Safety is a bipartisan issue Posted by Don Mays at 10/29/07 07:47 AM

It is unusual for Washington DC lawmakers to shed ideological baggage and work across the aisle to get something done--especially during Presidential primary season. But that's what we need to make products safer. Republicans must agree that an unrestrained "free market" got us into this mess, and Democrats must set aside protectionism and focus on a systematic approach to making products safer, wherever they are made. That's what appears to be happening in Washington this month.

According to last week's International Herald Tribune:

Representative Michael Burgess, a Republican, won his Texas seat five years ago as a free-trade proponent and has been a reliable vote for each of the seven market-opening agreements sent to Congress since then.

No more. When U.S. companies this year recalled millions of Chinese-made toys and a local news station reported that imported flip-flops caused painful foot rashes, Burgess changed his stance.

"In my household, if it's made in China, it does not come home," Burgess, a 56-year-old lawmaker, told Mattel's chief executive, Robert Eckert at a recent hearing.

"It's one thing to talk about free trade," Burgess said in an interview. "It's a whole different issue when it comes to safety."

No matter where you fall on the free trade spectrum, you want to know that the toys your toddlers slobber over are free of lead. And I'm betting it wouldn't be enough just to label the toys as "made with lead" and let the market decide.

Senator Mark Pryor, a Democrat who voted against his party and for the Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2005, has offered some solutions that other lawmakers are getting behind. His bill would require independent safety inspections of all imported toys, allow all 50 U.S. state attorneys general to enforce product-safety laws, increase penalties for selling unsafe products, and give you more information that companies have about the safety of their products.

We'll keep you up to date as this good proposal moves through the process.

comments (4)

1 Posted by Renae at 11/02/07 09:42 AM

There is no reason why lead should be used in any consumer product. We demand safety first in everything but this common sense idea has been lost in the muddle of politics and what's good for BUSINESS and profits.

How about we do what's good for PEOPLE, for a change. How about getting back to doing what we know is right for PEOPLE. I couldn't give a crap if I EVER see Dora the Explorer backpacks or Thomas the Tank Engine toys ever again. Children are not going to DIE if they don't have their toys, but they will be injured if this situation with lead content in their toys is not addressed.

Safety of children's toys should be the rule, not the exception and it was, is and should be a fair assumption by the consumer that the toys being sold to consumers are safe. There is NO excuse for this condition to exist and frankly I am SICK to death of hearing excuses when we all know the reasons WHY this happened in the first place.

2 Posted by Steve Jarvis at 11/03/07 06:15 PM

Globalization presents many problems, The insidences people getting hurt were very few. I think it was blown up for political reasons to put economic and plitical pressure on china. They have corrected the problems according to statements by their goverment. Our own products are not so safe either. I personally think it was over blown and efforts to affect the markets more than the size and frequency of the faulty products. Products were pull and recalled. I tested a few toys and they were safe. My pets are thriving on pet food from Walmart. Thats just me

3 Posted by Elisabeth B. Langfor at 11/15/07 12:40 PM

All products that are produced or any of their constituent parts come from or are grown in China are to be labeled in such manner that the final consumer knows and can readily identify that the goods or part of the goods originated in China.

4 Posted by Charles E Odier at 11/24/07 11:29 AM

In the mid 90's the Republicans in congress wanted to do away with "Country of Origin" on all products. If that would have happened you would never have known where these deadly products came from. That is what big buiness wanted, because they were afraid of the backlash if you found out about the lack of saftey in their prodcuts, saftey costs money. There is a bill in front of congress and senate right now called "The Decent Working Conditions & Fair Competion Act(HR1992 & S367)Anti-Sweatshop Legislation" that would outlaw products made with child labor or in a sweatshop to be imported into this country. Does your Representative and Senator support it?