Actually, the current Corona virus, which has killed as of this writing, 27, with many hundreds ill, originated in China, along with countless other diseases and ills. China has lost millions of pigs and hogs due to disease, which has killed half of Chinese pigs. In 2013, 15,000 dead pigs were floating down the Huangpu River, which were picked up by illegal shops, re-processed, and put on the market. Maybe you remember the bird flu (H7N9), which originated in China, and killed billions of birds around the world, plus lots of other diseases, flu viruses and other pestilence which have spread around the world, thanks to China. Remember the Sars virus, which infects the respiratory system? Sars originated in China in 2002. Chinese drywall is infected with high concentrates of sulfur and strontium, which makes people sick. Over 100,000 homes in America are affected, and it must be removed. Chinese “Powder Puff” crested dogs are prone to deafness and other ills, and who can forget the poison Chinese dog food, which was contaminated with melamine (used in plastic and fertilizer production) and cyanuric acid which caused kidney failure in dogs and cats. It was recalled in 2007, after hundreds of pet deaths in the U.S. alone. The same melamine contaminated milk and baby formula from China was hurredly pulled in 2008, after I am sure, thousands of casualties. In 2003, Chinese firms produced Jinhua hams laced with the pesticide dichorvos, which is used for fumigation. In 2004, Chinese pickled vegetables were found to contain high contents of the chemical DDVP. Cheap soy sauces made in China were made from human hair gathered from barber shops, and in 2006, several died from the use of fake drugs which contained the chemical diglycol. Many dozens became sick and several died, after antibiotics had been mixed with a disinfectant ingredient. Most of the previous had not been imported into the U.S.
Other Chinese food catastrophes which were not imported to the U.S. include 300 school poisonings from food produced with terrible sanitary conditions, at Chongzhou, contaminated turbot fish, some of which may have been imported to the U.S. since Chinese production of the fish is 40,000 tons. In 2006, Greenpeace sampled grocery stores in Hong Kong and found that vegetables had totally unacceptable amounts of pesticides in them. A study found that Chinese farmers had no idea of how to use pesticides. A restaurant in Bejing served raw snail meat which gave 70 diners angiostrongylus meningitis. Fortunately, no one died, but at other restaurants in China during 2006, 31 died and 183 were poisoned with toxic mushrooms. In 2007, close to a hundred manufacturers of tofu were found to use a combination of sewage, slop, and iron sulfate, to accelerate production and improve the appearance of their product. In 2008, the Whole Foods super market chain in the U.S. was selling Chinese made powdered ginger, which contained the banned pesticide Aidicarb, and was certified as being organic. In 2014, Shanghai Husi Food Company sold products containing expired meat to McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
Inferior Chinese made tools, auto and airplane repair parts are legendary, but of course we don’t eat them. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated in 2004 that outdoor air pollution caused over 300,000 premature deaths a year, and that was 16 years ago! Today, China’s auto air pollution makes Los Angeles’ seem tame by comparison. Also in 2004, WHO noted that millions of Chinese use poor grade lignite coal as heat and power generation, causing 420,000 premature deaths each year, in addition to the above mentioned deaths or close to a million deaths a year due to air pollution in China.
Chinese Banks
This time, it’s from the front page of the Journal (Wall Street), and not in an inside section. The headline reads, “Slowing China Faces Costly Bank Cleanup.” The first paragraph; “For years, China’s small banks had a field day. They lent to overstretched borrowers, disguised loans as investment products, and fueled their businesses with short term funds.” Perhaps you remember my column pointing out that Chinese banks regularly loaned money with no payments or repayments expected, and how that is no way to run a financial system. Other quotes from the Journal column are; “Now the bill is coming due. China’s growth rate is down by more than half from its peak a decade ago. Regulators are petrified of over playing the situation for fear it’s going to start a panic.” It’s a long column complete with graphs and tables, and the piece does not foretell a catastrophe, I am certain because of the Journal’s world-wide circulation, but to me, all the signs are present.
Socialism does not work, and it may take years for its obvious failure to appear as a nation’s failure, but it has always happened. In 1992, Venezuela was the 3rd richest country in the Western Hemisphere, and the 2nd largest purchaser of the Ford F-150 pickup. In 2020, its currency is worthless, six million have left the country, and starvation, massacres and unbelievable crimes are committed daily, thanks to socialism. The same scenario describes Cuba, North Korea, the ex-Soviet Socialist Republic, and eventually China…in my opinion. It is socialism which allows for Chinese food poisonings, and over a 50% decline in their economy. The Chinese socialistic economy allows government to subsidize manufactured goods, making them cheaper and with no comparison to U.S. goods with no government support. The result was a huge trade imbalance with China. The also obvious result of government subsidizing of Chinese manufacture, is a huge increase in the money supply, or inflation, which China suffers from currently, and as the quote from the Journal piece says, “Now the bill is coming due.” No wonder America has huge numbers of Chinese students wanting an education not available in China. Socialistic nations do not have education like free nations. People from all over the world want to come here and be like us. Of course! We are making our way towards socialism, but we are still far and away from China’s…thank goodness!
Don Stott
don@coloradogold.com