Yesterday's edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight included a report from Kitty Pilgrim on product recalls from China and the administration's efforts to reduce importation of unsafe products. "Bush administration officials are going through the charade of tougher enforcement with few results," according to correspondent Pilgrim. Using the term "charade" prepared viewers for where this segment was going:
KITTY PILGRIM, reporter: HHS Secretary Leavitt says he is optimistic the Chinese government will approve the opening of three FDA offices in China some time soon. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says if recalls continue at the current rate, it will be a 70 percent increase over last year. Lou?
LOU DOBBS, host: Secretary Leavitt says he's optimistic.
PILGRIM: That's what he said. And it's been an ongoing discussion, but there's no approval...
(CROSSTALK)
DOBBS: Three offices in China...
PILGRIM: In China.
DOBBS: ... for 11 inspectors for $300 billion worth of products.
PILGRIM: The numbers don't quite work, do they?
DOBBS: They don't seem to work maybe just for all of us. I'm sure they work for Washington because they think we're a bunch of idiots. How big a fool do you suppose Secretary Leavitt is to think that we're this stupid?
PILGRIM: He says that the Chinese manufacturers should be held more accountable and he would like them to put the FDA certification, the Chinese government to put the FDA certification on to say they meet FDA standards which is his general approach to the problem.
DOBBS: That's brilliant. That goes along with this administration's request that Wall Street regulate itself. When does George Bush leave office?
PILGRIM: The good news is that there is legislation coming through that may tighten up standards for American manufacturers.
DOBBS: I heard this nonsense before. Thanks for trying to boost my spirits any way. We all appreciate it. The American consumer, you're on your own. We're on our own in this country. This government is completely indifferent to the welfare and people and safety of the consumer. It's disgusting.
What's disgusting is that Dobbs, Pilgrim and many of their cohorts in the mainstream media apparently believe that the government can protect everybody from everything. Setting aside the not insignificant question of what constitutes legitimate federal functions, it should be apparent to even the most ardent statist that no matter how big Big Brother is, he can't handle the job.
Created in 1972, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was mandated to, among other charges, 'protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products." Unsurprisingly, "unreasonable" wasn't defined.
A 1977 Washington Post news article reported it took the CPSC two and one half years to come up with a safety standard for matchbook covers. Two years for standards and 15 pages in the Federal Register on swimming pool slides. Three years for standards for the glass used in doors, windows and walls.
It's obvious that the government cannot guarantee the safety of millions, perhaps billions, of individual products ranging from power tools to toys, cribs to household chemicals, bicycle helmets to water heaters. Tossing a few million more at the CPSC or opening new FDA offices in China will accomplish little if anything. And it might lull citizens into a false sense of security, believing that the products they use are safe when the truth may be far different.
The seductive promise of the nanny state never loses its allure. At least for people like Lou Dobbs and Kitty Pilgrim. Insofar as unsafe imports go, it really doesn't make a difference when George Bush leaves office. Then again, just asking the question does give the mainstream media something to look forward to.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Still stuck on stupid
May 29, 2008 - 11:01 ET by CobraMan"When does George Bush leave office?"
That would be Jan. 20, 2009. Until then, you'll just have to learn to deal with it.
"The American consumer, you're on your own."
Welcome to Free Enterprise! Remember that the next time you drive your Mercedes Benz to the voting poll in November.
Don't these idiots realize that it's up to the Chinese government to regulate the products that are produced in their country? The American public has the power to reject any product they feel is substandard or potentially dangerous. It's not the job of the American government to inspect, reject, and/or regulate the entire world, no matter how badly some people wish this were true.
It’s obvious that these gentlemen (and I use that term lightly) are only interested in bashing the Bush administration. After all, the Chinese were producing and selling products to America during all of the Clinton administration and not once did the MSM complain about a lack of oversight by the US government even though that administration had no plans to inspect the Chinese products prior to shipment to America.
Kitty Pilgrim
May 29, 2008 - 11:35 ET by Michael M. BatesIt’s obvious that these gentlemen (and I use that term lightly). . .
I do, too. Especially when Kitty Pilgrim's involved. . . .
