Real Thought

While there are riots in Germany over the upcoming G8 summit with “anti-globalization” protesters turning violent, I thought now would be a good tome to examine the darker side of globalization. Forget the “outsourcing” of jobs, forget the loss of productivity, what I am talking about is the very real danger of poisoning. First contaminated pet food, using an ingredient from China cause a number of deaths in pet animals and led to a massive pet food recall and now the FDA has issued a warning for American consumers not to use toothpaste manufactured in China due to possible contamination with diethylene glycol, a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze. Perhaps it is time for the United States to reexamine its free trade policies.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not some nutjob who wants to return to the days of protective tariffs and trade wars. I am a committed free trade libertarian, but I believe that we all have to realize that free trade only works in an ideal in which all countries have the same standards when it comes to product safety.  Clearly this is not the case now.One could even make the argument that China really doesn’t care about product safety. It is clear that the Chinese have no regard for the consumers of products that are produced in China as long as those producers are overseas. At least fifty people have died in Panama in the last year because of the contaminated toothpaste.

As we here in the United States buy more and more products made in countries where labor costs are low and we search for ever and ever lower prices on consumer goods, we should remember that other countries do not have the same product standard what we enjoy and that many of these products can be dangerous, if not deadly.

Perhaps we should restrict our free trade with others until we know that the American public will remain safe.