Made in China, Recalled in America: “I’m Mad as Hell and I am Not Going to Take it Anymore”

In my continuing effort to keep my readers and their loved ones safe, I have recently begun researching product recalls. As a result, I have found that an alarming number of recalls that have occurred in the last three years share one thing in common. What is that commonality shared by recalled toy dart guns, custard pies, gardening sets, toy trains, milk, Sponge Bob toys, children’s xylophones, cribs, cat food, chairs, potty seats, ceramic heaters, tires, drywall, even dehydrated chicken strip/jerky? I know, I know: The title of this post gave away the answer: All of the above have been made in China.

In the first 8 months of 2007, for example, 36 products were recalled for unacceptable toxic substance levels. Of those 36 recalls, 33 came from China, 2 from India and one from a country of unknown origin. Not a single recalled toxic product was manufactured here in the United States. Why? Because our safety standards are higher? So why would a company seek to have its products manufactured in China? Because it is cheaper! Who cares about American jobs at union scale? Who cares about recalls? Who cares about safety? Who cares about quality? Who cares about the American way of life? Apparently, almost no U.S. corporate resident cares about these things; they care about one thing and one thing only: Profit margins. Apparently, especially because of tort reform, these safety violators don’t even fear the threat of lawsuits anymore.

Think that I am being too cynical? Well, check out this Consumer Product Safety Commission list of recalled products from China from 2001 to 2010 . It astounds me that we continue tolerate this level of ineptitude and non-adherence to safety standards at the risk of illness and injury to our citizens. These corporate types can injure our people, our environment, make people sick, even kill them, apparently, with impunity. Why does our government permit this, year after year, decade after decade?

Of course, there is precedent for this. "Tort reform" is a concept that favors corporate profits over a person’s right to pursue litigation to its just conclusion. Foreign corporations like BP and Toyota are protected from citizen’s lawsuits or have their liabilities for damages protected by an artificial and antiquated damages "cap". Corporate financial "bailouts" are favored by politicians, but private citizens who have been damaged by those bailed out have their damage claims discharged in bankruptcy. Huge state and local tax breaks are given to wealthy corporations to "attract business" and, hopefully, "jobs", while the tax burden differentials are assumed by ordinary citizens. And what happens to those "jobs’ when the corporation relocates? They do not materialize, because the product manufacturing aspect of the business that received the tax break is shipped overseas to….China.

America used to be the manufacturing capital of the world; now, because labor is more expensive and it is cheaper to ship manufacturing (and with it, American jobs) overseas, our great country manufactures virtually nothing. Remember Howard Beale (played, spot on, by the marvelous Peter Finch) in the 1976 movie "Network"? Isn’t it time for us to say: "I’m mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore"?

Mark Bello has thirty-three years experience as a trial lawyer and twelve years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed during litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado Associations for Justice, a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.