Piling On.
May 29, 2008 - 11:07 ET by NortoNow that McClennan's book is out there will be no end to the pig pile. It also irks me no end that Dobb's and Obama have so little respect and refer to him as "George Bush." Actually, Mr. Bates, you might mind that yourself, though you may have just been mimicking the line.
all around me
May 29, 2008 - 11:34 ET by iveseenitallI live in an "average" American neighborhood. Are my eyes deceiving me? There's a single mother accross the street. She has a new convertible in the driveway and is getting a new sod lawn. Many young families on my street have a nice house and new cars. During the day, however, the neighborhood is as quiet as a church on Monday. Guess what, they are all out working.They are "individuals" living the American dream. Individual achievement is what America was founded upon, not the collectivism so loved by the MSM and communists like Barry Obama. And, oh yes, black achievers live in my neighborhood too. But Barry and his wife "achieved" through government handouts and affirmative action programs, so I guess you can't blame him for wanting more of your money for his lazy, alcoholic, drug-pushing friends in the ghetto.
BTW, President Bush has been an oustanding president. The "liberal" media, of course, will never admit the good he has done. To hell with them.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Barry and Michelle's achievements
May 29, 2008 - 11:45 ET by Michael M. BatesBut Barry and his wife "achieved" through government handouts and affirmative action programs,
We must cut them considerable slack. They did repay their student loans, right? Even after those dark days of cringing every time the phone rang or the mail arrived.
Mimicking
May 29, 2008 - 11:37 ET by Michael M. Bates. . . you might mind that yourself, though you may have just been mimicking the line.
Thanks for the benefit of the doubt. Yes, I was mimicking, which is why the words were in quotes. :)
If not for the 3 clowns running for President
May 29, 2008 - 11:11 ET by jefflebowskiBush can't leave office soon enough for me! I truly dread the next 4 years under Obama or McCain but maybe the conservatives of the world will get off of our butts and get some decent candidates out there. That's the change I want!
As for Bush, ran as a conservative and, like his dad, governed as a moderate. No wonder nobody likes them. W is the most disappointing President of my lifetime. He could have done so much more.
Speak for yourself
May 29, 2008 - 11:20 ET by CobraMan"No wonder nobody likes them."
Speak for yourself. I happen to admire W and I think he's doing a wonderful job, especially with so many people like yourself who oppose him simply for being a moderate. I may not agree with everything the President has said and done, but I do support the majority of his policies.
I have no problem supporting a moderate as a president. You see, like MOST people, I understand that a President represents ALL Americans and not just one political wing, or a small fraction of that wing. The best Presidents have all been moderates, including Reagan. That's what makes them great. It’s too bad that the extremists like yourself won’t give him the credit he deserves.
I'm with You CobraMan - I still Admire GWB greatly
May 29, 2008 - 12:13 ET by Dee BunkNo one has the right to complain -Jeff is wrong - he didn't run as a full fledged conservative. He ran as a social conservative but as far as everything else the only conservative things he ran on were tax cuts and free trade. Both times he campaigned for guest worker programs and he campaigned the first time for the Prescription drug plan and No Child Left Behind. He pretty much stuck to and tried to do everything he said he would. He should be admired for that whether you disagree with some of the things or not .
The only place he significantly veered off course was his anti Nation building theme and there was a huge catastrophic event that changed his mind on that. The next time he ran - he didn't hide or water down his war stance just because the media had turned the public against it. He ran on it. He has probably been the most honest president we've had in doing (or trying hard to) do what he said he would. Clinton was probably the most dishonest ever.
Sure spending was a problem but the only two out of control things he advocated were the Drug program (that he ran on) and the War (necessary evil). He made some good changes in education with out the huge expense that liberals would have put on it. I blame congress for most of the other stuff because he couldn't go around vetoing a Republican congress. The spineless snakes in congress would have turned even quicker on him had he done that. He needed their support.
I am probably the only poster here who agreed with Bush's guest worker plan but even if I were against it I wouldn't have held it against him trying to pass it because he ran on it. I was against the prescription drug plan but didn't blame Bush for that same reason.
