China Toy Boss Kills Self After Recall
We've been covering this story for a while now, but this is wild...
When Mattel Inc. recalled nearly a million toys manufactured by Zhang Shuhong's company, he fought hard to find a way to resume sales to America. They were the lifeblood of his firm, Lee Der Industrial Co., Ltd., and its lucrative share of the export boom driving China's economic growth.
But as Zhang's factories in the southern city of Foshan lay idle, workers started drifting off, fearing they would never start up again. Then Chinese authorities sealed Zhang's ruin by announcing Thursday that he was prohibited from exporting toys until further notice because of the defects denounced by Mattel.
Zhang was found dead in a company warehouse two days later, colleagues said Monday, apparently having hanged himself in despair. His death dramatized the high stakes in an international scare over unsafe Chinese products and an increasingly vigorous government crackdown designed to restore confidence in the vital export industry...read on (h/t Kathy)
sure, he killed himself.
Goodbye and Good Riddance
Let's be sure to let Rove keep his belt as we lock him up.
one hung lo
The Chinese still have a long way to go if they want to become fully modern. In this country, disgraced executives are given golden parachutes and consulting jobs.
The CEO's of failed companies feel no shame. Some even go on to become President.
If you have kids check their toys for the Made in China sticker.
The list is unbelievable and continues to grow.
I just tossed out most of my kids toys and am replacing them with European toys.
Brio seems to be good and safe, just watch for the magnets.
If you love your kids, you'll do this.
Does anyone else wonder if he was murdered?
*CONSPIRACY THEORY*
Now why are we not so lucky that bush/cheney/rove/gonzales and rice won't
do us justice and follow suit to this man in china. he lost face. well, this adminsitration has lost respect, our National treasure, our National honor, and thrown away one of our greatest assets, our Constitutional Rights.
Please bush and cheney please find a train track and honor us by ending this
traversty you both have committed.
He knew he was going to get whacked by the government after a show trial, so he figured he might as well end it now.
The thing that gets me is CNN reported this as their top story on their webpage, and Rove's resignation was second... odd choice it seemed to me.
myiq2xu @ 5:
Lol. So true.
China doesn’t mess around. When you are fingered as the fall guy, they mean ‘fall’ as in fall down dead. Here, a team of high-priced lawyers can save your ass from jail for years, not so in China.
The whole sad mess of so-called "free trade" in a nutshell. Pathetic.
well....I guess he knew it was coming anyway.....might as well do it in peace and quiet....we all know what China does...that alone should make the US reluctant to do biz with them.
I followed the links to Stephen J. Dubner's freakonomics article regarding the toy trains. It seems that he was shocked to find the cheap-ass manufacturing wasn't accompanied by cheap-ass prices.
What a shock. Though several spinning free-marketeers tried to massage their ideological way out of the obvious conclusion, Dubner immediately latched onto the ridiculous reality of the situation: We are continually told that offshoring production to China (or anywhere else) is good for our economy because it lowers the cost of goods, allowing us to make use of that excess cash for other economic activity.
But in the case of these toys, the price is maintained at its Made-In-America cost while being slammed together by a bunch of $1.00 per day workers out of inferior materials. The companies pocket all of the difference. Thus demonstrating for us Americans what we already had guessed: the whole point offshoring is to take money out of working Americans' pockets and put it in the pockets of Big Business, while giving exactly jack shit back to us.
And the sharp end of that stick is the junk we're buying from China is also dangerous to us.
No wonder this dickhead hanged himself. The sound of all those angry Americans doing the math must have been audible 10,000 miles away.
Sir Toppum Hatt says this will only cause confusion and delay...
If suicide were the honorable way to show accountablility for incompetence and corruption in this country the entire Executive Branch would be operating on autopilot and half the the seats on the GOP side of the aisle in congress would be empty.
i'm with you "16 Ruthless People Says"
There is no reason to believe he was murdered. In China - in Asia generally committing suicide is a way to 'deal with' the humiliation and consequences of doing something very wrong.
