China Pop out take

Just recently posted on 2ndlight.com a reply to someone commenting on pop out surfboards from overseas and or China.  This is my opinion or “take” on it right now. I hope it sheds some light as the mainstream media or surf media seem to not want to write about this really serious situation affecting us all.

Here is my comments, or take :

I have nothing against the Chinese people. But that said it seems really foolish to support any industry that uses people who are slaves or close to slaves to produce your goods. It is a communist country with no pollution controls or humanitarian concerns and they are essentially able to end capitalism/democracy by exploiting our “business as usual” greed. Often surfboards and SUP or whatever are over produced and then dumped on our market by the same people who are “just trying to make a buck”. In the end we are all over polluting our planet that is connected no matter where the surfboards are produced. Our own domestic industry is not perfect but to import a product you can not make here and then eventually put it in our landfill to break down and contaminate our ground water, etc. just seems foolish.

If you want to build a product in China or overseas then have our Government set standards for imported goods. Same environmental regulations, fair work standards and enforce illegal dumping laws on our domestic market. Our domestic market is suffering on every level not just surfboards from the un-regulated “free market” production of way too much over seas. We make better products locally but can not compete with price when their workers are slaves with no tax, environmental rules that protect us all. This is true whether it is lead in/on your children’s toys, poison in your milk based candy or baby formula or dioxins or TDI in your surfboard blanks. Financially, politically, environmentally and morally it makes no rational sense.

Until the Government steps in and enforces universal guidelines the individual business can not compete with the playing field so tilted and out of balance. The individual wally mart consumer is not to blame, nor is the greedy capitalist exploiting domestic and international non-policy. It is the government’s job to take the high road and prudently and realistically regulate in a positive way this overall situation. Lets hope we have the clarity and moral strength to support these changes individually and nationally.

Tom