JayB

I mostly agree with you about the idea of patenting a gene, but I have to confess that I don't have a precise idea of what it means to patent a gene, much less whether or not allowing anyone to do so will help or hinder efforts to increase our understanding of the natural world, develop therapeutics, etc. I've read what seem like reasonable arguments on both sides of the issue, but until I get some more time to read up on this particular case my default judgment is that it makes sense to allow private parties to patent useful ways to exploit the information contained in natural genes but not the genes themselves. When it comes to the question of whether or not patents promote or discourage discovery in general, I have a harder time drawing a line. You can isolate a particular kind of DNA using cesium-chloride and a centrifuge that's much, much more labor and energy intensive, and produces more toxic byproducts - or you can buy a kit with patent protected elements that's dramatically faster, easier, cleaner, and safer. A lab that uses the kits will be able to spend more time engaged in discovery and far less time and money in the tedious process of isolating DNA and, all things being equal, has a better shot at discovering something new and significant. But - a greater percentage of their research money will wind-up in the pockets of the company that developed the patents. To me, the patent related expenses seem like a small price to pay for making the process of scientific discovery faster, easier, and less costly. I'm sure there's a point at which patent protections cross a threshold and inhibit discovery, efficiency, etc and make everyone else worse off. Where's the line? Tough to tell.

I'm not personally convinced that the public good that ultimately arises from of a particular innovation is determined by the motives of the person who invented it, or the context in which it's invented. A quick survey of the past reveals alchemists who laid the foundation for chemistry while searching for a way to transmute base metals into gold in the middle ages, folks like Edison and Tesla working in the private sector, and guys Jack Kilby, who invented the integrated circuit while working at Texas intstruments. Even in the biological sciences, two of the more consequential discoveries that I can think of in the past thirty years came out of commercial enterprises. Kary Mullis developed the Polymerase Chain Reaction while working at an outfit called Cetus in 1983. The observations that lead to the discovery of RNA-interference came from a guy trying to modify pigment expression in petunias while working at an outfit called "DNA Plant Technology Corp." It's difficult to overstate the impact that these discoveries have had on basic research in the life sciences - and both emerged from research conducted in service of whatever grubby little private motives inspired the creation of each for profit company. Once you move from the abstract considerations of motives and into the concrete realm of how things get discovered and the beneficial impact that they have on the world - it becomes very difficult to square that with the idea that research undertaken in for profit is always grasping and trivial. It's the rough equivalent of claiming that only music, literature, theater, sculpture, etc, etc, produced with government funding on a strict non-profit basis, with public motives in mind can really benefit mankind.

Thank god the occupants of Cabrini Green never had to confront the horrors of Chinese Drywall. Searching the USPSC for recalled products under "Country/Administrative Area of Manufacture: United States" yielded the following list. "CPSC Banner Results of Your Search Each title is linked to the recall involved; they are organized by date with the most recent first. Conduct a New Search. Country/Administrative Area of Manufacture: United States Lennox Hearth Products Recalls Vent-Free Gas Logs and Fireplaces Due to Gas Leak and Fire Hazards (March 25, 2010) Simpson Dura-Vent Recalls Fireplace Dampers Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard (March 23, 2010) Lumetique Recalls Botanika Candles Due to Fire and Laceration Hazards (March 18, 2010) Graco Recalls Harmony High Chairs Due to Fall Hazard (March 18, 2010) Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Roman Shades by Ethan Allen (March 4, 2010) Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Roman Shades by Lutron Electronics (March 2, 2010) Commercial Ice Cube Machines Recalled by Scotsman Due to Fire Hazard (February 25, 2010) Motor Controllers for Submersible Pump Systems Recalled by Franklin Electric Due to Shock Hazard (February 18, 2010) Arctic Cat Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Fire