Local news reports have indicated that Zhang was duped by a friend into using sub standard paint. This I do not believe - my experience of Chinese factories and China trade is that either a) he was unaware completely that the paint was Pb containing or more likely b) he thought the Pb paint was cheaper and this would not be found out.
There is absolutely no reason why a QC system could bot have been put in place by the buyer to check the toys were fit for purpose prior to shipping.
Zhang no doubt has a family who will receive very little if anything now he is dead.
A pity some of our 'leaders' don't even have the balls to resign when they do something bad isn't it.
The next time your corporation mentions "globalization" and "cultural diversity", this is what they're really talking about, wink, wink. They invented this supposed shocking scenario.
And thank those same corporations as we all wave goodbye to "Made in America."
pk @ 9:
Very odd. These days CNN is becoming more and more like Fox Comedy Channel
American executives can sleep well knowing that their ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ cost-cutting contracts with Asian sweatshops have a very well enforced ‘buck stops there’ clause. This guy hanging from the factory ceiling can’t very well finger anyone else, can he?
We've gone OUT OF OUR WAY to not purchase anything from China since the Pet Food Recall blew the top off of the whole "global trading" scam on March 16, 2007.
And will continue to do so.
Apparently hanged himself? Hmm, here in the US we get prisoners who beat themselves unconscious and then hang themselves. There's a lot of it going around. Framing this as suicide makes it look like the Chinese feel remorse. That's an important marketing tool.
Slippytoad @ 14
Great post, the whole out sourcing thing, makes me think that the western nations are headed for a big fall. The rest of the world wont go on supporting our lifestyles while they live in poverty and work 14 hour days making cheap junk for us to throw into land fill. I'm not sying it will be a "mad max" future but this cant last.
Curmudgeon @ 23:
That's a good point. "Apparently hanged himself"...yeah, right, when you think of it.
slippytoad @ 14:
"Americans not Saving"
Well of course. Thats like getting a Heroin addict to save some of his money for a rainy day when he has a constant supply of smack available everywhere he turns.
What a bunch of ruthless assholes, cheering and ridiculing the death of a chinese toy factory owner. If anyone should hang himself it should be the board members and the CEO or Mattel, the US company who has be importing the tainted toys for years.
The whole idea of OEM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer) is, the company who owns the trademark should constantly inspect the product from the manufacture. In this case, Mattel apparently did nothing but slap its name on those products, and make handsome profits by selling those toys in a price that is several times they pay the manufacture.
Now tell me, if you are making 200% profit, should you at least inspect what you are buying? Mattel is not average customer, it's a gigantic toy company. And I read all the comments here, nobody gives a rat about the negligence of Mattel, the good old American capitalist. But everyone of you is cursing the bad communist capitalist like he's the second coming of Kenneth Lay.
Now he's facing bankruptcy and bringing shame to his family and nation, he at least has the dignity to end his life as a lot of you suggested.
Keep on china bashing
From China, with love @ 27:
We're not bashing China. We're bashing ourselves.
slippytoad @ 14:
Good point, Slippytoad. We're continually fed the line that its inexpensive products that keep prices low and Americans with lower incomes buying the things they need. However, I'm betting that Wal-Mart could market those trains at half the price and still make a profit (assuming their CEO's were willing to forgo raises this year to help their lower income shoppers make ends meet, har har). Conversely, American workers could assemble these products at a higher cost and companies could still sell them at the original price.
Unfortunately, this would require companies to cut back on their record profits. The CEOs would probably need to live a little leaner ("No Beluga caviar for me tonight: we're in a recession), maybe live with a 6-figure salary, take a smaller bonus, etc. However, I'm willing to bet that reputable companies could switch to American-made products AND provide their employees with decent wages and benefits while still making a profit if they really wanted to.
From China, with love @ 27:
A little bit of China bashing is, indeed, in order.
