China blasts Obama call for toy ban

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

Angry Chinese officials are taking aim at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama over his statement that he would “stop the import of all toys from China.”

The Illinois senator’s remarks, which came at an Iowa campaign stop Wednesday, were “unobjective, unreasonable and unfair,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a Thursday briefing. “Imagine if the quality of American products was not 100 percent up to standard. Could we take that as a reason to totally ban U.S. products?”

Members of Congress have demanded stricter enforcement of U.S. imports of Chinese goods over the past year following several recalls of potentially dangerous products, including toys tainted with lead. But Obama’s comments are the harshest to date from a major presidential candidate.

This is not the first time Obama has drawn criticism from foreign officials. Shortly after the senator officially entered the presidential race, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard slammed him over his opposition to the war in Iraq, and his calls to withdraw U.S. troops by spring 2008.



Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

[fenriswolf]

1. if our toys were killing your children

and our petfood killing your pets, by all means ban our products. Just like I hope we ban yours. pppssttt most of our products made in the us arn't made with the labors blood and tears.

[heliarc]

22. I'm more for banning the US corporate heads...

who sent the contracts to China in the first place without putting in inspection safeguards and keeping up standards and practices. This was a way for US corporations to make money fast... and they are the culprits. Their fancy homes and boats and jewelery is made from our dead pets and learning disabled children. I'm sick of this trite sort of "its all China's fault" nonsense. Wasn't everyone over here so pissed that we outsourced all the contract? So put two and two together people. It makes 4... two and two does not equal nationalism.

I think Obama is right to ban toys from China as a way of forcing the US sweatshop barons to respond with better safeguards... but for us here at DU to respond with base nationalism is simply retarded in every way.

[heliarc]

27. Uhhh.... Our toys and products ARE harming people

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/368866.html

And I guess you are unfamiliar with the fact that Tyson foods was hiring illegal immigrants and paying them a substandard wage... or the fact that cane in Florida for years was cut by migrant farmers who have no advocate and are paid substandard wages.

most of products anywhere in the world are made with labor's blood and tears... not without. We're just willing to let high paid CEOs send the work to China and then ignore the safety problems they themselves created by keeping their costs and responsibilities low.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

2. Good for Obama---something has to be done.

We initially save money buying Chinese crap,but end up spending more because of more frequent replacement.

[maddiejoan]

3. Gobama!

:sarcasm:

[DainBramaged]

4. Let their own children play with the toys they make

Good for Obama, get them nervous over in Destructo Society Land.

[merwin]

11. The toys that their children play with are even worse than ours.

They have NO quality standards there.

[alphafemale]

28. What do they have? Exploding lawn darts with lead paint? nt

[bigworld]

34. Most Chinese stuff made for the domestic market

is utter garbage. Everything -- from fingernail clippers to toys to liquor -- is crap. Only the best of the best (or that produced by joint venture companies) is exported.

That's why Chinese officials are so appalled that we think their stuff is junk.

The junk they allow in their own country is many times worse.

[heliarc]

24. The project managers on all of the stuff made in china

ARE IN THE STATES!!!


http://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/jd?ai=321&ji=2047555&sn=I

None of these name brand toys are conceived made and distributed without project managers and CEOs in the STATEs! Where were those assholes? Why didn't they enforce Quality control. Why are we blaming the Chinese when no one on our end was looking out for our children.

This is about deregulation and corporate greed. Its not exclusively about lowered Chinese safety standards. Why do you think the american companies thought they could save money by farming the work out to China! Precisely because there were no safety standards to drive costs up.

[aquart]

5. So. Economics not his strong suit?

I'm guessing no one has mentioned to him that China OWNS US.

[Critters2]

8. We still don't have to buy their crap. I don't. nt

[indimuse]

13. inspectors anyone? regulations...real ones...

who's your daddy? Micheal Moore.

[rocktivity]

15. That's no reason for us to bend over

and shoot us full of lead.

:headbang:
rocknation

[sandnsea]

6. Good

The only way we're ever going to get OUR corporations to improve standards in China is to force them.

