Made in ChinaChinese Prisons

Steven Riddle touches on a subject I am particularly concerned about, the American consumer’s inadvertent support of China’s human rights atrocities. You might also want to read this article. Thanks to Peony Moss over at Two Sleepy Mommies for the heads up.

Peony is right in that it is virtually impossible to find some products – children’s shoes, for example – that have not been made in China without paying sometimes 10 times the price. We simply can’t afford that kind of cost in our family. I solve it as often as I can by purchasing used clothing, dress shoes, water socks and winter boots (the rarely-worn-before-the kid-outgrows-them variety), but regular day-to-day shoes in good condition are hard to come by, even in a consignment shop. So many times, I buy new shoes for my kids that have been made in China, simply because I have no other option.

Maybe you’re an influential policy maker who can change this thing about America (though I doubt it – if you were, you wouldn’t be reading my blog!). If not, though, you can still combat it by voting with your pocketbook. If Chinese-made goods languish on the store shelving unsold, the stores will stop carrying them. I urge you to consider this carefully and start looking for the "Made in…" notice on the products you buy. Your budget may suffer, but better your budget than the people forced to make these goods under appalling conditions and laws.

--Sparki