Poison in food, lead in paint...cut us a break with this "woe is us, a pox on you" syndrome you've got.
I put most of the blame squarely on US corporations. However, I'm not shedding a tear for Chinese who commit long-distance murder and illness of pets and humans.
The United States of America and China...
...desparately both need
HONEST CORPORATE CEO's, EXECUTIVES
--> And AN HONEST JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
The good people of The United States of America
and China ...ARE WAITING.
Maybe Microsoft can help....??
They signed a pact with Chinese officials..
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2131252,00.htm
"Microsoft's GSP provides us with the controlled access to source code and technical information in an appropriate way. It also establishes cooperation between China and Microsoft. Microsoft has taken a step forward to let us understand its product security," he said.
hmmmmm
What is Neil Bush up to Lately?
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&ie=UTF-8&scoring=n&q=%22Ne...
Give me a break, when it's chinese companies, it's murdering and poisoning. When it's the American companies, it's negligence... nobody called out the producers of the ECOLI tainted spinach murders.. Nobody called out Firestone murderers.. Those products were defect, there was maybe an accident.
When it comes to those oriental communists.. bam.. they are trying to kill all of us and destroying our beautiful democracy.. How dare they!
Again, how many toys are lead tainted out of how many toys from China? How many toy factories in China make lead tainted toys?
I'm not saying you americans all have this racist mentality, but hey, all southerners fuck their cousins.. all indians eat curry and of course all chinese men can kungfu.
SAME LOGIC
Just Me @ 30:
I think it's incredibly sad that he felt the need to do this.
Yup keep buying the cheap crap from wal mart... To bad we can't send the whole Bush clan offshore
I don't buy anything made in China. It's not because I can't trust anything they produce, which I can't. It's because everything that I might buy is under the label of an American company. And those American companies have so little sense of civic responsibility, have so little loyalty to Americans and to Americans workers, have so little regard for the responsibilities they shoulder in exchange for the priviliges and prerogatives that the demand, care so little for this country that I can not in good conscience reward them with my custom. They're parasites, and not a one of them gives a damn about people. Hope every last one of them fail.
I wouldn't by Chinese if it was imported under a Chinese Brand name or label, because they are no different. They only care if they get caught, becaus it hurts their export business. They don't punish the culprits because they harmed or killed people, they punish because it upset cash flow.
A plague on all their houses.
wait, wait, wait...does the Thomas the Train picture mean the those toys are being recalled?? Last Tuesday I bought my, then turning three, year old a Thomas the Train set and yesterday (Sunday) bought him another one of the toys at a local Wal-Mart where it was on clearance.
If only american corporate scum had enough shame to do the same.
There is a very simple thing we can do which will help considerably both in us being able to buy good and good value products and to fight sweat shop factories and businesses which harm the environment.
It is something the big companies will fight tooth and nail.
First - I am based in Hong Kong, I am a buyer and a supplier. I have an office in Shanghai also - so bluntly - I know what I'm talking about.
This is all you have to do:
Insist that every product has the manufacturers name on it.
That's it - if the 'brand' wants to have it's logo or whatever on it - fine. If the trader wants there name on it - fine.
But - clearly written on ever product - not a code, not just 'Made in Bangladesh' (where I've seen children working in tableware factories by the way) but the name of the factory and the location if possible.
If the factory produces good products - more buyers will go to find them.
If it produces bad products - they won't.
If you are concerned about conditions at the factory - you could go and bloody well visit it.
That's all you have to campaign for Made By __________, at _________.
First off, for the CEO, condolences to the family. Losing a loved one is touch, much less losing one in disgrace in a country with far less moral high ground than we have (even after all our torture, making it all the more sad.)
The problem may not have been this CEO, it's a number of issues. Greed on both sides of the Pacific. No QC in place? American greed. Use cheap poisonous paint? Chinese greed. We'll buy shit as long as it's cheap? American greed and stupidity. Which one do you fall into? Hopefully none of the above, although we've all been woo'ed by low prices at one point or another to buy useless shit you don't need (especially parents).
