I’m not that old (late 20’s) but I remember throwing dirt clods and each other. My first experience with a handgun was when I was 8 years old. It was a .38 special. The target was in the middle of a big tractor tire and I stood about ten feet from it. I did have on hearing protection.
Oh, and we also rode ATC’s (3 wheels not 4) by ourselves and drove the tractor. We rode the cow and hung out with no supervision in the barn and all over the 35 acre farm. And we had run of the city. No helmets with our bikes even after I ran into a dumpster and busted my head open (I learned to watch where I was going). I can’t say we were safer but we did learn how to take care of ourselves. I could only wish my child will have as many chances to get hurt as I did – so she’ll learn how to pick herself back up again and stay safe.
Yes the government should ensure there are standards for product safety and that those standards are met. No they shouldn’t have to inspect everything that hits our shelves. Recalls cost companies millions on total costs. We need to let the free market system work for us here.
The problem is that recals, lawsuits, punitive damages, loss of loyalty, etc do cost the companies money but no amount of money is going to bring back a baby that dies from a stuffed bear’s eye suffocating them or permanent brain damage from lead paint.
That’s really the problem with these huge punative damage settlements. $10m isn’t going to bring your baby back and any responsible parent would rather have their baby healthy than to have the money.
While the Feds may play a role in establishing standards and conducting periodic inspections, it isn’t it’s responsitiliby to inspect and guarantee the safety of 100% of products.
The manufacturer and wholesaler should be held primarily responsible. In this case it’s Mattel and it’s off-shore factories in China. The president of Mattel and his entire senior production team should be summarily fired for failing to perform one of their few responsibilities, making certain Mattel products are safe for children. I’m sure Mattel executives get annual raises and bonuses based on sales. Now that this massive problem has occured, they should pay the price and if not lose their jobs, not get any pay increases, bonuses, or perks for 5 years.
While the government should be overseeing product safety, they cannot cover it all. The toy manufacturers should have quality control procedures in place that should have caught these issues long ago. Let’s hope this is not a case of them knowing and not reacting.
A $100,000.00 fine for each recall toy payable to the consumer who returns the toy because of its effectiveness will cure manufacturers in allowing defective toys to enter the United States. Let the consumers police product safety.
That’s the most asinine statement I have ever heard. Do you want to pay $800 for a Barbie? $1000 for a Monopoly game? That is what would happen. Then again, we could go back to the times when kids made believe and played cowboys and indians with their fingers and yelling pow or bang!. I still am wondering why the appropriates committee and the energy committee are having these hearings. Don’t they have more pressing things in their own areas? Maybe Rove is involved….
So, When Tylenol was tampered with and had a recall would you also make them pay $100,000 to each consumer who bought Tylenol? Really, think about it. If you were to put an udderly ridiculous figure like 100k a piece, why not $1 mil each so the victims would not have to work anymore? What company would even try and make or distribute a product at all if at any time, some idiot does something stupid with a toy or appliance it was not intended to be used for an then a recall is issued. My god, we can’t live in a bubble. When I was a kid, I rode my bike without a helmet, and at age 5, I was riding my bike all over the neigborhood, sometimes a mile or two away from home. I would drink from a garden hose, swim after eating, play football without pads or helmets and stayed out until dark. I also used to ride in the back window of my dad’s Ford Galaxie 500 and when he would hit the breaks, I would go flying and hit the back seats. It was a blast. Guess what, I am only 40 years old too.
Nice thought, but it ain’t gonna happen. CEO’s will walk away with millions, fire the line & staff people and wave their flags about how much they made for the greedy corporate stockholders. Now we will have another inept committee hearing!
I believe you are bringing this out of perspective.
The issue is with Toys, not Tylenol. I believe Mattel’s CEO is proficient in saving the company money and certainly can save the company money by establishing a plan that would keep
Mattel from paying fines. That greatness that Mattel’s CEO has makes
a greater America. Lets use the greatness of Mattel’s CEO shall we !
