.
OK, what you are talking about is pure capitalism. It may work, but its harsh. What you are suggesting is that the market will take care of itself.
While this may be true, it only happens after people die. Even then the companies that replace the companies that go out of business might also end up killing people.
Thats why we have things like the FDA. We also need an authority to check our imports. Especially from hostile communist countries like China.
I’m not suggesting socialism or even more government. You just pass some legislation that will hold the importer responsible. A kid gets hurt because one of these toy companies sells some Chinese junk with lead paint on it, the importer gets themselves fined and sued out of existence. It really pisses me off that we import all this stuff that could be made better here and more Americans employed. But I’m also a free market guy and understand that you let the markets handle things and supposedly you end up getting the best product at the cheapest prices. But I don’t like the idea of my 3 yr old daughter chewing on a lead painted plastic toy made in a sweat shop in China, so I’d like to see the importers held accountable.
and when the free market fails us, who do we turn to for protection? The manufacturer is in a foreign country and the importer has no standards. Maybe that one is sued out of business, another will take his place, and will have no more concern for the final consumer than the last one. This is the ultimate payoff of deregulation.
Thats the deal. You make the importer maintain standards, and if you think that sueing them out of existence won’t work because they’ll just start a new company under another name and continue their substandard business practices, then maybe you also add in the legislation that the owners or CEO’s etc be held responsible both criminally and financially.
Ah, but you don’t have to sue them out of existence. Just stop buying their products. You can’t tell me people don’t expect Barbie to take a huge hit in sales this Christmas. The free market will take care of this under current regulation.
I agree with you, however, this doesn’t punish the greedy SOB’s who import this stuff without regard for the safety of the customer (in this case small children). Yes, it is ultimately the parents responsibility to protect their children. And now that the word is out on imported toys from China, you can bet I’ll be very careful when buying toys for my children. But before this information got out, the blissfully ignorant consumer was in danger, and did not know it.
Here’s a better idea… instead of assuring they’re safe before they hit the shores why not find ways to enourage companies to stop outsourcing manufacturing in the first place.
This isn’t a Repbulican or Democrat debate (Clinton signed NAFTA for example), it’s a national security, domestic employment, internal economics debate.
The people on The Hill need to start doing what’s best for the American people and we need to start holding them accountable and being active members of the electoriate. Pay attention to your elected officials and hold them accountable for their actions.
It’s sad that more people vote for American Idol with more fevor and attention than they do for American President, Congress, local offices, etc.
Stop with the “I vote for whoever has an (R) or (D) after their name on the ballot or who’s name I recognize (or sounds the best). Pay attention – to more than CNN soundbites, get involved – actively, and vote – responsibly and informed.
This is really a free market issue. People will “vote” with their wallets. If I don’t like a company’s track record I will purchase something else. If it’s important enough I will even pay more. Everyone does this. It’s not a foreign or domestic production issue – it’s a quality control issue. Comapanies increase quality when the consumer demands it.
It seems to me that we should hold the company responsible that is doing the importing and selling the item in this country. That company should set up government approved standards and inspect to insure a minimum quality. If they don’t and someone is injured from the purchase of their imported product that company gets fined out of existence.
Shield is right, but our industry allows importers to not care about this. As a Products Liability underwriter, I see a lot of submissions for importers. I ask about their testing and quality control procedures on every submission. I’ve yet to receive an answer other than “they only import, they’re not the manufacturer”. The importer is the last domestic party in the cahin of commerce and courts will find they hold the liability of the manufacturer, but our industry refuses to treat their insurance as such. There are plenty of underwriters who don’t price their product this way as well as agents & brokers who won’t sell if they do. Get with it people.
You cannot deny the economic benefits of trade. It allows everyone to have a higher standard of living.
What I cannot understand, is why the Federal government needs to be involved with this at all. The media and the market will take care of this problem.
More socialism please! I can’t decide what to buy so I need some people in Washington to do it for me.
OK, what you are talking about is pure capitalism. It may work, but its harsh. What you are suggesting is that the market will take care of itself.
While this may be true, it only happens after people die. Even then the companies that replace the companies that go out of business might also end up killing people.
Thats why we have things like the FDA. We also need an authority to check our imports. Especially from hostile communist countries like China.
I’m not suggesting socialism or even more government. You just pass some legislation that will hold the importer responsible. A kid gets hurt because one of these toy companies sells some Chinese junk with lead paint on it, the importer gets themselves fined and sued out of existence. It really pisses me off that we import all this stuff that could be made better here and more Americans employed. But I’m also a free market guy and understand that you let the markets handle things and supposedly you end up getting the best product at the cheapest prices. But I don’t like the idea of my 3 yr old daughter chewing on a lead painted plastic toy made in a sweat shop in China, so I’d like to see the importers held accountable.
and when the free market fails us, who do we turn to for protection? The manufacturer is in a foreign country and the importer has no standards. Maybe that one is sued out of business, another will take his place, and will have no more concern for the final consumer than the last one. This is the ultimate payoff of deregulation.
Thats the deal. You make the importer maintain standards, and if you think that sueing them out of existence won’t work because they’ll just start a new company under another name and continue their substandard business practices, then maybe you also add in the legislation that the owners or CEO’s etc be held responsible both criminally and financially.
Ah, but you don’t have to sue them out of existence. Just stop buying their products. You can’t tell me people don’t expect Barbie to take a huge hit in sales this Christmas. The free market will take care of this under current regulation.
I agree with you, however, this doesn’t punish the greedy SOB’s who import this stuff without regard for the safety of the customer (in this case small children). Yes, it is ultimately the parents responsibility to protect their children. And now that the word is out on imported toys from China, you can bet I’ll be very careful when buying toys for my children. But before this information got out, the blissfully ignorant consumer was in danger, and did not know it.