Odd things

I haven't posted here in awhile, mostly because I've been busy elsewhere, see my photography/life and my Mt. Rainier NP Photo Guide blogs, I've had some recent health issues, and I just haven't been that angry with the news of the world. The last isn't that I'm not mad at dumb and stupid people, especially hose in power, like Congress, I'm just not mad enough to write.

But some things have occurred to me that strike me as odd. And these are?

First, why is it that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been spending taxpayer's money to travel to foreign countries, like India and China, to inspect and certify production facilites contracting with American drug companies. You and I can't buy foreign made drugs, but the companies can, import them freely, and charge us the same price they charge for US made drugs.

And recently a Chinese company was caught producing frauduent drugs for the US market. They didn't reach the market, but the FDA admitted it had "been awhile" since they had inspected that factory. It's just odd to me the government helps the drug companies profit but not the taxpayer to save money, both on their drugs and their taxes.

Second, why is it that with all the violence on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border lately almost all the weapons are from the US, sold by gun dealers along the border. The cartels have more and better firepower than the Mexican police and military fighting the cartels. And all of it thanks to the US military and gum producers. Yes, the cartel often have military grade weapons.

So where is the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Administration and FBI, the latter who licenses and monitor gun dealers? Obviously they're elsehwere do something I'm not sure of, but it's certainly not watching gun dealers and cross border gun smuggling.

Third, why do drivers still use their cellphones and blackberries more than a year after the State of Washington banned text messaging and more than 8 months after banning the use of regular cellphones while driving (only hands free cellphones allowed)? A day doesn't go by on trips or errands seeing at least one driver, and often half a dozen or more, with a cellphone stuck to their ear, oblivious to the world and other drivers.

The problem here it's a secondary offense, meaning it can't be the reason the police or highway patrol stop you, only if they see you and stop you for something else. And if you try to tell those drivers, often at traffic lights, they either get mad or give you a cheery wave, like they don't care.

Fourth, the government bans lead and some toxic chemicals in children's toys. That's not only a good thing but a great thing. Why odd? Because all the businesses that bought the products to sell to consumers are dumping them in landfills, if those landfills will take them, with recyclers, with reselllers, refusing to pay for those made but not delivered, or simply leaving them in shipping containers.

Meaning they're unloading the products on others and taking the loss in the financial statements. That's not what Congress had in mind here. Corporations, like WalMart, Target, etal, who sell most of these products are simply finding ways to unload them and then using them as corporate losses. The people who made or ordered the products aren't paying the price, but the rest of us.

Anyway, just a few odd things in the news of late.