Nice Thougt: I know it won’t happen…….but “hope springs eternal”. Complete lack of accountability and the inability of the courts and politicians to identify and focus on root causes will PMO until the day I day.
Wow you can cure cancer PLC? And you can cure it with $100K? Either you’re delusional and you think you’re god or your tin foil hat (and meds) is not working.
Ah, Claims Guy, you and I are paddling the same boat!! Good luck to you (and me)! I am hopeful that rational, thinking people will take over someday. Not holding my breath, however.
Did you also throw lawn darts (Jarts) at eachother? God that was great fun. I remember standing in a circle with my friends, tossing one into the air then playing chicken to see who would dodge it last.
Hey, it was Darwinism. If any of us were too slow to get out of the way we’d be out of the gene pool. If any of us did get killed doing something that stupid I can’t see my mother suing whoever made those things. She’d be grief stricken I’m sure but would make sure my brother never played with Jarts.
Hell yes, I played lawn darts chicken too. We also played a game called “spread um”. No, not what you think!!. We would stand about 5 feet apart on the grass facing each other and throw a jacknife at the other guys feet. The object of the game was that you had to throw within 1 ft of the guys foot and then the guy had to move his foot to where the knife landed and the loser was the one who couldn’t spread his legs anymore. Sometimes we played this without shoes on too!. For even more fun, we use to shoot our BB guns at each other when playing cops and robbers or war. Those were the good old days.
Didn’t have the luxury of bb guns, had to go out into the back yard or local construction site & chuck dirt clods at each other. Clothespins too (remember those?). Got hit in the face once & got in trouble when I got home too! Those were, indeed, the days!!
I think Compman and I grew up in the same neighborhood.
As far as a solution, I don’t think the gov’t and fines will make a difference. This is a case of bad publicity affecting sales, and decreasing sales affecting the net worth of the company. The toy execs don’t have any choice but to fix the problems because if they continue to produce products that have the ability to injure children, the public will crucify them.
I’m not that old (late 20’s) but I remember throwing dirt clods and each other. My first experience with a handgun was when I was 8 years old. It was a .38 special. The target was in the middle of a big tractor tire and I stood about ten feet from it. I did have on hearing protection.
Oh, and we also rode ATC’s (3 wheels not 4) by ourselves and drove the tractor. We rode the cow and hung out with no supervision in the barn and all over the 35 acre farm. And we had run of the city. No helmets with our bikes even after I ran into a dumpster and busted my head open (I learned to watch where I was going). I can’t say we were safer but we did learn how to take care of ourselves. I could only wish my child will have as many chances to get hurt as I did – so she’ll learn how to pick herself back up again and stay safe.
Okay!!!– everyone made their point. I enjoyed reading your experience. So what is our solution? Any takers?
Yes the government should ensure there are standards for product safety and that those standards are met. No they shouldn’t have to inspect everything that hits our shelves. Recalls cost companies millions on total costs. We need to let the free market system work for us here.
The problem is that recals, lawsuits, punitive damages, loss of loyalty, etc do cost the companies money but no amount of money is going to bring back a baby that dies from a stuffed bear’s eye suffocating them or permanent brain damage from lead paint.
That’s really the problem with these huge punative damage settlements. $10m isn’t going to bring your baby back and any responsible parent would rather have their baby healthy than to have the money.
While the Feds may play a role in establishing standards and conducting periodic inspections, it isn’t it’s responsitiliby to inspect and guarantee the safety of 100% of products.
The manufacturer and wholesaler should be held primarily responsible. In this case it’s Mattel and it’s off-shore factories in China. The president of Mattel and his entire senior production team should be summarily fired for failing to perform one of their few responsibilities, making certain Mattel products are safe for children. I’m sure Mattel executives get annual raises and bonuses based on sales. Now that this massive problem has occured, they should pay the price and if not lose their jobs, not get any pay increases, bonuses, or perks for 5 years.
While the government should be overseeing product safety, they cannot cover it all. The toy manufacturers should have quality control procedures in place that should have caught these issues long ago. Let’s hope this is not a case of them knowing and not reacting.
