More Greenhut Gas

Steven Greenhut had this “burp” on Friday. 

We’re from the government and we’re here to help
September 21st, 2007
From Steven Greenhut:

As Dave Barry would say, “I am not making this up.” According to Register news reports, “Lunch bags passed out by the California Department of Public Health to promote healthy eating may be contaminated with lead, state health officials said.”

For the record, just because the government is involved in something doesn’t mean they screwed it up.  The fact that Greenhut conveniently left out of his post was that the bags distributed happened to be made in his favorite unregulated haven, China.  That is where the lead came from.  It is the lack of federal oversight of inexpensive imported products that allowed this to occur, not the fact that the Department of Health Services purchased the lunch bags.

But I bet Steven and the rest of the “no need for the government” libertarian hacks on the Register’s edtiorial team probably oppose the Toxics Toys Bill (AB 1108 – Ma), a bill that would phase out the use of phthalates in products intended for kids under the age of three. Phthalates, known toxic chemicals, can leach out of baby products when chewed on, entering children’s bodies.

After all, market forces should take care of it. Right?