Bush showed great courage and civility under fire, picked great judges that will be around way past his term, promoted free trade and tax cuts and took a chance at trying to solve the terrorism problem. Only time will tell if it worked (unless Obama lets them take over Iraq), but one thing's for certain, doing nothing as most other Presidents would have (like Clinton did) wasn't working and wouldn't work in the future either.
I'm proud of him - even more that Regan - because he had to do these things with low approval ratings due to an an even more hostile press and more organized left wing attack machines.
CobraMan, I WAS speaking for myself
May 29, 2008 - 13:17 ET by jefflebowskiBut with the lowest ratings in history for a President, that means that a lot of people who voted for him no longer think he is doing a good job. The way I see it, one of the few success of his Presidency has been one of the few conservative policies he has followed...tax cuts.
Amnesty, Prescription drug, No child left behind with Kennedy....no, that is why MOST PEOPLE don't support this President and unlike you, don't think he is doing a wonderful job. What gets me most about Bush is that he has allowed the left to continually disparage him and set the agenda while he has been MIA.
W may have been disappointing...
May 29, 2008 - 11:29 ET by Prester John...because he tried to get along, didn't defend himself the way he should have, and because of his position on immigration, but the real disappointment was Congress. Gains in both the House and Senate in 2004 and they absolutely, positively squandered it. I think about it and I get sick.
A missed opportunity that the country and the GOP will be paying for for years
most disappointing President of my lifetime.
May 29, 2008 - 11:39 ET by Michael M. BatesW is the most disappointing President of my lifetime.
I agree he's right up there. But I admire him for the enemies he's made.
Nobody likes them?
May 29, 2008 - 12:03 ET by iveseenitallI love this president, among other things, because:
He has helped keep us safe after 911
He has presided over an outstanding economy
He is a man of princple
He has suffered with grace the lies and innuendos concerning his person and his work from a corrupt media and a vicious Democratic Party
He is a man of conviction
He took action against a tyrant who was torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of his own people and threatening the world
The people I don't admire:
The RINOS
The "liberals"
The MSM
These are the people without principles. These are those who, when it comes time to stand up, back down to "get along". These are the corrupt, for whom ideolgy and money are everything. These are the liars and deceivers who have convinced so many that this President isn't the wonderful man he truly is. But history will prove them wrong. To hell with them.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Bush Bashing
May 29, 2008 - 13:10 ET by merlin61Iveseenitall-----Amen. You said it all for me.
Thanks and Thanks to a great President. He
reached over party lines, and tried, but the Dems
do not want bi-partisanship, they only want to
bash everything Republican. Mc Cain's not going
to be able to change that either if he gets elected.
God help us with this election, we need all the
help we can get. Again, Amen.
Proved it again
May 29, 2008 - 11:15 ET by expatriotHasn't Lou Dobbs proven time and again that not only is he an idiot but that he is also a moron? I understand completely why the MSM keeps brain dead commentators like him. He is one of them. Lou, if I wanted the government to take care of me from cradle to grave I would become a German, Frenchman, Brit or some other socialist citizen. We can pick and chose what we will purchase and what we won't. If it says made in china on a product and I can get the same product made anywhere else, I will buy the one from anywhere else. I don't think Lou wants to understand that.
Had him at idiot...
May 29, 2008 - 16:05 ET by Eileen RightMoron
1. usually offensive : a mildly mentally retarded person 2. a very stupid person
Synonyms - feeble-minded person, mentally handicapped person, retardate, imbecile, idiot, simpleton, natural, goose, addlepate, dullard, dunce, gawk, blockhead, mental defective, cretin, tomfool, dunce, dunderhead, lunkhead, muttonhead, numskull, dimwit, retard, halfwit, boob, dingbat, saphead, mutt, loony; see fool.
