Quote:
Originally posted by turbo6bar
The Chinese export the real cost of goods to the environment. The rinse water and chemicals used in the plating process end up in the river. Over here, EPA won't let a company fart without approval. It may be unfair to compare Chinese-made tools to those made in the US.
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My $0.02:
Is it really so bad to have environmental policies that result in (heavens forbid) a better environment?
Also, the EPA has been a patsy agency for the Bush administration for the last six years. It has lost a lot of credibility among scientists and people genuinely concerned about the environment. Their "rubber stamping" of the Bush administration's assertion that "there is no global climate change" is particularly laughable.
While I agree with you that there is such a thing as too much regulation, I think blaming all of America's problems on the EPA is short-sighted and foolish. This is one agency that really SHOULD exist and should be well-funded. There are many others that should not be and I actually dislike government in general and typically default to "let the market take care of itself" positions on things. Government usually doesn't do anything except provide jobs to incompetent bumbling idiots that otherwise would never cut it in private practice or consolidate power for petty control - at the expense of business efficiency, productivity and personal advancement. The problem here is that corporations have proven time and again that they simply can't be trusted when it comes to what is in peoples' best interests and unfortunately some regulatory oversight here really is in the best interest of public health, safety and welfare.
Now, that said, I wonder if anyone here feels any guilt or remorse about buying the HF stuff either from the "it's part of the outsourcing problem" point of view or (as was pointed out) the "there's a reason they're so cheap" point of view. . .
It would be very difficult to simply boycott Chinese-made goods because they're so ubiquitous these days. Typically what I do is default to the highest-quality stuff and buy it from whomever makes it - domestic or foreign. I find that I buy very few things with the "Made in China" sticker on them as a result (I buy very few things with the "Made in the U.S.A. sticker on them too. . .) - this is a real testimony to the "quality" of Chinese (and perhaps of American) goods. Sometimes their stuff is adequate - more often than not it isn't.