American laws don't apply to foreign goods

Globalism means the loss of good jobs and a lack of accountability for faulty products.

It also means that in America, the laws of every country apply - except those of the United States.

While 53% of items recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission last year were made in China, it's become almost impossible to hold the manufacturers accountable.

These defective goods include highchairs whose seats failed, bicycles whose wheel forks snapped, dune buggies whose seat belts broke, and coffee makers that started fires. Also on this list are a toy chest whose lid fell on a toddler and killed him and a soccer goal net that strangled a child. This list even includes dangerous products that had previously been recalled but continue to be sold.

Why is it so difficult for American consumers to hold these manufacturers accountable in court? These companies manage to convince judges that they did no significant business in the states where they're being sued - even if it's the state where their product was sold, purchased, and used.

Judges are so eager to accept this defense that many American lawyers will no longer take cases against Chinese-made goods. And when plaintiffs win, they find it's almost impossible to collect because the Chinese government won't cooperate in enforcing the judgment.

Luckily, the Senate is now trying to make this outrageous defense harder and require foreign companies to retain American agents who can be subject to legal action.

But what we really need to do in addition to this is pass laws to make foreign-made products comply with American standards.

(Source: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/70986.html)