made in china

I mentioned that there were some toys I do not want for my kids last March. Now, I'm reading that one of them is part of the Mattell safety recall. The toy recalls this summer have sparked all kinds of discussion about China and stuff from China. The folks at Aquinas and More don't carry products that were made in China, but not just for safety reasons. Their blog entires tagged "chinese persecution" have compelled me to look twice at the stuff I buy and all the stuff we have around our house, already. (Seriously, there are only TWO items in the baby toy basket that were NOT made in China and all the apple juice concentrate in the freezer originated there!). Other articles, Has China Bought Our Souls? by Jim Curley, and China the defective-product king by Peter Navarro provide other interesting perspectives and information that have got me thinking.

Let me be clear that I'm not considering any kind of "boycott". Sara Bonjiorni and her family found out, "...we are so deeply tied to China [she] can't envision how we could step back now." I think she's right; it would be impossible to search out where every ingredient for every product originated and boycott everything that comes from China. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that Americans need to evaluate their spending habits. Apple juice concentrate from China is cheaper, so we buy and drink more of it. When we "save" money by buying cheaper stuff, we just end up buying more stuff that we don't necessarily need. From now on I'll look at that little label as a reminder to think twice before I buy and when I do need to buy something, where there is an alternative product available, I probably won't be buying the one made in China. Now, I'm off to buy some birthday presents for my darling Teresa, who turns 4 tomorrow!