[heliarc]

26. Exactly.

Thank you. This shouldn't be seen as pressure on China. It should be seen as pressure on the US corporations that couldn't see anything but dollar signs when they walked into the factories in China where this stuff is made and dropped down the designs they made in the first place! US corporations are the real robber barons here.

[ingac70]

7. Now that is the kinda stuff I want to hear from a candidate. n/t.

[Bitwit1234]

9. I think he's a little late with that, but then he's always a day late

and a dollar short. Congress called for that two weeks ago and they want to pass a law...I guess Obama misses so many votes and is not in the senate much he didn't know that.

[Critters2]

12. What has Hill said about Chinese imports?

I guess I missed it.

[AnnieHall]

18. What has Hill said about Chinese imports?

I don't believe anything, but both her and Bill don't seem to be distancing themselves from the campaign money!

[Critters2]

19. What? nt

[boricua79]

33. your candidate is losing ground in the polls

ponder that.

[katmondoo]

10. Let them get used to it

Elizabeth Edwards said she will only buy USA for her kids. I and many others are seriously avoiding anything made in China when possible.

[rocktivity]

14. When your products are so substandard they're POISONOUS

and you don't regulate how they're made, you're damned right they should ALL be banned! Oh, and Obama was PROVEN RIGHT in opposing the war, Mr. Howard--YOU weren't, and now you've got a pink slip to prove it!

:headbang:
rocknation

[gateley]

16. Months ago during a debate, Biden said he'd ban the imports from China immediately.

As usual, he got flak for that. Now, as often happens, others are coming around to his way of thinking. Kind of the "Joe is Right" thing..... :shrug:

[AnnieHall]

17. Intriguing "coincidental" connections

Chinese fundraisers for Clinton - Obama has the guts to speak out against China poisoning our children - China blasts Obama.

It would probably be to overt for the Chinese to outright endorse Hillary, or would it?
I didn't follow my job to China when it went overseas; I'm sorry for those who didn't even have a choice.

[Drunken Irishman]

20. I'm happy to say all my Christmas gifts I've purchased are China free!

[killbotfactory]

21. Stop poisoning everything you cheap corrupt bastards

Then we'll talk

[heliarc]

23. You're talking about the CEOs here in America

who neglected to pay people in China enough to care? Or force them to meet standards? or keep the jobs here so we could maintain inspections and safeguards? I hope that's what you mean, because otherwise it sounds like you're confusing yourself with xenophobic propaganda that's making you sound like a bigoted nationalist.

This problem is more about the American companies who sold out and sent good paying factory jobs in the US to China in a mad rush to amplify profits that WE demanded so our stock prices would increase. Pay people in China a few yuan a day and I assure you they aren't going to worry too much about the lead in toys... especially when all the Project Managers are in the states.

http://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/jd?ai=321&ji=2047555&sn=I

[Nailzberg]

25. Butt out, Obama! I like my CSI: Fingerprint Kit - Now with Asbestos!

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f9af78e4-fcdf-4284-9faa-403a453de9cd

You ever get the feeling they're trying to fight a war using our toys against us? I mean, putting asbestos in our toys? GHB in our toys? Lead in our toys? What's next?

[CyberPieHole]

29. I think consumers need to stop shopping for the cheapest crap they can find...

China makes the stuff and it's marketed by American corporations and purchased by greedy consumers who don't give a rats ass about any children other than their own. China uses child labor, for corn's sake. Shouldn't THAT fact alone keep one from buying their products? Why not think a bit outside one's own safety zone and learn a little about the effect consuming vast numbers of items has on society in general. Obama, once again took the easy way out...blame someone else (and don't blame anyone who is voting in Iowa).

Just my opinion.

[SKKY]

30. Um, well, no. We wouldn't expect you to ban all US products...

...UNLESS THE TOYS IN QUESTION TURN FROM JEWELERY TO DATE-RAPE DRUG IN ABOUT 10 SECONDS. In that case, you would be negligent to not ban them.

[truthisfreedom]

31. This is a mistake. Obama can easily be labeled a radical for wanting to eliminate inexpensive toys.

Which is exactly what he'd be doing. And the void would be filled by cheap Korean, Mexican, Vietnamese, Indian and other countries with JUST AS MANY PROBLEMS. Absolutely ridiculous.

