In a McClatchy Newspapers article, Kevin G. Hall shows how China and the Bush administration have both undermined efforts to keep lead out of children’s products by opposing efforts to police Chinese imports. This description of the Bush administration’s role will sound familiar to regular readers of this blog (emphasis added):

Consumer advocates say the Bush administration has hindered regulation on two fronts. It stalled efforts to press for greater inspections of imported children’s products, and it altered the focus of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), moving it from aggressive protection of consumers to a more manufacturer-friendly approach.

Sounds similar to the shift from regulation and enforcement to compliance assistance that’s been observed at MSHA and OSHA, doesn’t it? The industry-friendly approach is harming children as well as workers.