Chinese at it again

[pikergolf]

They don't care about their own and they sure as heck don't care who they poison over here. I try to avoid their products like the plague, everything from over there stinks. But we want to be their trading partner
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20...dehyde-120507/

[Big Daddy Badger]

We need to turn it around...sell them useless junk for hard currency instead of sending them our good money for their crappy products.

How many times does this have to happen before the government simply tells them to up their standard or sell it somewhere else?

[duffy4]

Glad I read the link. I thought there was some huge plot by the Chinese gov't to do something bad with their exports.

One segment of the "industry" doing something bad does not make me fear all Chinese products.

The sky is not falling.

[Mistagin]

Well, here's another story I found out about and watched the video today. Makes you wonder what's going on over there doesn't it.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTENT IS VERY DISTURBING!!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle2425967/

[loyaleddie]

meh!..we will be doing it here soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuxeAbeDcU0

[coppercarbide]

Originally Posted by pesky672

We need to turn it around...sell them useless junk for hard currency instead of sending them our good money for their crappy products.

How many times does this have to happen before the government simply tells them to up their standard or sell it somewhere else?

That's a good question.

Here's a better question. When is the last time you went to walmart?

Demand = supply.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by coppercarbide

That's a good question.

Here's a better question. When is the last time you went to walmart?

Demand = supply.

Exactly, so stop buying their junk. It's to the point now where it's hard to find something that is not made in China, and we did it to ourselves and now we want to give them our oil. Never thought I'd live to see the day we crawled into bed with the commies, but we'll stick it to Cuba cause they're so bad. They haven't got a pot to **** in, but we'll help China build their armies.

[Sneeze]

Originally Posted by pesky672

How many times does this have to happen before the government simply tells them to up their standard or sell it somewhere else?

Why does the government have to do it at all? Are people not capable of objective thought when deciding to purchase or consume a product?

If it costs 50% of what a similar product made or grown in Canada or the United States costs, does one not question the quality of the cheaper product?

Getting the government involved will just increase the price of lousy made Chinese products we all love so much.

Regulating away formaldehyde sprayed cabbage also increases the gene pool of people stupid enough to eat formaldehyde sprayed cabbage.

[Arachnodisiac]

Infant foreskins are used in many common products, such as lotions and cosmetics.

And not just in China, either.

[missmyhusband]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

, but we'll stick it to Cuba cause they're so bad. They haven't got a pot to **** in, but we'll help China build their armies.

What are we doing to "bad" Cuba.

In 2009, Canada’s bilateral merchandise trade with Cuba totalled $818.3 million, consisting of $317.9 million in Canadian exports to, and $500.4 million in imports from, Cuba.

From 2000 to 2008, the value of Canadian exports to Cuba grew at an average rate of 11% per year, while imports grew at an average annual rate of 10%. In 2008, Cuba was Canada’s fourth largest export destination in Latin America and its sixth largest source of imports from the region.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by missmyhusband

What are we doing to "bad" Cuba.

In 2009, Canada’s bilateral merchandise trade with Cuba totalled $818.3 million, consisting of $317.9 million in Canadian exports to, and $500.4 million in imports from, Cuba.

From 2000 to 2008, the value of Canadian exports to Cuba grew at an average rate of 11% per year, while imports grew at an average annual rate of 10%. In 2008, Cuba was Canada’s fourth largest export destination in Latin America and its sixth largest source of imports from the region.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/edito...rica-over-cuba

[pattycr125]

my chinese m-14 with 18.5 inch barrel is pretty cool, it's not my fault the americans want 2700 for their version haha.

[Arachnodisiac]

Originally Posted by Sneeze

Why does the government have to do it at all? Are people not capable of objective thought when deciding to purchase or consume a product?

If that were the case, then domestic suppliers would soon take the same path, and the consumer would have no way of discerning which product was of a potentially lesser quality.

And if the government was not there to double-check ingredients lists and test for toxins, rest assured the private sector would not step in. And if they did, without regulation or any guidelines at all, any claims they did make alluding to testing or safety would have no check and balance.

It is simply not reasonable for the average consumer to be able to ascertain food safety. It is not possible for most people to build a laboratory, and test products for their chemical composition.

Safety standards and the mechanisms to enforce those standards are an investment by society, administered by government to be more effective, much like building highways.

If you were to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, you would have a vague understanding of what life might be like in the scenario which you suggest.

