Toy Safety for Children

After 39 toy recalls this year, Hillary Clinton posted a press release about how she will keep American children from getting dangerous toys when she is president. All of these toys were imported from China, who produces most of the world's toys and about 80% of the toys in the United States alone. Clinton also tried putting some of the blame on President Bush, jabbing at his nominees for the Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Call me crazy, but I never blamed Bush for bringing defective toys into the country, unlike the manipulative Clinton campaign.

This statement from the Clinton camp sounds like another major inflation of bureaucracy and taxes. Which once again makes me wonder how she is going to relieve the middle class of our great tax-burden. Yes, taxes will go up for us too, not just the wealthy. If elected President, Hillary has pledged to double the CPSC's budget, as well as additional expenditures to "overhaul" their testing facility. How often has injecting a government agency with steroids ever increased efficiency?

There should be further precautions preventing importation of dangerous and/or deadly toys, but perhaps we should start by re-examining our trade relations with China, since they have sent us harmful toys, children's products, poisoned toothpaste and pet food. Before pumping more money at the problem, let's stop it at the source or cut the defective source off altogether.