Democratic and Liberal political analysis and commentary

Wal-Mart has caused shoddy Chinese goods to flow into this country with its relentless cost controls. First pet food, then lead paint on toys, now Mattel toys. Besides Wal-Mart's cost-crunching approach, it is corporate greed plain and simple. You don't hear about the Waltons getting a pay cut every year? Nope. Just their employees, most of whom qualify for welfare.

Wal-Mart's business model requires it to ask suppliers to cut costs year after year. To do that, the suppliers must use Chinese manufacturers. China "regulates" its businesses with a wink and a nudge, allowing the goods into the country. The U.S. is complicit too, we don't inspect and test incoming merchandise. Businesses like Mattel are supposedly testing its own goods.

I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart more than three years ago, and I urge you to do the same. This insane cycle of "cheap plastic crap" from China has got to stop somewhere. I hope the next administration hires some more inspectors at our ports to try to catch more of this stuff.