[pattycr125]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

Infant foreskins are used in many common products, such as lotions and cosmetics.

And not just in China, either.

I saw a picture where they had a bowl of fetus soup it was disgusting.

[gitrdun]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

Infant foreskins are used in many common products, such as lotions and cosmetics.

And not just in China, either.

I can just hear some dude: "hey, don't chuck that, I just thaught of something...."

[Sneeze]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

If that were the case, then domestic suppliers would soon take the same path, and the consumer would have no way of discerning which product was of a potentially lesser quality.

No. Are all domestic assembled vehicles the same price or quality? How about before government safety or fuel efficiency regulation?

It is not possible for most people to build a laboratory, and test products for their chemical composition.

I avoid food products that require a labratory to verify its composition. You should too.

If you were to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, you would have a vague understanding of what life might be like in the scenario which you suggest.

And if you were to look at the non-fiction world around you where each Canadian child is born with around 17k in debt to fund nanny state programs, youth unemployement in the Social Utopia of Southern Europe is approaching a debatable 50%, food stamp participation in the United States is parabolic... you would have a good understanding of what life IS like in the scenario you support.

I can't prove to you my way works... but I can prove to you that your way does not. Bury your head in the sand or pull a potato sack over your head. But Government Regulation never makes things better for the consumer - Keep increasing regulation and you will be lucky to have a job that lets you buy that Labratory verified canned chicken.

I have faith in the dollar. Did you know that you can vote with it to keep retailers and producers honest?

[Arachnodisiac]

Originally Posted by Sneeze

I avoid food products that require a labratory to verify its composition. You should too.

Silly point. I cook mostly from whole, raw foods too. But ask a consumer in the U.S. if pink slime should have been listed on the label, and then get back to me.
Other examples include testing granola bars for peanuts, fresh beef for E. coli, cookie dough for toxins.

Originally Posted by Sneeze

And if you were to look at the non-fiction world around you where each Canadian child is born with around 17k in debt to fund nanny state programs, youth unemployement in the Social Utopia of Southern Europe is approaching a debatable 50%, food stamp participation in the United States is parabolic... you would have a good understanding of what life IS like in the scenario you support.

I can't prove to you my way works... but I can prove to you that your way does not. Bury your head in the sand or pull a potato sack over your head. But Government Regulation never makes things better for the consumer - Keep increasing regulation and you will be lucky to have a job that lets you buy that Labratory verified canned chicken.

I have faith in the dollar. Did you know that you can vote with it to keep retailers and producers honest?

The book I refer to is not fiction. All but one claim was verified. In fact, it was this book that helped create food safety laws in not only the U.S., but also in Canada.

Your rather quaint and romantic fantasy of capitalism works in a small setting where the consumer and the retailer directly interact, but our global trade is so large and grotesque that the normal, unadulterated private sector mechanisms that used to be capable of policing commerce are no longer effective.

I have had a food manufacturer admit to me without apology that without the laws policing it, they would absolutely skip the more expensive best practices that are not currently an option.

Your faith in the dollar is misplaced, primarily because of the people that spend them. Have you not been to a WalMart lately? Rarely does anyone shop based on quality or reputation. Our society is obsessed with cheaper, easier, disposable, faster and in turn, we are reaping what we sow.

I do not shop that way. I have been voting with my dollar for well over five years, by deliberately never shopping at WalMart. I am not naive enough to believe what I do will make a difference, nor am I silly enough to imagine that should food safety regulations cease to exist, that the majority of the consumer base would suddenly take a scholarly approach to their buying decisions in order to secure the global food supply from harm.

In your world, we would still be feeding ruminants to ruminants. Even in the midst of the BSE crisis in the UK, despite the advice of leading researchers, the government delayed implementing a feed ban because of pressure from the private sector. Despite watching what happened in the UK and having access to the same irrefutable evidence, Canada did not enact its feedban until 1997 – nearly 10 years after the UK did. Why? Pressure from feed manufacturers, of course. These manufacturers knew the research as well as the government did and these are the forces you wish to police with your individual dollars? Really?

The Randian wet dream you describe is simply not possible, but I guess if you can still get off on it, have at 'er.

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

The Randian wet dream you describe is simply not possible, but I guess if you can still get off on it, have at 'er.

Now THAT, is just plain HOT.