Hazard (February 23, 2010) GE Infrastructure Sensing Recalls Commercial CO2 and Temperature Sensors Due to Fire Hazard (February 18, 2010) Allreds Design Recalls Baby Bracelets and Pacifier Clips Due to Risk of Lead Exposure (February 17, 2010) Summit Treestands Recalls Hunting Tree Stand Brackets Due to Fall Hazard (January 28, 2010) BSH Home Appliances Corp. Expands Recall of Thermador Built-In Ovens Due to Fire Hazard (January 21, 2010) Connector Kits Used with Sonitrol Access Control Modules Recalled; Failure Could Lead to Entrapment in an Emergency (January 21, 2010) Violation of Federal Mattress Flammability Standard Prompts Recall of Mattress Sets by Mattress World (January 13, 2010) Home Improvement Books Recalled by Oxmoor House Due to Faulty Wiring Instructions; Shock or Fire Hazard to Consumers (January 8, 2010) Gas Cans Recalled by No-Spill; Containers Can Leak and Create Fire Hazard (January 7, 2010) Ammonia Recalled by OnLine Packaging Due to Chemical Hazard (January 7, 2010) Polaris Industries Recalls Certain ATVs Due to Crash Hazard (December 22, 2009) Temperature and Pressure Relief Valves for Large Water Heaters Recalled by Watts Regulator Due to Rupture and Burn Hazards (December 22, 2009) Diving Equipment Recalled by Dive Rite Due to Drowning Hazard (December 22, 2009) Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Faux Wood Blinds by American Vintage Group (December 17, 2009) Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall of Roman Shades by Draper Inc. (December 15, 2009) Near Strangulations of Child Prompts Recall to Repair Roman Shades and Roll-Up Blinds by JCPenney (December 15, 2009) MTD Recalls Log Splitters Due to Amputation Hazard (December 10, 2009) Goodman Company Reannounces Recall of Air Conditioner/Heat Pump Units Due to Fire Hazard (December 8, 2009) Rechargeable Batteries Used with Touch Panels for Audio/Visual Systems Recalled by AMX Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (January 28, 2010) Gehl Foods Recalls Nacho Cheese and Chili Sauce Dispensers Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (November 10, 2009) Adventure Playsets Recall to Repair Backyard Swing Sets Due to Fall Hazard (November 5, 2009) Arctic Cat Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Fire Hazard (October 28, 2009) Toro Recalls Zero Turn Mowers Due to Burn Hazard (October 22, 2009) Off-Road Utility Vehicles Recalled by Bad Boy Enterprises Due To Crash Hazard (October 21, 2009) Single Meter Sockets Recalled by Milbank Manufacturing Due to Fire and Electrocution Hazards (October 15, 2009) Zero Motorcycles Recalls Off-Road Motorcycles Due to Crash Hazard (October 15, 2009) Additional Injuries Prompt DeVilbiss to Reannounce Recall of Pressure Washers and Air Compressors Due to Fracture and Laceration Hazards (October 6, 2009) Guardian Full-Face Diving Masks Recalled by Ocean Technology Due to Visor Separation Hazard (October 6, 2009) Diving Equipment Recalled by Halcyon Manufacturing Due to Drowning Hazard (October 1, 2009) Compact Tractors Recalled by John Deere Due to Injury Hazard (September 29, 2009) IMI Cornelius Recalls Juice Dispensers Due to Fire Hazard (September 24, 2009) Furnaces Recalled by Northwest Manufacturing Due to Fire Hazard (September 17, 2009) Frigidaire and Kenmore Smoothtop Electric Ranges Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (August 27, 2009) Strangulation Death of a Child Prompts Recall To Repair Window Blinds By Vertical Land (August 26, 2009) Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Roller Shades by Lutron Shading Solutions (August 26, 2009) Pella Recalls Casement Windows Due to Impact Hazard (August 25, 2009) Ameriwood Recalls Entertainment Stands Sold Exclusively at Walmart Stores Due to Tip-Over Hazard (August 25, 2009) Amplifiers Recalled by Krell Industries Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (August 19, 2009) Little Tikes Recalls Children's Toy Workshop Sets and Trucks Due to Choking Hazard (August 13, 2009) Polaris Recalls Ranger Side-by-Side Vehicles Due to Fire Hazard (August 4, 2009) Frigidaire Recalls Clothes Washers Due to Fire Hazard (July 30, 2009) Little Tikes Recalls Clubhouse Swing Sets Due to Fall Hazard; New Assembly Directions to Be Provided (July 30, 2009) Blitz USA Recalls Enviro-Flo Plus Fuel Containers Due to Fire Hazard (July 28, 2009) Polaris Industries Recalls ATVs Due to Fire Hazard (July 22, 2009) Violation of Federal Mattress Flammability Standard Prompts Recall of Mattresses by Foamorder.com (July 23, 2009) Children's Hooded Jackets and Pullover Sweatshirts with Drawstrings Recalled by Hard Tail Due to Strangulation Hazard (July 9, 2009) Husqvarna Recalls Lawn Tractors; Parking Brake Failure