Obama should have called for more oversight on products imported from China in mass quantities... anything over, say, 10,000 pieces per order must undergo rigorous testing if a child will be regularly exposed to it. Something rational, not something radical.

[boricua79]

32. This quote is everything.

“Imagine if the quality of American products was not 100 percent up to standard. Could we take that as a reason to totally ban U.S. products?”

The Chinese are right on that.

What I would say would be fair is that the U.S. impose certain quality standards, and impose fines or sanctions on products that didn't meet those standards, including loss of contracts. That would scare Chinese factories into making sure they didn't put out a bad toy, or they would lose business. hit them where it hurts...their bottom line.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

35. Ban Chinese Christmas candy next

I went to Walgreens yesterday for some candy canes. NONE were made in the US. One kind was made in Mexico and the rest were made in CHINA! YUCK! I left without buying ANY :(

[AdHocSolver]

36. Doesn't go far enough. We need import restrictions to promote manufacturing of goods in the US.

Almost all goods we buy are manufactured elsewhere. It is almost impossible to find goods made in the USA. This state of affairs is economically unsustainable. It is one reason that the value of the dollar is shrinking. As the dollar shrinks further in value, it will cost more to buy imported goods. Corporate profits will go up, and the standard of living in the US will drop further.

The nonsense spewed by the corporations about "free trade", about foreign made goods saving you money, about the US creating new, high-tech jobs so our workers can compete in the global market place -- it is all a huge fraud. US "trade" (consisting predominantly of imports, with few exports) is putting us (the people) in hock for trillions of dollars. The savings in labor costs are NOT passed along to the American consumer, but kept as profit for the corporate CEO's to pocket as bonuses and perks. The new high-tech jobs are being outsourced to China and India as fast as they are created.

The only thing that can prevent the US economy from collapsing is to rewrite trade agreements like NAFTA, and impose import tariffs on ANY and EVERY type of goods which can be produced here to provide a level playing field so that smaller companies in the US can make a profit by manufacturing goods here with American workers.

The multinational corporations have written the trade laws and the tax code to enable them to make huge profits by ripping off the foreign labor and the American consumer. Unless these agreements and laws are rewritten, then both foreign workers and Americans will continue to be exploited. The end-point of this situation will be economic collapse. The shenanigans of the Fed and various financial organizations are designed ONLY to save their profits. It won't help you or the economy one bit.

Unfortunately, the "sheeple" are heading toward the cliff arguing over trivial concerns and without a clue. Back in the 1930's, at the height of the Depression, a cabal of corporatists decided that President Franklin Roosevelt was spoiling their fun, so they decided to replace him with a military commander who would declare martial law. Fortunately for America, that commander believed in Constitutional law and exposed the plot. That hero's name was Smedley Butler.

It is doubtful that anything will be done soon enough to prevent economic collapse (Bushco's goal). The entire thrust of Bush/Cheney policies of the last seven years has been to collapse the American economy by stealing the country blind -- the tax cuts, health care "reform", the unending Iraq occupation with its no-bid contracts for Halliburton, et al (until the treasury runs dry), the push for another war in Iran, and when the country finally starts to panic...you should be able to finish the scenario.

With the Democratic party wins in 2006, it looked like we might have had a reprieve from the consequences. However, the Congressional Democrats turned out to be a big disappointment. They are either ignorant, intimidated, or part of the problem.

A few years ago, Kevin Phillips wrote a book called "Wealth and Democracy: A political History of the American Rich" in which he talks about the collapse of previous empires in history: the Roman, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, etc. They all collapsed for similar reasons: they destroyed their own middle class by "outsourcing" manufacturing to colonies, spending huge amounts of money on the military to hold on to those colonies against local rebellions or foreign "competition", taxing their own populations and creating massive debt to support this colonialism, and so on. Kevin Phillips is no liberal -- he served as Richard Nixon's economics advisor.

[brentspeak]

37. Well said

[pitohui]

38. ask me if i care

maybe for a change americans can pick our own freakin president instead of saudi arabia or china picking our president, just a thought