[dantonsen]

every dollar you put in to chinise junk says to american companys keep on putting the jobs offshore, it's says environmental laws don't mean anything when it comes to getting crap cheaper, larger trade deficits, it means fueling a government that is quite frankly scarey and does not have anyone elses interests in mind what so ever.


I'll pay extra or buy used to get out of contributing to their junk economy. They don't even care for their own people, remember cpmpanys tainting milk with industrial chemicals to up the protein to get a better price?

[Arachnodisiac]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Now THAT, is just plain HOT.

I know, right!?

I should start writing economic text books, and then perhaps people like Sneeze would decide to invest in a real education, rather than hyperbole propaganda.

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

I know, right!?

I should start writing economic text books, and then perhaps people like Sneeze would decide to invest in a real education, rather than hyperbole propaganda.

If you can somehow incorporate a pop-up book, I'll buy it.

[Redfrog]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

Infant foreskins are used in many common products, such as lotions and cosmetics.

And not just in China, either.

They are also used for skin grafts on eyelids. They make you a little cockeyed but not too bad.

[Sneeze]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

They are also used for skin grafts on eyelids. They make you a little cockeyed but not too bad.

Zing!

[Arachnodisiac]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

They are also used for skin grafts on eyelids. They make you a little cockeyed but not too bad.

*groan* (but still funny!)

Between this, and the "pop-up" request, this thread has gone surprisingly phallic, considering the original intent.

[Big Sky]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

Infant foreskins are used in many common products

I knew a guy with a foreskin wallet. The thing could convert into a pretty good sized duffle bag when needed. But then, the guy was a bit of a schmuck.

As for products made in China, I avoid them like the plague. I don't mind paying a little extra in order to support Canadian workers.

[Whiskey Wish]

Canada's Food Safety Act is pretty much a joke imho. For instance, if a Canadian based company wants to import a product, we'll use apple juice as an example, into Canada from China (which is incidentally the largest manufacturer of apple juice in the world by a large margin) they can do this by the supertanker load. They can then filter it, pasturize it, package and label it THEN...under Canadian Food Safety legislation, mark it and sell it as a PRODUCT OF CANADA as long as the cost of pasturizing, packaging and labelling exceeds the cost of the imported product.

I have held in my hands a liter of orange juice marketed by a national produce company that was clearly marked Product of Canada. My instincts tell me it has been a few millenia since commercial quantities of oranges grew in Canada...if ever.

We need Country of Origin food labelling imho. If you, as a country, are confident of the quality and safety of your food product why would you be scared of such legislation?

China is fully aware of growing North American resistance to their food products and are taking steps to avoid the issue. Steps such as creating North American companies to buy Bar Codes that trace back to the USA or Canada through the bar code instead of to China to prevent consumers, who can now de-code the bar codes, from discerning where in the world their grocery product actually came from originally. If you were confident of the safety and quality of your product why would you feel a need to do this and better yet, why does our Food Safety legislation allow it to happen?

I have noticed a growing trend amongst food retailers to "manipulate" what product you are purchasing. They will deliberately remove certain brands from the shelf so when the consumer goes to purchase the product they require they are left with either no choice, or limited choices. In this way food retailers are able to move stale products, or incentive purchased products off their shelves without having to reduce prices.

That's my two cents.
Regards,
Dave.

[Sneeze]

Originally Posted by Arachnodisiac

...

I won't debate you because you have already resorted to trying to insult my education level. Its a pretty common lefty trick and I will not take the bait. I am sorry you can not rationalize how encouraging a regulated utopia destroys value in an economy. I am also dissapointed that you think the youth unemployment rate in Europe, debt per capita levels in Canada & food stamp participation is hyperbole and propaganda. They are very serious issues with direct ties to the level of government interference in business.

The Randian wet dream you describe is simply not possible,

I would have thought you would grow tired of applying every imaginable suffix to "Rand" by now. I am looking forward to reading the breaking news in the Canola Weekly while repeating to myself that a marketing major will open locked doors.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

They are also used for skin grafts on eyelids. They make you a little cockeyed but not too bad.

Red, I'd donate for your surgery but you want to be able to actually open your eyes, right?

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Sneeze

I won't debate you because you have already resorted to trying to insult my education level. Its a pretty common lefty trick and I will not take the bait. I am sorry you can not rationalize how encouraging a regulated utopia destroys value in an economy.

Before I jump in I just want to get things straight. You are arguing that our government should not test or warn us of Communists sending us food sprayed with formaldehyd for our kids to eat. Have I got that right?

Thanks.