Can Cause Loss of Control (July 8, 2009) Polaris Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Loss of Control Hazard (July 1, 2009) Violation of Federal Mattress Flammability Standard Prompts Recall by Loyal Bedding of Mattress Sets (June 25, 2009) Crane Plumbing Recalls Bath Tubs With A Whirlpool Due to Entrapment and Drowning Hazards (June 23, 2009) Loaded Boards Recalls Orangatang Skateboard Wheels; Blow-outs Pose Risk of Injury to Riders (June 23, 2009) SmartSpark Energy Systems Recalls Battery Equalizers Due to Fire Hazard (June 18, 2009) Viking Range Corporation Recalls Built-In Refrigerators Due to Injury Hazard; Doors Can Detach (June 16, 2009) Children's Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings Recalled by Winterbee Due To Strangulation Hazard (June 10, 2009) Children's Loungewear Recalled by Warm Biscuit Bedding Due to Violation of Federal Flammability Standards (June 4, 2009) Outdoor Play Sets Sold Exclusively at Toys"R"Us Recalled by Step2 Due to Fall Hazard; Swings Can Break (May 27, 2009) Bunn-O-Matic Recalls Single Cup Tea/Coffeemakers Due to Burn Hazard (May 21, 2009) Engine Block and Battery Heaters Used on Polaris Snowmobiles Recalled Due to Shock Hazard (May 13, 2009) Gothic Cabinet Craft Recalls Bunk Beds Due to Fall Hazard (May 21, 2009) Composite Decks Recalled by Louisiana-Pacific; Decks Can Deteriorate and Break, Posing Fall Hazard (May 13, 2009) Lumetique Recalls Botanika Candles Due to Fire Hazard (May 12, 2009) HMI Industries Recalls Floor Cleaners Due to Burn Hazard (April 29, 2009) Leg Curl Fitness Machines Recalled by Paramount Fitness Due To Crushing Hazard (April 27, 2009) Bush Hog Off-Road Utility Vehicles Recalled Due to Loss of Speed Control; Cash Incentive Offered (April 16, 2009) Polaris Industries Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Fire Hazard (April 7, 2009) Brave Products Reannounces Recall of Log Splitters; Additional Incidents Prompt Urgent Warning of Amputation Hazard (April 1, 2009) Outerwears Inc. Recalls Filters Used in Fuel Funnels Due to Fire Hazard (March 26, 2009) Central Fireplace Recalls Fireplaces Due to Laceration Hazard (March 27, 2009) Educational Craft Kits Recalled by FloraCraft Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard (March 18, 2009) Kubota Recalls Riding Mowers Due to Fire Hazard (March 17, 2009) Tippmann A-5 Paintball Markers Recalled for Repair Due to Risk of Injury (March 12, 2009) Valero Marketing & Supply Co. Announce Recall to Inspect Propane Gas; Can Pose Fire and Burn Hazard (March 12, 2009) Maytag Recalls Refrigerators Due to Fire Hazard (March 10, 2009) Ritchie Immersion Heaters Recalled By Springfield Wire Due to Shock Hazard (March 4, 2009) Compound Bows Recalled by BowTech Archery; Bow Can Unexpectedly Break Apart (February 18, 2009) Evenflo Recalls Children's Activity Centers Due to Fall Hazard (February 17, 2009) Strangulation Death of a Child Prompts Hill Sportswear To Recall Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings (February 12, 2009) Outdoor Stoves Recalled by Jetboil Due to Burn Hazard (February 11, 2009) Playland International Recalls Swing Sets Due to Fall Hazard (February 4, 2009) L.L. Bean Recalls Ice Cleats Used During Winter Weather Due to Fall Hazard (January 29, 2009) Lane Home Furnishings Recalls Glider Recliners Due to Fall Hazard (January 27, 2009) Rheem Recalls to Repair Oil-Fired Furnaces Due to Fire Hazard (January 22, 2009) Saris Cycling Group Recalls Stationary Bicycle Trainers Due to Fall Hazard (January 22, 2009) Bosch and Siemens Model Dishwashers Recalled by BSH Home Appliances Corporation Due to Fire Hazard (January 15, 2009) Fire Alarm Control Panels Recalled by Notifier Due to Alert Failure (December 30, 2008) Faulty Instructions Prompt Recall of Electrical Wiring How-to-Books by The Taunton Press; Shock Hazard to Consumers (December 30, 2008) Commercial Frozen Food Merchandisers Recalled by Tyler Refrigeration Due to Fire Hazard (December 11, 2008) Arctic Cat Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Fire Hazard (December 16, 2008) The Toro Company Reannounces Recall of Electric Blowers Due to Projectile Hazards (December 11, 2008) Heavy Duty Acidic Cleaner Recalled by DuPont Due to Leaking Cap; Poses Risk of Severe Skin Irritation (November 25, 2008) Candela Recalls Candles Due to Fire and Burn Hazards; Sold Exclusively at Anthropologie Stores (November 20, 2008) Watts Water Technologies Recalls Rotor and Shaft Assemblies Due to Fire Hazard (November 20, 2008) ImagiPLAY Recalls Bead Maze Toys Due to Laceration Hazard (November 20, 2008) Brownie's Third Lung Recalls Air Compressors Due to Drowning Hazard (November 19, 2008) GE Recalls to Inspect and Repair Wall