A $100,000.00 fine for each recall toy payable to the consumer who returns the toy because of its effectiveness will cure manufacturers in allowing defective toys to enter the United States. Let the consumers police product safety.
That’s the most asinine statement I have ever heard. Do you want to pay $800 for a Barbie? $1000 for a Monopoly game? That is what would happen. Then again, we could go back to the times when kids made believe and played cowboys and indians with their fingers and yelling pow or bang!. I still am wondering why the appropriates committee and the energy committee are having these hearings. Don’t they have more pressing things in their own areas? Maybe Rove is involved….
Asinine as it made sound,it works 100%. It is like curing cancer. Do you have a better idea that works?
So, When Tylenol was tampered with and had a recall would you also make them pay $100,000 to each consumer who bought Tylenol? Really, think about it. If you were to put an udderly ridiculous figure like 100k a piece, why not $1 mil each so the victims would not have to work anymore? What company would even try and make or distribute a product at all if at any time, some idiot does something stupid with a toy or appliance it was not intended to be used for an then a recall is issued. My god, we can’t live in a bubble. When I was a kid, I rode my bike without a helmet, and at age 5, I was riding my bike all over the neigborhood, sometimes a mile or two away from home. I would drink from a garden hose, swim after eating, play football without pads or helmets and stayed out until dark. I also used to ride in the back window of my dad’s Ford Galaxie 500 and when he would hit the breaks, I would go flying and hit the back seats. It was a blast. Guess what, I am only 40 years old too.
Nice thought, but it ain’t gonna happen. CEO’s will walk away with millions, fire the line & staff people and wave their flags about how much they made for the greedy corporate stockholders. Now we will have another inept committee hearing!
I believe you are bringing this out of perspective.
The issue is with Toys, not Tylenol. I believe Mattel’s CEO is proficient in saving the company money and certainly can save the company money by establishing a plan that would keep
Mattel from paying fines. That greatness that Mattel’s CEO has makes
a greater America. Lets use the greatness of Mattel’s CEO shall we !
Nice Thougt: I know it won’t happen…….but “hope springs eternal”. Complete lack of accountability and the inability of the courts and politicians to identify and focus on root causes will PMO until the day I day.
PLC – This has to be the stupides comment I have ever read on IJ. You make Rosie look and sound like Einstein.
Wow you can cure cancer PLC? And you can cure it with $100K? Either you’re delusional and you think you’re god or your tin foil hat (and meds) is not working.
Ah, Claims Guy, you and I are paddling the same boat!! Good luck to you (and me)! I am hopeful that rational, thinking people will take over someday. Not holding my breath, however.
Did you also throw lawn darts (Jarts) at eachother? God that was great fun. I remember standing in a circle with my friends, tossing one into the air then playing chicken to see who would dodge it last.
Hey, it was Darwinism. If any of us were too slow to get out of the way we’d be out of the gene pool. If any of us did get killed doing something that stupid I can’t see my mother suing whoever made those things. She’d be grief stricken I’m sure but would make sure my brother never played with Jarts.
Hell yes, I played lawn darts chicken too. We also played a game called “spread um”. No, not what you think!!. We would stand about 5 feet apart on the grass facing each other and throw a jacknife at the other guys feet. The object of the game was that you had to throw within 1 ft of the guys foot and then the guy had to move his foot to where the knife landed and the loser was the one who couldn’t spread his legs anymore. Sometimes we played this without shoes on too!. For even more fun, we use to shoot our BB guns at each other when playing cops and robbers or war. Those were the good old days.
Didn’t have the luxury of bb guns, had to go out into the back yard or local construction site & chuck dirt clods at each other. Clothespins too (remember those?). Got hit in the face once & got in trouble when I got home too! Those were, indeed, the days!!
I think Compman and I grew up in the same neighborhood.
As far as a solution, I don’t think the gov’t and fines will make a difference. This is a case of bad publicity affecting sales, and decreasing sales affecting the net worth of the company. The toy execs don’t have any choice but to fix the problems because if they continue to produce products that have the ability to injure children, the public will crucify them.