Boycotting China is not the answer, sadly. A vast majority of our goods come from China, like it or not. We have to demand accountability here, by AMERICAN companies, for AMERICAN products. China's not the only exporter to the US - hell even products we make here end up defective at times.
Place the blame where blame goes - CAPITALISM. We're losing jobs overseas because of this glorious institution, we're getting poisoned products because of it, people over in China live under destitute conditions, supported by our almighty dollar. Face it, this is a tangled clusterfuck sandwich, and we're all eventually going to take a bite - Chinese, American, and everyone else.
Thinking about this one reason why it may be getting the front page treatment by some of the press is that quite unlike most western company directors etc who find every possible way to avoid blame this factory owner took all the blame on himself and paid the ultimate price.
No lawyers, no excuses, no 'I didn't know it was them...'
No corporation basically.
He's in the same ditch with the Tank Man of Tiananmen square...
I'm pretty sure there are a number of fortune 500 CEO's who should follow suit and pick up on this precedent.....But they won't....JD
I wonder if there is any remorse at Mattel?
Uh, you're a little over the top with this hatred routine.
From China, with love @ 32:
LT @ 38:
I have noticed that type of label is on all of the food I buy made in India, most of the stuff from Pakistan, and about half of the stuff from Thailand. Is there a rule in place in some of those countries? And how does it apply to products intended for export vs. domestic use?
We checked all of our stuff after the dog food thing, and it was somewhat comforting to see a factory name and address on the bottle, that way it something bad happened, we knew exactly who to talk to about it.
our ceos could learn a thing or two from the chinese.
I'd say the greatest delusion would be the belief that the end of the life of one corrupt and/or negligent and/or sacrificial lamb CEO would result in any form of cure for the circumstances which created the corruption and/or negligence in the first place. The only certainty I can see is that there'll be more "casualties" before this even gets close to a resolution.
I agree that boycotting China is not the answer, but for me, boycotting Walmart helps.
Joshua James @ 36:
This story is about the more recent recall involving several types of Mattel and Fisher-Price toys, Sesame St., Dora, etc. The Thomas the Tank Engine recall was earlier this year, and a responsible store owner shouldn't have had any more of the recalled Thomas toys out.
Here's a link to the Recall information on the Thomas toys.
If you have already given the child the toy, take it away ASAP till you have confirmed yours is not on the list. If you just purchased a recalled toy, file a complaint with the CPSC to inform them that the contaminated products are still available at some stores. Then call the store you bought it from and let them know they are still selling dangerous toys.
But its probably not on the list.
American corporations only care about profits for the next quarter; that's about as far ahead as most US companies can think.
Mattel made the decision to outsource production, and therefore, they had an obligation to monitor the process and inspect the incoming goods. They should have used some of the millions in labor costs they saved by moving production to China to perform the necessary due diligence.
Mattel is the bad guy here.........not the Chinese manufacturer.
He left a suicide note on an etch n sketch.
Geez.
Mattel made the decision to outsource production to China, and therefore had an obligation to monitor the process and inspect the incoming goods. They should have used some of the millions they saved in labor costs to perform the necessary due diligence.
Mattel is the bad guy here...........not the Chinese manufacturer!
navyswan@49,
Another poster recommended Brio, very well made wooden toys too. I just think it's a good rule of thumb to avoid the entire maker for a year to give them time to get it right.
ie. don't buy anything Mattel.
Same with the pet food situation. They might say this or that ingredient isn't in other products of theirs. But still they manufacture and add ingredients that are still in the environment of the poisoned products.
I say avoid the product altogether.
These Chinese get pretty dramatic off-ing anyone who makes a mistake. But didn't bother to make it right in the first place. They must be idiots to think we're impressed or vindicated when they kill manufacturers. How fucking primitive!
We still have many many food items and additives in our food that don't make it to the label. That has to happen. We also have to GROW OUR OWN FOOD IN THE U.S. again and bring the farmer home.
