Oct 08 2007
Mayor Mazziotti of Palm Bay Florida Encourages China Boycott.
This Mayor needs a hand clap! Seriously, not too many politicians are taking a stand on this issue. He is to be applauded because he is. His attempts are not to force the citizens to boycott China, but to set an example through the government by being responsible in purchasing decisions. I wish more politicians viewed their power as something that should not be talk, but action, and set an example for the people. I have no clue where the mayor stands on other issues, but on this one I fully support him, please read article and if you feel so inclined write the Mayor of Palm Bay to encourage him, please do –> mayor@pbfl.org
Palm Bay holds off on China boycott
PALM BAY - The city council postponed a vote Thursday on prohibiting the city from purchasing goods manufactured in China after some members questioned why Palm Bay was diverting its attention from more local concerns.A decision on the ordinance was delayed until the end of the year, but the council agreed to send a resolution within a month to President Bush and federal representatives asking Washington to take action against Chinese imports.
Under Mayor John Mazziotti’s proposed ordinance, the city could not have purchased items in which at least half the components were manufactured or assembled in the People’s Republic of China.
He said the proposed ordinance stemmed from concerns about job losses to China, and questions over the quality and safety of Chinese products. But on Thursday, Mazziotti failed to muster enough support to hold a public hearing and final vote.
“It is not the purview of the city of Palm Bay to get involved in international issues when we have potholes to fill,” Councilman Pat Woodward said.
He questioned where it would stop. “What about Iran or Korea?” he asked.
Councilwoman Donna Brooks said residents are more concerned about improving their quality of life with better infrastructure such as roads. She also questioned the amount of staff time it would take to research the guidelines.
Mazziotti defended his proposal, acknowledging, however, that it wouldn’t change the world.“But the city of Palm Bay can make a point,” he said. Mazziotti said he went into a store recently and looked at 10 random items.
“Nine were made in China and the tenth in Taiwan,” he said. “We are losing good, solid jobs between the illegals who come to this country and take jobs at half the pay and losing all the manufacturing jobs.”
Councilman Ed Geier agreed that the city should take a stand, but he advocated writing instead to the governor, president and national representatives to encourage them to act. “It is not our issue alone,” he said.
The proposed ordinance read that Palm Bay would take the action because Chinese products hurt the American economy, and because “there is a complete lack of environmental, health and safety standards in product manufacturing in China.”
The ordinance would have prevented the city from buying any items manufactured or assembled in China that cost more than $50 or that contain more than 50 percent components from China. Exceptions would have been allowed for emergency purchases, if the item was not available otherwise or if the cost of an alternative was more than 150 percent higher.
Councilman Andy Anderson said he wanted to know the fiscal implications. He thought the $50 threshold was too low.
Last month, several Mattel toys were recalled after it was found that lead paint was used on toy cars and that action figures and some dolls contained small magnets that could be swallowed. Several other items manufactured in China have been recalled, from pet products to school supplies because of safety concerns.
China has a trade surplus with the U.S. and is the second-largest import source. The largest imports include office machines, telecommunications and sound equipment and automatic data processing machines.
Contact Jump at 409-1423 or ljump@floridatoday.com.
Congratulations to Mayor Mazziotti. It’s great to see people with decision-making positions taking a stand. The way he’s going about it – by taking it to a council vote – is above reproach. Since he’s basically spending citizen’s money, he needs to have a mandate.
To the Councilman Pat Woodward who questioned where it would stop, “What about Iran or Korea?” (I assume he meant North Korea), maybe someone should mention that the US does in fact have an embargo against those countries, along with Syria, Sudan, and (surprise, surprise) Cuba. China, on the other hand, enjoys the best trade status the US has to offer, “Permanent Normal Trade Relations” (formerly “Most Favored Nation”).
I have to ask myself, how many of Councilman Woodward’s kids’ toy come from Iran, how many of his constituents had their jobs outsourced to North Korea, how much acid rain will fall on his garden from Syria pollution, and how many nuclear missiles the Sudan has pointed at West Palm beach.
The mayor could have been more learned before promoting such an act. Stirring local people’s emotions, using a scapegoat for unemployment, and using an authoritarian approach to arouse patriotism are so typical behaviors of discriminative politicians. This act can be considered to be the indirect institutional discrimination (see introductory sociology texts if needed).
In fact, I believe China should stop being a cheap factory and exploit its poor natural resources to fulfill the need of the developed countries, which try so hard to save every bit of their own energy resource for the future.
I thought the U.S. was a better country, but my eight years of staying here disappointed me. Hardworking is never larger than ethnicity. I have seen racism, prejudice, discrimination, racial segregation… I still hope people can be more understanding and do positive things to promote world peace. I hope there are more people who are not irrationally angry towards outgroups. Or at least, let’s hope our mayor has a bit more rationality than laypeople.