Ovens Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (November 18, 2008) Lithium-Ion Batteries Used with Bicycle Lights Recalled By DiNotte Lighting Due to Burn Hazard (November 18, 2008) Sherwin-Williams Co. Recalls Krylon UV Fabric Protector Due to Respiratory Hazard (November 4, 2008) Cybex International Recalls Treadmills Due to Fall Hazard; Can Speed Up Unexpectedly (October 29, 2008) Serta International Recalls Mattresses Due to Violation of Federal Mattress Flammability Standard (October 28, 2008) Murray Riding Lawn Mowers Recalled By Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (October 23, 2008) Gas Vent Dampers Recalled by Effikal Due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard (October 9, 2008) Shivvers Manufacturing Recalls Lawn Mower Jacks Due to Collapse Hazard (September 26, 2008) Igloo Products Announces Recall of Coolers Due to Laceration Hazard; Sold Exclusively in West Marine Stores (September 24, 2008) Gotham Lighting Recalls Compact Fluorescent Recessed Ceiling Lights; Can Fail to Work in an Emergency (September 23, 2008) Deere & Company Recalls Gator XUV Utility Vehicles Due to Fire Hazard (September 16, 2008) PB Heat Recalls Gas Boilers Due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard (September 11, 2008) Sony Recalls Notebook Computers Due to Burn Hazard (September 4, 2008) Wolf Appliance Recalls Gas Ranges Due to Burn Hazard (September 3, 2008) Optave Inc. Recalls Action Baby Carriers Due to Fall Hazard (September 3, 2008) GIA Instruments Recalls Polariscopes Due to Shock Hazard (August 28, 2008) Indoor Lighting Fixtures Recalled by Lithonia Lighting Due to Impact Hazard (August 27, 2008) Goodman Company Recalls Air Conditioner/Heat Pump (PTAC) Units Due to Fire Hazard (August 27, 2008) Gardner Bender Recalls Electrical Wire Splices Due to Shock and Fire Hazards (August 20, 2008) New England Ropes Recalls Climbing Lines Due to Fall Hazard (July 29, 2008) Reebok International Ltd. Recalls Exercise Cycles Due to Laceration Hazard (July 24, 2008) Indoor Lighting Fixtures Recalled by Lithonia Lighting Due to Fire Hazard (July 22, 2008) Log Splitter Engines Recalled By American Honda Motor Co. Due to Fire Hazard (July 17, 2008) All-Terrain Vehicles Recalled By American Honda Motor Co. Due to Risk of Loss of Control Hazard (July 17, 2008) Polaris Industries Inc. Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Risk of Injury to Riders (July 11, 2008) Propane Storage Tanks Recalled By American Welding & Tank Due to Risk of Gas Leak; Can Pose Fire and Burn Hazard (July 11, 2008) Lawn Mowers Recalled by American Honda Motor Corp. Due to Laceration Hazard (July 10, 2008) Paintball Gun Adapters Recalled by RAP4 Due to Impact and Laceration Hazards (July 2, 2008) E-Z-GO Recalls RXV Golf Cars Due to Fall Hazard (June 27, 2008) Miracle Recreation Recalls Tire Swings Due to Fall Hazard (June 24, 2008) Bush Hog Off-Road Utility Vehicles Recalled Due to Loss of Speed Control (June 18, 2008) MTD Recalls Utility Vehicles Due to Fire Hazard (June 11, 2008) Simmons Kids Recalls Crib Mattresses Due to Entrapment Hazard (June 5, 2008) Polaris Industries Expands Recall of ATVs Due to Fire Hazard (June 4, 2008) Fireplace Wall Controls Recalled by Hearth & Home Technologies; High Temperatures Can Result in Property Damage (May 28, 2008) Additional Incidents Prompt Re-Announcement of Recall of Gel Candles Due to Fire Hazard (May 23, 2008) Fuel Cells Used With Framing Nailers Recalled by Paslode for Fire Hazard (May 15, 2008) Maran Inc. Children's Hooded Jackets with Drawstrings Recalled Due to Strangulation Hazard; Sold Exclusively at TJ Maxx (May 15, 2008) American Honda Motor Co. Recalls ATVs Due to Loss of Steering Control (May 8, 2008) Weil-McLain Gas Boilers Recalled Due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard (May 6, 2008) Williamson-Thermoflo Gas Boilers Recalled Due to Carbon Monoxide Hazard (May 6, 2008) Playworld Systems Recalls Swing Sets Due to Fall Hazard Caused by Defective Clevises (May 6, 2008) Beco Baby Carrier Recalls "Beco Butterfly" Infant Carriers (April 22, 2008) Fire Alarm Control Panel Recalled By Gamewell FCI Due to Alert Failure (April 9, 2008) Goodman Manufacturing Co. Recalls Heating and Cooling Units Due to Fire Hazard (April 3, 2008) A.O. Smith Recalls Gas Water Heaters Due to Fire and Carbon Monoxide Hazards (April 3, 2008) Cabot Recalls Composite Deck Cleaner Due to Inhalation and Fire Hazard (April 2, 2008) Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. Recalls Rhino Side-by-Side Vehicles Due to Risk of Brake Failure (March 25, 2008) Polaris Industries Inc. Recalls ATVs Due to Risk of Injury to Riders (March 4, 2008) Greenheck Fan Recalls Indirect Gas Fired Furnaces Due to Risk of