JohnnyBravo @ 21:
trade and fiscal policies are big issues in next election... more so than iraq...
JR @ 51:
They are BOTH responsible for product safety for god's sake. The Chinese are the ones who bought that paint and were entrusted with their manufacture. Mattel are fuckwads to allow kids to be exposed to lead. Bet they didn't bother to check their products and just got fat and lazy.
If only disgraced American CEO's had the Chinese sense of honour enough to kill themselves if/when they got caught.
'navyswan @ 46:
I have noticed that type of label is on all of the food I buy made in India, most of the stuff from Pakistan, and about half of the stuff from Thailand. Is there a rule in place in some of those countries? And how does it apply to products intended for export vs. domestic use?
We checked all of our stuff after the dog food thing, and it was somewhat comforting to see a factory name and address on the bottle, that way it something bad happened, we knew exactly who to talk to about it.'
The rules will vary country to country - I'm not familiar with India or Pakistan but the Thai's in general are proud to promote products as Made in Thailand and indeed may have a pro active approach to labelling. I'll try to check.
However certainly most if not all buyers I deal with who buy from China do not want the factory identified. The usual reason is that if it is identified their competitors in their home country or the market they are selling to would be able to contact the factory and 'copy' a successful product line.
It also means that the chances of the factory being audited or checked out are slim.
Where companies have some form of EHS compliance they will often have a long and complex paper trail which hides the factory and it's suppliers - most of the documentation which can be carried out by third parties is in my opinion to cover the arse of the buyers and the corporations in the West rather than to protect the factories or their workers. Indeed - without the orders from the west - or lost orders the chances are the conditions at the factory and thus for the workers etc will get worse.
The Chinese government are aware of the issues & are taking action. The most public of course was the execution of the Chinese food and drugs agency - the guy found guilty of corruption in the tainted / poisoned food scandal and drug licensing.
Also the Chinese are changing the tax system so that heavily polluting industries are penalised and there is a great deal of government action to address pollution. (I will mention the fact that the Olympics are coming up in 208 and that of course the Chinese govt wants to avoid and possible embarrassments).
That said 'The Mountains are Very High and the Emperor is Far Away' - a lot of the factories are in difficult to get too locations or low lever corrupt practices effectively protects them even if there is no malicious intent.
Labelling products - all products with the factory name of the manufacturer is the only way forward.
I think the nationalism approach whereby some comment makers blame the American or the Chinese or whatever are totally unhelpful and are little more than bigoted comment.
These are human issues. A worker in a sweat shop in Cambodia is equally entitled to protection and 'rights' as a pet owner in London or California or where ever.
These things are about corporation, greed and negligence and not about the fact someone happened to be born in a certain place.
Ironically, those toys that aren't destroyed will be extremely valuable on the collectors market in a few years. That's just the way it goes.
Carmikl @ 59:
The lead paint ones? charming.
I think the REALLY valuable items are the last ones made in the U.S.. How quaint.
But WAIT... I thought those unsafe toys were boosting the economy...!
LT @ 58:
Of course, you don't seem to be able to pick an individual comment.
The point is not who's making it. The point is who is profiting from the difference in our standards of living. We were sold this scheme under the premise that offshoring would ultimately produce a win for both the Chinese and American economies. Now we see the reality: it's just a scam and both economies are fucked. But that's what you get when you put rich people with no sense of personal responsibility in charge of your country.
anonymous @ 11:
The truest thing on this page. So many bucks were passed to this scapegoat, he was marinated then roasted.
First off, you're telling me Mattel imported products and didn't even bother checking them out?
Secondly, how much were their arms twisted to look the other way by Wal-Mart?
Thirdly, where's the FTA in all this? Do they bother checking ANYTHING anymore before stamping it? We've got Mad Cow going to Japan and poison pet food coming to the States.
But do you see the head of the FTA taking responsibility?
