China Product Recalls Continue - Christmas Toy Nightmare

Almost every day there is another recall of a product that is made in China. If United States consumers ever needed evidence that there is a downside to globalization, now they can see, first hand, how cheap is not always better. While I have not heard reports in the mainstream media yet about how these Chinese recalls will effect U.S. toy retailers like 'ToysRUs', in reality their business will suffer greatly this Christmas shopping season as terrified parents and grandparents find other gifts for their loved ones. A friend told me yesterday that almost every toy he saw in our local 'ToysRUs' retail location had a 'Made in China' label attached to it. For decades U.S. business has been moving manufacturing overseas because of cheap labor. Now as the old saying goes, 'the day of reckoning has arrived' and large and reputable companies like 'Mattel' are going to suffer long term damage because of their desire to avoid U.S. labor and regulation and have their products made in China.

For a long time, millions of Americans have fought, unsuccessfully, against good paying American jobs being eliminated and shipped overseas. Now it is turning out that not only were they right about what this trend was doing to middle class families, but also globalizion could very well be killing our next generation of Americans because of the need for greater corporate profits. Over 30 years ago most Americans learned the dangers of lead in paint and shortly thereafter the government order the removal of lead from paint that is used in a home environment. Apparently, laws in China have not caught up with this fact, so paint manufacture there still contains lead and to make matters worse, that lead based paint has been used to add color to toys that most kids eventually put into their mouths. I am amazed that more U.S. politicians have not sounded the alarm and demanded the federal government do more to stop these dangerous products from entering the U.S. via China.

In less than two (2) months it will be Christmas morning and millions of young children will be waking up to see what 'Santa Claus' brought them this year. Unfortunately, there will be few toys left behind by dear old saint nick this year and at least part of the reason will be globalization and the need for even greater profits by some U.S. corporations. In this modern day and age I never thought that a problem which should be been eliminated 30 years ago would once again be effecting the health of American children, but that is exactly what has happened. When will U.S. leaders start to lead and demand changes in toy production in China before any more toys can be imported from there? Where are congressional leaders on this issue? Right now, I am not hearing anywhere near the outrage over this lead paint in toys issue as the steady flood of 'get out of Iraq' resolutions which continue to go nowhere in Congress.

Read more about Product Recalls:

Nancy Nord/Hal Stratton Accepted Free Travel From Trade Groups - CPSC
Topps/Cargill/Sams Club - E. coli Meat Scare
Bad Sony Batteries - Laptop Computers Explode
Dell Exploding Batteries Start To Worry Consumers
Dog Food Recall After Hundreds Of Pets Die

Carrie Underwood Wins Again At CMA Awards

It was nice to see Carrie Underwood win a CMA Award without last years distraction of Faith Hill's joke gone wrong stealing some of Underwood's much deserved win. Every since Carrie Underwood competed on and won the 'American Idol' contest, I have followed her career with both interest and amazement. How is it possible for such a young and beautiful women with an amazing talent able to keep the proper perspective of what is and is not important in life? Frankly, I do not have a satisfactory answer to that question, but whatever it is - should be bottled up and sold at a high price to Hollywood misfits like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. For far too long older generations have blame the current one for a lack of values and good moral judgment. In one single package, Carrie Underwood is proving that conventional wisdom is wrong and also proving to other skeptical young women that they can have personal value and also succeed in the music business, today.

While maybe it is not fashionable to promote good manners and values on the tabloid TV shows that seem to occupy every other cable television channel these days, I believe it is important for some of these shows to spotlight Carrie Underwood not just for her talent and good looks, but also for the mature and responsible way she is living her life. Modern day media seems to have lost focus and made the choice to ignore people that are living their life right and instead they choose to chase around celebrities like Britney Spears, with cameras, at all hours of the day and night. It amazes me that more famous people in Hollywood do not end up in drug and alcohol rehab. In the land of fantasy where everything goes, is a place where nothing but disaster and broken lives eventual end and no one really seems to care, unless a tabloid picture can be taken and sold to the highest bidder when it happens.

Carrie Underwood's life and story should be repeated often so young women have an example of how to succeed the right way. For every positive story I read about the personal and career success of Carrie Underwood, I find dozens of other stories about Paris, Lindsay or Britney making bad choices and destroying their lives. I am so glad that Carrie Underwood won an award at last nights CMA Awards and I hope she has the maturity to continue to live her life the right way and provide the, in short supply, role model material that is needed so badly by young women in the world today. I hope other people that write blogs on the Internet about all the negative stories of the day, will take the time to occasional write uplifting stories about people that are doing the right thing and succeeding the right way, like Carrie Underwood has.

Read more about Carrie Underwood:

Carrie Underwood Starts Getting Bad Press
Carrie Underwood - 'Go Your Own Way'
Carrie Underwood Dominates MTV CMT VH1
Carrie Underwood - My American Idol Hero
Carrie Underwood - Lemons Limes Chewing Gum

U.S. Dollar Plunge Leading To Higher Crude Oil Prices

While most everyday Americans are going about their business of working hard and trying to care for their families, something very important is happening behind the scenes that is not only effecting their way of life today, but could have a major impact on their retirement someday down the road. Over the past 30 days, the price of crude oil on the 'spot market' has been skyrocketing and if the past few days are any indicator, later today the price of a barrel of oil will surpass $100 for the first time in history. While most Americans listen to the news and give little thought to the price of crude oil on the open market, few other things will effect their own long term future financial planning more than high oil prices over a long period of time. In recent months, the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the 'Euro' has dropped like a rock while at the same time the price of 'Gold' is skyrocketing almost every single day. What is really happening here is that the United States dollar is not the currency of choice anymore in the worldwide marketplace.

Ok, so is that a problem for people living in the United States? Most definitely yes. For too long U.S. politicians have spent more money than has been collected in taxes and now after many years of overspending on foreign wars and a lowering of tax rates in the United States, the day of reckoning is finally at hand for the U.S. dollar, which once stood tall against all other worldwide currency's. For too long both Republican and democratic politicians have looted the U.S. dollar for their own political advantage when it was time to run for reelection. However, that free money gravy train will soon be coming to an end as 'Gold' and the 'Euro' take a bigger role in worldwide financing than the 'green back'. While most politicians think the average American is stupid and will believe anything, in reality it is the average American that is telling pollsters in recent weeks that they believe a U.S. recession is just over the horizon, even when all the news coming out of Washington D.C. is upbeat and positive. Never in my 48 years on this Earth have I seen a larger group of Washington politicians that are not only out of touch with the voters that sent them there in the first place, but also ignorant of simple mathematics that prove this free money ride they are on is quickly coming to an end.

In many ways the current quick rise in crude oil prices is more the result of U.S. government monetary policy that has driven down the U.S. dollar to all time lows than it is an actually supply and demand situation. The days of foreign big money types that wanted to plant their financial future in the U.S. dollar has come and gone. Most of the richest people in the world right now would rather put their money into 'Gold' or the 'Euro' because of the ever decreasing value of the U.S. dollar because of deficit spending. Will the current group of politicians in Washington D.C. see the error of their ways and make changes that will once again bring the U.S. dollar back to dominance? Probably not, because there does not seem to be anyone with any lick of sense serving in the U.S. government right now and even if there were they would not have the guts to speak the truth to the American people in a way that everyone could understand.

Read more about the Energy Problems:

$100 Per Barrel Oil - $3 Per Gallon Gas Prices
$90 Per Barrel Oil - $100 Price Next?
Crude Oil $85 Plus Per Barrel - Bleak Winter?
Gas Prices Jump
Gas Pump Price