There are no oceans in Iowa…or, “Duh!”

Golly, we are finding lead in toys from China (for which we reward them by producing drugs there). Considering that the UK and US used metal salts to color (or colour) candy (copper sulphate for blue, etc.) in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, it shouldn't be a surprise. Exactly what did we think were the safeguards in a country where $0.40/hr is considered good pay? When the "first world" finished its industrial revolution and unions, etc. came about, it grudgingly gave us a 5-day work week, minimum wage, (sort-of) health care, und so weider. We seem to expect China and other developing countries to jump from the 18th to the 21st century all at once; ain't gonna happen. So, in lieu of safeguards, our beloved leader and cohorts has one, count 'em, one person in one lab checking all imported toys (makes my grandkids sleep better at night). Of course, if the "Great Communicator" hadn't fired 1/2 of our FDA inspectors along with the air traffic controllers in the 1980s, we might be better off, but.... Do we want cheap or do we want good? Reminds me of the instrument triangle: cheap, good, fast...pick any two. If you want cheap and fast, it can't be good. Want cheap and good? It won't be fast. And the beat goes on. I believe I once said that you won't get a Rolex for $25... (See my "You can't cheat an honest man" column.) As H.L. Menken (late of the Baltimore Sun) once said, "You won't go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."