Total Recall
WTF?
It seems like everyday a new toy is being recalled. I kind of haven't been paying strict attention because my 9 year old daughter seems to be past the stage of putting toys in her mouth and most of the toys recalled have seemed to be preschool toys. However, the latest toy recalled is one that grabbed my attention: Aquadots.
My daughter just got this toy as gift at her birthday party and had fun making little Aquadot creation. Now come to find out the little dots that are used to make these creations are extremely dangerous. Evidently two kids who ingested them went into a coma, and the reason is that the apoxy on the dots that helps hold them together when sprayed with water evidently turns into GHP-the date rape drug for those of you not familiar-when metabolized by the human body.
Along with the lead paint problems that have been reported, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism. According to their website, the CPSC is a government agency that is responsible for ensuring that some 15,000 different consumer products are safe and is charged with protecting the American public from the potential hazards of these products. The acting chairman, Nancy Nord, is a presidential appointee and has been on the hot seat on all the morning news programs. In their defense the CPSC has argued that they have not been given enough resources to adequately test toys. I have heard differing explanations, one is that there is only one toy tester employed by the CPSC, but then they seemed to back pedal a little and now have said that they have a team. However, the problem still remains according to the CPSC that they have not received adequate funding to do the job.
I suppose that this can't at all be related to the fact that we're pouring billions of dollars into a war with no end in sight or justifiable purpose. And I also suppose that the problems we have been having with the many recalled toys is not at all related to the fact that the factories in which these toys are manufactured are in other countries and not subject to regulations designed to protect and ensure quality.
Some have aruged that government regulations are intrusive and interfere with business, and thereby negatively affect the economy. I ,however, believe that regulations are absolutely necessary. Now, if big business had a conscience maybe regulations wouldn't be necessary. But we all know better than that. When left with no oversight, big business is going to do whatever it can to turn a profit-after all that is the mission of for profit businesses, right? But what is the cost of this? I'm not an economist, so maybe I'm just naive, but something's got to give. We outsource to foreign countries to take advantage of cheap labor so that Wal-mart can roll back their prices even further. And I have to admit that I'm not immune to the desire to save a few pennies on products that can be bought with one stop shopping. But I think that I really have to re-evaluate my shopping habits.
The seduction of consumerism is very difficult to avoid in our society. We are bombarded with ads telling us that we need this or that. As our culture becomes more sophisticated, technological, and complex it is worrisome what the long term effects of these changes will be. Are we doomed as scientist James Lovelock contends in the October 17th issue of Rolling Stone? We just might well be. One has to have hope, that future generations will help to change course as we journey through time and space. It doesn't seem that the 2004 voters, who pretty much gave this current administration permission to do the seeminlgy irreparable damage because they are afraid or don't want same sex marriages, are up to the task. Teach your children well, they be are only hope.
As long as they don't swallow Aquadots.
It seems like everyday a new toy is being recalled. I kind of haven't been paying strict attention because my 9 year old daughter seems to be past the stage of putting toys in her mouth and most of the toys recalled have seemed to be preschool toys. However, the latest toy recalled is one that grabbed my attention: Aquadots.
My daughter just got this toy as gift at her birthday party and had fun making little Aquadot creation. Now come to find out the little dots that are used to make these creations are extremely dangerous. Evidently two kids who ingested them went into a coma, and the reason is that the apoxy on the dots that helps hold them together when sprayed with water evidently turns into GHP-the date rape drug for those of you not familiar-when metabolized by the human body.
Along with the lead paint problems that have been reported, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism. According to their website, the CPSC is a government agency that is responsible for ensuring that some 15,000 different consumer products are safe and is charged with protecting the American public from the potential hazards of these products. The acting chairman, Nancy Nord, is a presidential appointee and has been on the hot seat on all the morning news programs. In their defense the CPSC has argued that they have not been given enough resources to adequately test toys. I have heard differing explanations, one is that there is only one toy tester employed by the CPSC, but then they seemed to back pedal a little and now have said that they have a team. However, the problem still remains according to the CPSC that they have not received adequate funding to do the job.
I suppose that this can't at all be related to the fact that we're pouring billions of dollars into a war with no end in sight or justifiable purpose. And I also suppose that the problems we have been having with the many recalled toys is not at all related to the fact that the factories in which these toys are manufactured are in other countries and not subject to regulations designed to protect and ensure quality.
Some have aruged that government regulations are intrusive and interfere with business, and thereby negatively affect the economy. I ,however, believe that regulations are absolutely necessary. Now, if big business had a conscience maybe regulations wouldn't be necessary. But we all know better than that. When left with no oversight, big business is going to do whatever it can to turn a profit-after all that is the mission of for profit businesses, right? But what is the cost of this? I'm not an economist, so maybe I'm just naive, but something's got to give. We outsource to foreign countries to take advantage of cheap labor so that Wal-mart can roll back their prices even further. And I have to admit that I'm not immune to the desire to save a few pennies on products that can be bought with one stop shopping. But I think that I really have to re-evaluate my shopping habits.
The seduction of consumerism is very difficult to avoid in our society. We are bombarded with ads telling us that we need this or that. As our culture becomes more sophisticated, technological, and complex it is worrisome what the long term effects of these changes will be. Are we doomed as scientist James Lovelock contends in the October 17th issue of Rolling Stone? We just might well be. One has to have hope, that future generations will help to change course as we journey through time and space. It doesn't seem that the 2004 voters, who pretty much gave this current administration permission to do the seeminlgy irreparable damage because they are afraid or don't want same sex marriages, are up to the task. Teach your children well, they be are only hope.
As long as they don't swallow Aquadots.
posted by amyd | 11:03 AM
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