HOUSTON - Open trade with China and Third World countries may
provide us with cheap goods, but remember - you get what you pay
for, and then some. There are benefits with free trade among
nations, but they don't come without a cost. And the price may
endanger your health. The United States has imported more than
it has exported for decades, and this negative balance grows as
we become more and more dependent. Last year, $288 billion in
Chinese products were imported, while the United States only
exported $55 billion in goods to China. For every $1 worth of
products the U.S. sells China, China sells the U.S. more than $5
worth. We import everything: clothing, toys, cars, pet and human
food, medications - even toothpaste. Our marketplace is flooded
with Chinese imports - many of which are inferior at best and
dangerous at worst. There have been several recent scandals.
Mattel recalled millions of toys imported from China because the
paint they used contains lead. Thousands of cats and dogs were
injured or kille