Idiot
1. usually offensive: a person affected with extreme mental retardation 2. a foolish or stupid person
Synonyms: blockhead, cretin, dodo, dolt, donkey, dope, dork [slang], dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, goon, half-wit, ignoramus, imbecile, jackass, knothead, moron, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, numskull (or numbskull), pinhead, simpleton, stock, turkey
Related Words: booby, fool, goose, loony (also looney), lunatic, madman, nut, zany; loser; gawk; featherbrain, scatterbrain; beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cur, heel, jerk, skunk, snake, stinker, villain
Near Antonyms: egghead, intellectual, sage, thinker
Antonyms: brain, genius
You had it right w/ idiot, moron is a compliment...
When Does George Bush Leave
May 29, 2008 - 11:18 ET by Roger the ShrubberWhen Does George Bush Leave Office?
Never! Muwaaahahahahahaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
wait
May 29, 2008 - 11:21 ET by candanceI thought W was a fascist dictator who changed the Constitution forever.
He's leaving office in a few short months? Strange.....
I was wondering the same thing
May 29, 2008 - 11:25 ET by Prester JohnI never did see a presidential proclamation of martial law and cancellation of all elections. Must be because Rove never got around to writing one up and putting it on his desk to sign.
Or something.
Fascist dictator
May 29, 2008 - 11:41 ET by Michael M. BatesI thought W was a fascist dictator who changed the Constitution forever.
He's leaving office in a few short months? Strange.....
Just wait, he's got a few more months to go. And then. . . .
I suggest we
May 29, 2008 - 11:46 ET by 10ksnookerStart the in kind referral ... Commie-Obama. It's more corect than the crap the ladle on Bush.
Collectivism, Communism, Marxism, it's all the same ... even when spoken with a Harvard accent and speech inflections.
Or do you like Commrade Obama better?
Comrade Obama
May 29, 2008 - 11:50 ET by Michael M. BatesI think Barry, like most pols, says whatever he thinks will sell at the moment. And what the teleprompter tells him to.
Big government isn't the
May 29, 2008 - 11:54 ET by dboBig government isn't the solution...big government is the problem. Instead of complaining about a miniscule amount of lead in Chinese toys, Dobbs should look at why the govermnent has mandated that we use light bulbs filled with a significant amount of mercury.
Bush, leave office? I
May 29, 2008 - 11:55 ET by mattmBush, leave office? I thought this diabolical dictator was planning on being malevolent despot for life...
diabolical dictator
May 29, 2008 - 11:59 ET by Michael M. BatesBush, leave office? I thought this diabolical dictator was planning on being malevolent despot for life...
I think that must be true. I read it at the Democratic Underground, and they wouldn't lie over there.
Just goes to show ya
May 29, 2008 - 12:03 ET by CobraManIt just goes to show ya...
What's the world coming to? We can't even count on a diabolical dictator anymore, especially the malevolent ones as they'll just go ahead and leave office when they're suppose to just to be even more malevolent and do what is not expected of them.
Malevolent ones, too
May 29, 2008 - 12:07 ET by Michael M. Bates. . . especially the malevolent ones as they'll just go ahead and leave office when they're suppose to just to be even more malevolent and do what is not expected of them.
It's downright insidious. And even more proof - if it were necessary - of how malevolent they really are.
Lou - the reborn populist -
May 29, 2008 - 12:32 ET by Chris NormanLou - the born again populist - Dobbs and Bill "There Ought to Be a Law" O'Reilly should team up for a joint show - if they can get both their egos to fit in one studio.
Dobbs and O'Reilly
May 29, 2008 - 13:44 ET by Michael M. BatesBoth of them speaking for "the folks," who can't speak - or think - for themselves. I'd give Dobbs a slight edge on sincerity, though.
I don't know about you,
May 29, 2008 - 16:21 ET by Chris NormanI don't know about you, Michael, but every morning I give thanks that we are fortunate enough to have Bill O'Reilly looking out for us "folks". As for Dobbs, I liked him better when he was a bland and generic business reporter - before he got the populist religion (and his name in the title).
Dobbs and O'Reilly II
May 29, 2008 - 13:47 ET by Michael M. Batesif they can get both their egos to fit in one studio.
Not to mention trying to get their makeup staffs in at the same time. You've probably seen that picture of BOR with a mirror the size of which would make John Edwards green with envy.
