Your tax cuts (for the wealthy) at work.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission has announced that Mattel is recalling 9.5 million toys made in mainland China. Most of the products contact a magnet that can fall out and be swallowed by young children and the other toys contain lead paint. Thomas Moore, a CPSC Commissioner, explained "staffing cuts and other resource reductions have limited the Commission's ability to carry out its mission."
On Lou Dobbs Tonight, correspondent Bill Tucker noted today that since 1980 the Commission's staff has been slashed 59%, from 978 to 400. That would be 26.6 (approximately) years, all but eight under Republican Presidents dedicated to the philosophy that the only thing more evil than (income) taxes is government regulation. And for the other eight years? The President from the corporatist Democratic Leadership Council, a President who prides himself on being a "centrist," whom the mainstream media generally holds in high esteem because he is not beholden to the interest groups the Democratic Party "panders" to- like, say, labor and consumers. Those annoying people who believe in fair trade because free trade works for only one side. Those annoying people who always are complaining about American jobs being outsourced. Those annoying people who believe in government inspection to keep safe our toys- and toothpaste, and fish, and pet food, and tires.

Manufacture of the recalled toys reportedly was subcontracted by a Chinese company to another Chinese company. Mattel Chairman and CEO Bob Eckert exclaimed "I'm disappointed, I'm upset, but I can ensure that we are doing everything we can about the situation." ("I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here!")
So Mattel is offering vouchers to consumers to buy other toys- which, presumably, also are made in mainland China, as are approximately 80% of the toys purchased in the U.S.A.

I have an idea of something else Mattel can do for its consumers in this country, its largest market. Open a manufacturing plant here and employ some Americans.