By David Boyd/reporter
Comedian Lewis Black declares San Diego weather forecasters the laziest workers in America as the city’s fair and pleasant sunny days are the easiest news to predict.
Lately, I would argue that news as a whole has become very predictable.
One disturbing trend in particular seems to be flying under the public radar with little outcry.
As American media and pundits focus their wrath on the hot story of Michael Vick’s animal cruelty, few seem to shine a light on the continuing saga of dangerous, unregulated and defective Chinese imports.
All jokes about former Dallas Maverick Wang Ziu Ziu aside, Chinese imports have been causing a lot of problems lately.
Last week, the Associated Press reported pet snack products sold at Wal-Mart had been pulled from the shelves without an official recall.
The products contained Melamine, the same chemical found in tainted pet food recalled nationwide earlier this year, after incidents of illness among pets.
The tainted products, marketed as Chicken Jerky Strips, came from a pair of Chinese suppliers.
This action comes on the heels of recent recalls of Mattel’s Fisher-Price toys assembled in China and covered in lead-based paint.
Also included in the almost 20 million toys recalled were those with easily removable magnets, correctly viewed as choking hazards.
Before the widespread toy recall, news included reports of tainted toothpaste that killed several people in Panama and Haiti.
News outlets have also reported discrepancies in ingredients of imported Chinese vitamins and supplements, causing illnesses.
Earlier this year, consumers were warned of tainted pet food in a widespread recall that included several suppliers and distributors, but not until after reports of dead dogs across America.
I do not advocate a halt to trade with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and I dislike all barriers to free trade, including tariffs.
However, caution should rule the day, and perhaps it would be wise for the U.S. to impose a tariff on Chinese imports.
The proceeds would fund domestic quality control and safety inspections of consumer products before entry into the American market place.
Other trading partners may wisely follow suit and scrutinize the quality of Chinese products to prevent another rash of careless poisonings.