Fire (February 21, 2008) Polaris Industries Expands Recall of ATVs Due to Fire Hazard (February 14, 2008) Brian Smith Recalls Serene Float Tanks Due to Electrocution Hazard (January 24, 2008) The Wick & Petal Co. Recalls Candles Due to Fire Hazard (January 17, 2008) John Deere Tractors Recalled Due to Collision Hazard (January 16, 2008) ATVs Recalled By American Honda Motor Co. Due to Loss of Speed Control (January 9, 2008) Cannondale Recalls Scalpel Mountain Bikes; Frame Failure Poses Crash Hazard (January 8, 2008) Bathroom Medicine Cabinets Sold at Lowe's and The Home Depot Retail Outlets Recalled by RSI Home Products Due to Laceration Hazard (January 3, 2008) World Dryer Recalls to Repair Hand and Hair Dryers Due to Electric Shock Hazard (December 27, 2007) Teething Rings Recalled by Empire Silver Due to Choking Hazard (December 21, 2007) American Honda Motor Corp. Recalls Lawn Mowers Due to Laceration Hazard (December 19, 2007) Outdoor Vacuums with Honda Engines Recalled By Billy Goat Industries Inc. Due to Fire Hazard (December 12, 2007) ROMI Recalls SCUBA Regulators Due to Drowning Hazard (December 11, 2007) Sauder Woodworking Recalls TV Stands Due to TV Tip-over Hazard (December 11, 2007) Nautilus Recalls Bowflex® Ultimate 2 Home Gyms Due to Risk of Injury (December 6, 2007) Polaris Recalls Certain Ranger Utility Vehicles Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (December 6, 2007) RC2 Recalls The First Years Children's Feeding Seats Due to Fall Hazard (December 6, 2007) Child's Death Leads to Recall of Entertainment Centers by Ameriwood; Units Can Collapse (December 5, 2007) General Electric Recalls Microwave Combo Wall Ovens Due to Fire Hazard (December 5, 2007) Children's Snow and Sand Castle Kits by Paricon Recalled Due to Sharp Edges; Sold Exclusively at LL Bean (November 21, 2007) Iceberg Enterprises LLC Recalls Folding Chairs Due to Fall Hazard (November 13, 2007) American Honda Motor Corp. Recalls Lawn Mowers Due to Fire Hazard (November 8, 2007) Polaris Industries Inc. Recalls Certain Snowmobiles Due to Fire Hazard (November 6, 2007) Blastrac Recalls to Repair Concrete Grinders Due to Injury Risk from Ejected Parts (October 25, 2007) Cybex International Inc. Recalls Treadmills Previously Repaired Due to Fire Hazard (October 23, 2007) Reynolds Recalls Bicycle Forks Due to Fall Hazard (October 23, 2007) Collegiate Pacific Recalls Power Packs for Portable Team Hydration Units Due to Injury Hazard (October 22, 2007) Deere & Company Recalls Utility Vehicles Due to Injury Hazard (October 17, 2007) BCI Recalls Swing Sets Due to Fall Hazard (September 25, 2007) Berko Electric Toe-Space Heaters Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (August 30, 2007) M&J Engineering Recalls Swivels for Scuba Diving Masks Due to Drowning Hazard (August 29, 2007) Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Recalls Skil® Circular Saws Due to Laceration Hazard (August 15, 2007) Rehvac Manufacturing Recalls Safety Relief Plugs Due to Injury Hazard; Plugs Used on Nitrous Oxide Systems and Heating and Air Conditioning Service Tools (August 3, 2007) Club Car Inc. Recalls Golf Cars and Other Vehicles; Mechanical Failure Can Result in Loss of Steering Control (August 3, 2007) Trane CleanEffects™ and American Standard AccuClean™ Air Filtration Systems Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (August 3, 2007) Serious Facial Injury from Explosion of Aerosol Can Prompts Sherwin-Williams Recall; Firm Warns Consumers Not to Handle Hi-Heat™ Coating Cans (August 3, 2007) LED Lights Recalled by Plan 9 Due to Fire Hazard (August 3, 2007) Gamewell-FCI Recalls to Upgrade Software Used with Fire Alarm System Control Panels (July 27, 2007) Pacifiers Decorated with Crystals Recalled Due to Aspiration and Ingestion Hazards (July 26, 2007) Frozen Carbonated Beverage Dispensers Recalled by IMI Cornelius Due to Fire Hazard (July 26, 2007) The Toro Company Recalls Electric Blowers Due to Projectile Hazards (July 26, 2007) Sauder Woodworking Recalls TV Stands Due to Collapse Hazard (July 25, 2007) Additional Incidents Prompt Log Splitter Recall Expansion by Brave Products; Could Pose Serious Injury Risk (July 24, 2007) Injuries Prompt Recall of Combination Tire Inflator and Hand Pumps by Genuine Innovations (July 17, 2007) Fire Hazard with Thermador® Built-In Ovens Leads to Recall by BSH Home Appliances Corp. (June 29, 2007) CPSC, Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. Announce Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (June 28, 2007) ATVs Recalled by Polaris Industries Inc. Due to Fire Hazard (June 20, 2007) Cummins Power Generation Inc. Recalls Stationary Natural Gas and Propane Fueled Generators Due to Fire Hazard (June 19, 2007) Briggs & Stratton Snow Thrower Engines Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (June 18, 2007) Cannondale Announces Recall of Mountain Bicycles; Lefty Forks Can Break Unexpectedly (June 13, 2007) Globe Fire Sprinkler Corp. Recalls Dry Fire Sprinklers: Model J Heads Can Fail to Operate During a Fire (June 12, 2007) General Electric Recalls Gas Ranges Due to Fire Hazard (June 6, 2007) Polaris Recalls Select Hawkeye Model ATVs Due to Loss of Control Hazard � Three Crashes Reported (May 30, 2007) Polaris Recalls Select Hawkeye Model ATVs for Steering Post Failure Hazard (May 30, 2007) General Electric Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard (May 16, 2007) Fall Hazard Prompts NHTSA, CPSC and Evenflo to Announce Recall of Embrace™ Infant Car Seat/Carriers (May 10, 2007) FLOR' Inc. Recalls Carpet Tiles Due to Puncture Hazard (May 9, 2007, Last Revised October 16, 2008) Coast Spas and Franklin Electric Co. Recall Coast Spas Due to Fire Hazard (May 3, 2007) Polaris Industries Inc. Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Loss of Control Hazard (April 26, 2007) Mastex Recalls Foot Warmer Due to Burn Hazard (April 3, 2007) Laars Heating Systems Recalls Gas Boilers and Water Heaters Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard (March 19, 2007) Weber-Stephen Products Recalls Gas Grills Due to Fire Hazard (March 6, 2007) Pelagic Recalls Digital Dive Computers Due to Decompression Hazard (February 28, 2007) Gel Candles Recalled By M & A Global Technologies Due to Fire Hazard (February 22, 2007) Zoeller Pump Co. Recalls Septic Pumps Due to Shock Hazard (February 14, 2007) Maytag Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard (February 1, 2007) Gamewell-FCI Recalls to Upgrade Software Used with Fire Alarm System Control Boards (January 31, 2007) Old Williamsburgh Candle Corp. Recalls Mason Jar Candles Due To Laceration and Burn Hazard (January 30, 2007) Flojet Recalls VAC Pumps Sold With LeBleu 50-Gallon Bottled Water System for Shock Hazard (January 25, 2007) TAC LLC Recalls "Erie Boiler Boss" Boiler Controls for Scald Hazard (January 25, 2007) Weil-McLain Co. Recalls Boilers for Leaking Exhaust, Carbon Monoxide (January 22, 2007) Cannondale Recalls 2007 Model Road Bicycles Due to Brake Failure (January 9, 2007) Pentair Water Pool and Spa Inc. Recalls Gas Pool Heaters for Carbon Monoxide Hazard (January 4, 2007) Nitrous Oxide Systems Recalls Snowmobile and ATV NOS Kit Bottles that Can Forcefully Burst (January 3, 2007) Crown Boiler Co. Recalls Boilers Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard (December 19, 2006) Pressure Washers and Air Compressors Recalled By DeVilbiss Due to Fracture and Laceration Hazards (December 15, 2006) ANSUL Recalls Fire Extinguisher that Could Fail to Operate (November 13, 2006) Warn Industries Inc. Recalls Eight-Post ATV Winch Kits for Overheating (November 8, 2006) Weil-McLain Recalls Ultra Series Boilers for Carbon Monoxide Hazard (October 31, 2006) ITT Water Technology Inc. Expands Recall of Faulty Pumps for Fire Suppression Systems (October 25, 2006) Delta Faucet Co. Recalls Bathtub and Shower Temperature Control Valves Due to Scald Hazard (October 25, 2006) Streetlights Recalled by Beacon Products Due to Injury Hazard to Passersby (October 25, 2006) Petzl America Recalls Climbing Equipment Due to Fall Hazard (October 18, 2006) Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA Recalls ATV for Loss of Steering Control Hazard (October 19, 2006) FreeMotion Fitness Inc. Recalls Exercise Machines - Weights Can Unexpectedly Drop, Hit Users (October 3, 2006) Scubapro Recalls MK 20 Scuba Regulators for Service (October 2, 2006) Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. Recalls MULE Utility Vehicles Due to Loss of Steering Hazard (September 27, 2006) LEGO Recalls Toy Trucks Due to Puncture Hazard to Young Children (September 20, 2006) Arctic Cat Inc. Recalls Snowmobiles Due to Loss of Steering Control Hazard (September 19, 2006) Segway Inc. Recall to Repair Segway® Personal Transporters (September 14, 2006, Revised September 28, 2006) Delta Combination Water Heaters Recalled by Triangle Tube for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hazard (September 7, 2006) Deere & Company Recalls Lawn Tractors, Blade Could Operate While Mower Unattended (August 29, 2006) Milano Stools Sold at Lowe's Stores Recalled Due to Fall Hazard (August 29, 2006) ITT Water Technology Inc. Recalls Faulty Pumps for Fire Suppression Systems (August 23, 2006) Blount International Inc. Recalls Replacement Blades for Use with Snapper Riding Lawnmowers Due to Laceration Hazard (August 23, 2006) 5-Gallon Zep-Brand Cleaner, Floor Stripper Sold at Home Depot Recalled, Containers Crack and