| There's a meme that goes around in "free market" circles, that unregulated markets and "free trade" pacts with other countries works not only to spread democratic institutions, but serves to uplift people in the third world from poverty and general oppressive conditions.
Oh, the irony.
The Bush administration and China have both undermined efforts to tighten rules designed to ensure that lead paint isn't used in toys, bibs, jewelry and other children's products.
Both have fought efforts to better police imported toys from China.
According to the report, a 4-year-old boy died of lead poisoning after swallowing a Chinese-manufactured metal charm that comprised more than 90 percent lead.
Steven Benen notes that the Bush administration's reluctance to ensure product safety of Chinese imports is based on philosophical reasons:
"The overall philosophy is regulations are bad and they are too large a cost for industry, and the market will take care of it," said Rick Melberth, director of regulatory policy at OMBWatch, a government watchdog group formed in 1983. "That's been the philosophy of the Bush administration."
Except, whadaya know, the market hasn't been taking care of it.
The lack of oversight is also due to the Bush administration's penchant for politicizing government agencies. His first appointment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for overseeing product safety in the country, Hal Stratton, was a big-donor New Mexico attorney who was initially angling for a post in the Department of Interior, but settled for head of the CPSC. After Stratton, Bush installed Michael Baroody, lobbyist for the National Association of Manufacturers, to the post. Neither are exactly what you would call consumer activists.
But I'd argue that it's not just "free market" ideology that prevents scrutiny of Chinese products. I'd argue that we're inextricably bound to the Chinese, and that this prevents us from making substantial changes in our relationship.
First, as mentioned by CNBC's Erin Burnett, tougher trade regulations would mean prices go up. China produces goods, cheap. And cheap goods are like crank. Once you get a taste... Suffice to say you won't find much support from American manufacturers that we need to put consumer safety ahead of cheap goods.
Second, as mentioned at Montana Main St. blog, China holds a sizeable amount of our national debt, and has threatened to liquidate its debt holdings and cause a crisis in the dollar. They have a powerful hold over our economy and are apparently willing to use it to their advantage, politically. That means we are forced to make compromises to the Chinese on issues like product safety. And you can bet that they don't want to make the infrastructure investment necessary to ensure that exports are safe.
The ramifications of the allure of cheap labor and China's economic hold on us are becoming evident. Not only are our standards of living declining, as unsafe products enter our market and bottom-tier wages shrink, American corporations are helping the Chinese suppress its ailing democratic movement.
So much for panecea of "free trade." |