Bill has never tried to
May 29, 2008 - 14:04 ET by general companyBill has never tried to hide his ego? Plus he highlights on his show some very important topics, like media bias and protecting kids among other issues. This is very important, it is not like the rest of the media would ever highlight these issues, quite contrary. We need more like him as far as I am concerned.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
Like I've said before,
May 29, 2008 - 16:28 ET by Chris NormanLike I've said before, O'Reilly's show has good guests and good topics, then he spoils it all by insisting on hosting the show.
BO is letting Rove set the
May 29, 2008 - 20:26 ET by general companyBO is letting Rove set the record straight. A great begining to current events, awsome.
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
NEO-COMM
May 29, 2008 - 13:02 ET by m36b1CNN and Lou Dobbs - the NEO-COMM's, same as the OLD-COMM's. Marxism window-dressed by the Obamessiah as "change" and trumpeted like Pravda by idiots like Dobbs, Mathews, Olbermann, and all the Soros-like MSM jerks. I wish, wish, wish that conservative commentators would start using the term "NEO-COMMS" for the DemoKRat party operatives. But no, like President Bush for most of his presidency, conservative commentators and politicians continue to roll over, take their abuse, and not fight back as they should.
I finally broke the code---
May 29, 2008 - 18:08 ET by misterbillI finally broke the code---I have oftimes wondered what had happened to the direction of a number of NB bloggers. Today what I see is that if someone attacks GWB, that makes them a member of the usual suspects on MSM and villains and morons.
Well I am here to disagree with some of the arguments I see. I will add this one comment first, After ardently supporting GWB in both elections, standing behind him on Iraq (I still do), I admit that many actions or LACK of actions have besmirched his administration. Yes we should expect a monitoring system for imported goods. Yes we should increase the number of inspectors and yes , it would be easier if the inspections were done in China, but it just will not work that way. To say that China should do the inspections is to accept the deaths of many Americans just to defend GW Bush. I have had to use heparin. I could have died.
I guess what triggered me off here is, after watching Lou Dobbs off and on for about 6 months now, I have come to the conclusion that he is correct in his analysis. Whether you or I like his style is not the issue. The truth is the issue.
Answer these questions for yourself--
Is America's middle class losing ground--job and dollar wise??
Is illegal immigration a threat to this country???
(If you do not answer yes to that, don't bother reading any further.)
Is GW Bush an Open Borders advocate???
Do you believe there is any truth or possibility to:
NAFTA corridor
North American Union
New World Order ???
I believe that Lou Dobbs is a true journalist and there are few of those left. He has hit a mother lode in exposing incompetence in government, He, IMHO, is usually correct. Is his behavior as radical as Olbermann??
I hope he is as relentless during the next administration.
Why do Glenn Beck, Phyllis Schlafley, Joe Farah, Jerome Corsi, JBS, Judicial Watch, CIS, Heritage and a number of other respectable, knowledgable groups agree with Lou Dobbs that the signs are ominous?? Why have 19 state passed laws to block the possibility of an NAU?
So now we, who elected GWB are crowning him with sainthood?? My God, I am beginning to feel like I am back in Massachusetts 40 years ago.
Well, I'll just telephone the CFR and ask them if all this is all true. I know they will tell me the truth. Or perhaps they have a Q & A on their site that will put this all to rest.
Finally, if you all believe that this adminstration has done an outstanding job of blocking drugs, protecting our borders, creating more jobs, etc. then let's all give a big hoorah!!!
And lest those who have known my blogs since I joined NB think I have lost my mind, in spite of my criticism above, GWB has done a better job than his predecessor.
I guess they all suck!!!!
P.S. I am sending for a self teach CD on Spanish since it really does not matter which of the three gets aelected .
North American union?
May 29, 2008 - 18:31 ET by mandrake"P.S. I am sending for a self teach CD on Spanish since it really does not matter which of the three gets aelected ."
Apprenez mieux à parler le français pendant que vous à cela. :)
Francais???
May 29, 2008 - 19:13 ET by misterbillIsn't French on the way out as an international language???
I do not know. I read somewhere recently that Spanish was becoming more the language of trade and politics.
Hell, I have enough trouble with Ainglish!!!