What is meant by the concept of "acceptable loss"? Airlines, auto makers, etc. use this term to justify profit against human injury or death. The Department of Defense has a whole different definition based on military strategic or tactical objectives rather than monetary profit

Erin Burnett, on the other hand, seems to think there is some kind of formula we can apply to deadly Chinese imports, Walmart pricing, and our children and come up with an ’Acceptable Loss’.

Sucks Too Much Lead Paint?

I’m sorry Erin, but the reality here is that with that type of thinking I’m getting the impression that you’ve been sucking on Polly Pocket dolls for quite some time now.

Look, there is no formula that we can apply to this issue. There is no acceptable loss. Not one single child should be sacrificed to keep our "greatest friend" happy.

I think the only acceptable loss we should suffer from this story is Erin Burnett herself. I’m calling for a ban of CNBC (Seattle Comcast Channel 46) as well as the CNBC.com website.

I recently posted a link from the NY Times that indicated ALL of the toys recalled this year were manufactured in China. I guess I wasn’t the only person struck by this news. It has affected two of Michigan’s state lawmakers so much that they have introduced a law that would ban the sale of ’Toxic Toys’. The following is a story from the Saginaw News site:

Two county lawmakers target ’toxic toys’

Friday, July 27, 2007

BARRIE BARBER

THE SAGINAW NEWS

Andy Coulouris, the father, says he reacts differently these days when he sees toys belonging to his 1-year-old daughter, Alexandra.

Coulouris, the Democratic state representative from Saginaw, said the recall of so-called "toxic toys" in recent weeks shows why he and state Sen. Roger N. Kahn, a Saginaw Township Republican, have introduced bills to ban the sale of toys contaminated with toxic substances such as lead.

"That’s a very scary thing for parents," Coulouris said. "This process has rearranged the way I look at the toys that are in my daughter’s room."

Said Kahn, "They should be viewed as just that, toxic toys, toys imported into our country to damage our children. It’s a callous disregard for the safety of the products they sell."

The U.S. Consumer Protection Agency has recalled 1.5 million Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys imported from China, saying they pose a lead poisoning hazard, the agency said. Those with "WJ" or AZ" codes are not included in the recall.

Chinese-made products have made headlines in recent months as regulators issued recalls or warnings about toothpaste, tires, cribs, notebook computer batteries, seafood and lead-tainted jewelry. Those are among thousands of products China manufactures and exports to the United States and other countries.

[Thanks, Saginaw News]

So far this year the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 24 kinds of toys. And every one of them was manufactured in China. From the recent lead paint coated Thomas the Train series to Hasbro Easy Bake Ovens the list is getting larger each year and more disturbing.

As More Toys Are Recalled, Trail Ends in China

By ERIC S. LIPTON and DAVID BARBOZA

WASHINGTON, June 18 — China manufactured every one of the 24 kinds of toys recalled for safety reasons in the United States so far this year, including the enormously popular Thomas & Friends wooden train sets, a record that is causing alarm among consumer advocates, parents and regulators.

The latest recall, announced last week, involves 1.5 million Thomas & Friends trains and rail components — about 4 percent of all those sold in the United States over the last two years by RC2 Corporation of Oak Brook, Ill. The toys were coated at a factory in China with lead paint, which can damage brain cells, especially in children.

Just in the last month, a ghoulish fake eyeball toy made in China was recalled after it was found to be filled with kerosene. Sets of toy drums and a toy bear were also recalled because of lead paint, and an infant wrist rattle was recalled because of a choking hazard.

Over all, the number of products made in China that are being recalled in the United States by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has doubled in the last five years, driving the total number of recalls in the country to 467 last year, an annual record.

It also means that China today is responsible for about 60 percent of all product recalls, compared with 36 percent in 2000.

[Thanks, NY Times]