Bush? (ha)
Do you see Mattel's CEO fretting?
How about the Waltons?
Nope. They can sleep soundly at night, on their 1000-thread count sheets. Because even if they were forced to take responsibility and step down from their posts, they'd parachute to safety.
L.A. Confidential @ 27:
A personal anecdote illustrates this one for me, quite well: three years ago I came into a fair sum of extra cash. Thinking, "Well times are tough and I could spend this money, but I shouldn't," I took $2000 and put it into a Certificate of Deposit. The certificate matured in a year.
After a year of sitting on that money, it had garnered almost enough money in interest to equal an hour of my wages. Big. Fucking. Deal.
I honestly couldn't see the point. I keep a savings account mostly for a rainy day, but actually saving money for any other point is a waste.
And another thing you may not be factoring in is "Americans with skyrocketing medical bills," and "Americans trying to keep gas in their cars."
Both have made it very difficult to just keep abreast of our current standard of living. One individual with poor financial habits is a personal fault. 180 million of them is a social trend that bears more careful examining. Your jack-off dismissal of 90% of Americans as lazy and sloppy with their money could use some factual backing. I know people who have really good financial habits.
In fact, of the two I know who have an actual savings/investment plan, both are DINKS whose salaries were, in the past over six figures, or are now six figures. You try saving money with two children and the shitty ripoff medical insurance most Americans live with. Just about impossible.
Mattel is getting ready to announce yet another toy recall...China again.
I've been to China a number of times to vacations and I've bought lot of things in China (not from tourists spots) and I do get my money's worth, they do make good quality things as long as you pay them what you would pay at regular store here. It's the middle men cutting huge profits that result in shitty products sold to the U.S.. I mean, the factories have to pay for the the materials, if companies like Mattel are paying them such meager amounts that they have to resort to using fake things (which turn out to be poisonous sometimes) to pass off for the real stuff, the middle men are really at fault here.
In reality, no one is actually saving any money from buying shitty things at Wal-mart (it all falls apart in like less than 5 years) and other sweatshop promoting companies, all the money is just going into the pockets of Big Business.
anonymous @ 11:
That's called f---k up and move up.
The Chinese make no bones about executing anyone they feel like executing, so I doubt he was murdered - they don't HAVE to. They've executed execs after recalls before. They executed some over the melamine thing. He may actually have killed himself in part from thinking they would execute him.
crazylove @ 60:
The lead paint wouldn't matter to collectors since their collections are full of American made toys with lead paint from the early 20th century. What matters is the rarity of the item and, of course, it's historical significance. Since most of these toys are going in the trash, any remaining will be rare, and they certainly have historical significance.
No, I'm not a toy collector.
as horrible as suicide is, I see it as a more noble course of action than our lovely American CEO's, who only know how to play the blame game.
They were speculating on the Situation Room that he was killed, so that he would not talk and reveal how the whole country is operating the exportation and manufacturing of these products.
Americans need to go back to buying American. When you keep asking for cheaper prices and corporations keep wanting larger profit margins this is what happens - less oversight, questionable raw goods, low quality products.
Yeah, right, he killed himself. He's probably a new VP at Mattell.
I would further venture to say that his wife is now purchasing that 6 million dollar shower curtain.
'so that he would not talk and reveal how the whole country is operating the exportation and manufacturing of these products.'
Such naivety.
I have to say,
That Chinese top executives have something I want to import to the U.S..
"Chinese executive courage"
Kenneth Lay didn't have the courage. Rumsefeld didn't have the courage.
Duke Cunnigham didn't have the courage. Tom Delay nor Newt. When Rush met his shortcomings after a pile of hipocrisy-he hadn't the courage. Bush still can;t find the courage. But he didn't have it in the national gaurd days either. Well maybe courage in a bottle.
Please;
Can this Chinese executive finalism courage be introduced to Corporate America?
PLEASE..............................................: !
Hail To The Chimp @ 71:
He actually choked to death on a Sesame Street Giggle Cell Phone.
