China Blues

The Chinese have given the world many gifts, spaghetti, silk, kites, fireworks, compass, abacus, the boat rudder and of course General Tso's Chicken. An inventive, industrious people for sure, the Chinese continue to produce goods for the whole world, an economic powerhouse that has yet to see full potential.

So why produce all the damn junk? I think they could do better. It bodes poor for the world if everything is going to be made in China. Not a damn thing will work.

Now, don't get me wrong. I like the Chinese for the most part. Their culture is fascinating and with so damn many of them, it is wise to be friends. But I have a problem with Chinese goods. The ones I have used are junk.

Don't even ask me my opinion about the dog food scare; due of course to tainted wheat gluten from you-know-where.

A while back, my Lincoln (aka the Queen Mary) had a gas tank issue. Years of Illinois salt had rusted the gas tank, resulting in a slow leak. So obviously a new one was in order. I ordered an after-market one and it duly arrived. When it came time to install, it would not fit. Everything was 1/100 off spec. Holes were off, a place to put a bracket was not there, the welded seam was crooked and close to the edge. Upon getting it on with some rigging, the fuel pump seal refused to seal tight: in short, it leaked worse than the old one.

Made in China.

I got a new fuel pump that sounds like it is pumping water from Hoover Dam.

Made in China.

When my Dr. diagnosed me as diabetic, he gave me a blood glucometer and test strips to get started. When I ran out of test strips, I went to my nearby CVS Pharmacy to get some more.

"We have never heard of this brand", said the clerk. The RPh told me it was not even in their catalogs.

So upon returning home, I looked at the unit and noted a website. www.bionime.com. The damn page was in Chinese.

I can't win.