Leak Corrosive Liquids (August 17, 2006) Black & Decker Expands Recall of Cordless Electric Lawnmowers Due to Fire Hazard (August 16, 2006) Gotham Light Fixtures Recalled Due to Risk of Falling Parts (August 15, 2006) Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corp. Recall of Frameworx Table Height Chairs and Bar Stools (August 11, 2006) Quiksilver Recalls Children's Lounge Pants Due to Burn Hazard (August 9, 2006) Robertshaw Controls Co. Recalls Gas Controls Installed in Commercial Cooking Appliances for Fire Hazard (August 2, 2006, Revised October 5, 2006) Deere & Co. Recall Compact Utility Tractors for Seat Belt Bracket Failure Hazard (July 25, 2006) Generac Power Systems Inc. Recalls Engines to Replace Fuel Tanks Due to Risk of Fire (July 27, 2006) Bunn-O-Matic Corp. Expands Recall of Home Coffeemakers Due to Burn and Fire Hazards (July 25, 2006) American Suzuki Motor Corp. Recalls All-Terrain Vehicles (July 24, 2006) Bear Archery Recalls Compound Crossbows Due to Faulty Trigger Mechanisms (July 14, 2006) Ryobi Radial Arm Saws Recalled for Blade Detachment Hazard (July 13, 2006) M2Racer LLC Recalls Bicycle Headsets for Fall Hazard (July 12, 2006) Husqvarna Outdoor Products Inc. Recalls Lawn Tractors for Fire Hazard (July 11, 2006) Heat & Glo Indoor/Outdoor Gas Fireplaces Recalled for Fire Hazard (July 5, 2006) CFM Corp. Recalls Sequoia Wood Burning Fireplaces for Fire Hazard (June 28, 2006, Revised December 10, 2008) The Swiss Colony Recalls Money Bag Candles for Fire Hazard (June 26, 2006) Oceanic Recalls Digital Dive Computer Due to Decompression Hazard (June 22, 2006) Safety Alert: Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Masonry Drill Bits Lack Safety Warning Label (June 9, 2006) Extreme Engineering Recalls Wall Climbing Cable Assemblies Due to Fall Hazard (June 9, 2006) Light Fixtures Recalled After Reports of Units Falling (May 23, 2006, Revised November 15, 2006 ) Arctic Cat Inc. Announces Recall of Off-Highway Utility Vehicles (May 23, 2006) Adventure Playsets Recalls Swing Sets - Detaching Frames Pose Fall Hazard (May 11, 2006) American Innovations Corp. Recalls Ladder Extensions that Can Detach and Hit Consumers (May 10, 2006) RedMax Backpack Blowers Recalled Due to Fire Hazard (April 25, 2006, Revised May 22, 2007) Arctic Cat Recalls Snowmobiles Posing Fire and Burn Hazard (April 25, 2006) CCH Inc. Recalls Mountain Climbing Camming Anchor Due to Fall Hazard (April 18, 2006) Toe-Kick Saws Recalled Due to Broken Handles (April 13, 2006) Tropitone Recalls "Impressions Side Chair" for Fall Hazard (April 11, 2006) Polaris Industries Inc. Recalls Snowmobiles for Steering Hazard (April 11, 2006) Inverness Medical Nutritionals Group Recall of Iron Supplements (March 16, 2006) Swing Sets Recalled for Repair Due to Risk of Top Beam Disconnecting (March 15, 2006) American Suzuki Motor Corp. Recalls All-Terrain Vehicles for Fire Hazard (March 9, 2006) Infant Seats for Shopping Carts Recalled, Chalky Residue Could Cause Skin Irritation (March 1, 2006) Victoria's Secret Direct Recall of Silk Kimono Tops (February 23, 2006) Lasko Recalls Box and Pivoting Floor Fans Posing Fire Hazard (February 8, 2006) Weil-McLain Company Recall of Boilers (February 1, 2006) Four Seasons and Cardinal IG Co. Recall to Repair Sunroom Roof Glass (February 2, 2006, Revised July 6, 2006) Porter-Cable Recall to Repair Routers (January 24, 2006) L.L. Bean Recall of Safety Kits (January 24, 2006) Generac Power Systems Inc. Recall of Fuel Hoses Sold with Guardian Home Generators (January 11, 2006) Neptune Systems Recalls Power Strips for Shock Hazard (January 11, 2006) Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. Recall of Utility Vehicles (January 11, 2006) Stihl Inc. Recall of Chain Saws (January 11, 2006) American Biophysics Corp. Recall of Accessory Used to Clean Mosquito Magnet (January 11, 2006) General Electric Recall of Gas Ranges Posing Fire Hazard (December 15, 2005) American Honda Motor Corp. Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (December 14, 2005) Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (December 8, 2005) Porter-Cable Recall to Repair Circular Saws (November 29, 2005) Sanus Systems Recall of Television Wall Mounting Units (November 28, 2005 ) Retailers Recall of Waterless Vaporizers and Aromatherapy Diffusers (November 17, 2005) Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. Recall of ATVs (November 2, 2005) International Comfort Products LLC Recall to Repair "Packaged Gas Electric" Heating and Cooling Units, or "Gas-Packs" (October 19, 2005) Stihl Inc. Recall of Backpack Blowers (October 18, 2005) Polaris Industries Inc. Recall of Snowmobiles (October 14, 2005) A.O. Smith Recall of Water Heaters (October 6, 