Floridiot @ 4:
LMAO, fuck this guy who gives a shit?
My opinion is that when the sheer volume of shoddy and dangerous workmanship reaches the level of recklessness which it has even so far with China, then no further trade should be done with such a country, for the sake of national security.
China's own record of continuing human rights abuses alone should still guarantee that they be refused a table at the world chamber of commerce.
Robt @ 74:
It's only human nature to feel extraordinary guilt over letting your company down or letting your country down.
Unfortunately, this type of feeling doesn't apply to the subhumans you listed above.
You're right, though. Turd blossom's proud of his accomplishments. So was Ken Lay. Even if they weren't, they would never accept themselves as failures, because they associate success with money and power.
Somehow they can go to bed with a clear conscience, even knowing they've made others' lives hell to get their piece of heaven.
And for those who worry about, "what about the economy...? We need China to keep poisoning, exploiting and thumbing their 30 billion noses at the Free World..."
Well, what did we do before we started allowing them to get away with this charade in the first place? It seems to me that at least Canada and the U.S. were doing pretty damn well without their little 'contributions' to world culture..
The sheer volume of fine work coming out of China, including
the incredible increase in production over the last 10 years,
will of course include some percentage of shoddy and/or corrupt
work.
All companies are competing with each other to win the
big production contracts for Mattel and others. Cutting
costs, improving features - anything to keep the business.
Since we don't do as much manufacturing these days, our
scandals are with white collar crime, such as corrupting the energy
market in California or illegal overcharging as government contractors
in Iraq, paying Congressmen to pass on contracts, or pushing
for direct government subisidies. Bridges to nowhere. New highways
by real estate property...
If the US can produce this stuff for that cheap with that quality,
well, go for it. We can't, and the reason we use China is we save
a bundle in the process. But that means we need QC.
As for the racism/chauvinism/plain ol' ignorance that the Chinese
government doesn't care about its people just isn't true. Certainly
they have lots of faults, human rights abuses aren't totally
fictitious, but more than worried about votes, the government
is continually worried about protests and revolution. Getting
voted out of office is one thing, getting lynched by a mob which
is traditional in China is another. And of course not everyone
worries about say environmental issues just from fear - there
are people who worry about health, environment, standards of
living, etc. Just for a partly backwards nation of 1.4 billion, it's
much more difficult than for a very prosperous country of 300 million.
That still leaves 1/4 of its population uninsured.
Thanks, Desider. I needed that.
I was admittedly getting on a rant, which often happens when I watch too many videotaped episodes of Lou Dobbs in a row.
I wish the people responsible for all those cat poisonings had killed themselves. My cat is loved like a child by 3 people, including my elderly mother.
Mindfire13 @ 76:
One Hung Lo was the author of the book "The Chinese Hernia" don't ya know (old kids joke like, "The Yellow River" by I. P. Daily)
I was crying over my two dead cats too, until I heard about the hundreds of Indian children dead through Chinese cough syrup containing antifreeze instead of glycerin. I'm sorry, but anyone who would put poison into children's cough syrup is a murderer, and the fact thet it was done to increase profit by a few pennies or whatever just makes it worse. There's a big difference between not washing your produce enough before taking it to market and DELIBERATLEY PUTTING POISON in medicine. This is going to get worse before it gets better.
JR @ 50 & %2
Basically you are correct.
Just as Ford is responsible for quality control in their plants.
Mattel is still in China looking for a new toy manufactufrer.
Mattell and all the other American companies ( whose stcoks
are traded on the NYSE ) will not leave China for some time.
suicided
China Toy Boss Kills Self After Recall
He licked one of his toys?
I see two men in a dark room holding a noose and looking
at Mr. Z with calm but impatient looks.
I remember college discussions on the differences between a culture of social shame like Rome, and presumably China, and a Christian culture of internalized guilt. I suppose either can produce stable societies. It is unfortunate that we have an administration that isn't restrained by either.
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