2005) W.C. Wood Company Inc. Recall of Upright Freezers and Single Door Refrigerators (September 27, 2005) Arctic Cat Inc. Recall of Off-Highway Utility Vehicles (September 22, 2005) E-Z-GO Recall to Repair Golf Cars (September 8, 2005 ) Tile Perfect Inc. Recall of Stand'n Seal Grout Sealer Due to Respiratory Problems (August 31, 2005) ZoloWear Recall of Infant Carriers/Slings (August 23, 2005) Kadant Composites Inc. Recall of Certain GeoDeck™ Decking and Railing Materials (August 19, 2005, Last Revised April 28, 2008 ) DESA Heating Products Recall of Compact Gas Fireplaces (August 2, 2005) WaveCrest Laboratories LLC Recall of Electric Bicycles (August 2, 2005) Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. Recall of ATVs (August 2, 2005) ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. Recall to Repair Epic T60 Treadmills (August 3, 2005) Polaris Industries Recall of 900 Fusion, 900 RMK, and 900 Switchback Snowmobiles (July 28, 2005) American Suzuki Motor Corp. Recall of ATVs (July 28, 2005) Kidde Recall of Industrial Fire Extinguishers (July 26, 2005) VisionTech USA, Inc. Recall of Bicycle Aero Bars (July 25, 2005) NBTY Inc. Recall of Multivitamins (July 12, 2005) Rolf Prima Inc. Recall of Bicycle Wheels (July 6, 2005) HiPer Technology Inc. Recall of ATV Wheels (July 1, 2005) Club Car Recall of Golf Cars (July 5, 2005) Polaris Industries Expanded Recall of Select Model Year 2004.5 and 2005 ATVs (June 24, 2005) FF Acquisition Wheeled Goods Corp. Recall of Go-Karts (June 21, 2005, Revised April 20, 2006) Jotul North America Recall to Repair Liquid Propane Fueled Stoves (June 14, 2005, Revised June 7, 2007) The Perrigo Co. Recall of Multivitamins (June 13, 2005) Bunn-O-Matic Recall of Home Coffeemakers (June 10, 2005) MSA Recall of Climbing Wall Descenders (June 3, 2005) DeWALT Recall to Repair Framing Nailers (June 3, 2005) Hitachi Cable Manchester Inc. Recall of 25- and 50-Pair Plenum Network Cables (May 31, 2005) Home Interiors & Gifts Inc. Recall of Candle Tins (May 31, 2005, Revised February 21, 2006) Carter Brothers Manufacturing Co. Inc. Recall of Fun-Kart Go-Karts (May 20, 2005) Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Recall of Circular Saws (May 18, 2005) Polaris Industries Recall of Select Model Year 2004 and 2005 Snowmobiles (May 19, 2005, Revised August 8, 2006) Cascade Designs, Inc. Recall of Stove Fuel (May 18, 2005) Michaels of Oregon Recall of Handgun Holsters (May 17, 2005) Ethan Allen Recall of Two Dining Tables (May 17, 2005) Bush Hog, LLC Recall of Utility Vehicles (May 12, 2005) Midwest Folding Products Recall to Repair Optional Guard Rails on Standing Choral Risers (May 11, 2005) Polaris Industries Recall of Select Model Year 2004.5 and 2005 Sportsman and 2005 Model Year Scrambler ATVs (May 3, 2005) American Suzuki Motor Corp. Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (April 29, 2005) Heat & Glo Recall of Gas Fireplaces (April 27, 2005) Bell & Gossett Recall of Dual Unit Valves (April 27, 2005) Royal Seating Ltd. Recall of Children's Chairs (April 21, 2005) American Honda Motor Co. Recall of ATVs (April 14, 2005) Maytag Corp. Recall of Hoover Self-Propelled Upright Vacuum Cleaners (April 14, 2005) L.L. Bean Inc. Recall of Director's Chairs, Replacement Seats (April 6, 2005) Nature's Finest Recall of Gel Candles (March 28, 2005) Arctic Cat Inc. Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) (March 24, 2005) Graco Children's Products Recall of Toddler Beds (March 22, 2005) CF Roark Welding & Engineering Recall of Bicycle Frames (March 11, 2005) Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. Recall of Kawasaki Prairie™ 700 ATVs (March 14, 2005) Polaris Industries Recall of "900 Fusion," "900 RMK" and "900 Switchback" Snowmobiles (March 14, 2005) Lithonia Lighting Recall of Indoor HID Light Fixture Cords (March 11, 2005) Shaw Industries Inc. Recall of Carpet Sold at Menards Stores (March 9, 2005) Lithonia Lighting Recall of Indoor HID Light Fixtures (March 29, 2004) Ginger Recall of Bathroom Light Fixtures (March 1, 2005) Whirlpool Corporation Recall of Dishwashers (February 25, 2005, Revised April 8, 2005) Tiffany and Company Recall of Farm Teether Rattles (February 25, 2005) Kawasaki Motors Corp. USA Recall of ATVs (February 28, 2005) GE Recall of Built-In Dishwashers (February 18, 2005, Revised January 20, 2006) Brave Products Recall of Log Splitters (February 15, 2005) BISSELL Recall to Repair Upright Carpet Cleaners (February 11, 2005, Revised June 23, 2009 ) Stihl Inc. Recall of Multi-Task Tools (February 11, 2005) American Standard Companies Recall of Gas-Electric Heating/Cooling Units (February 11, 2005) Vernier Software & Technology Recall of Go! Temp Temperature Sensors (February 9, 2005) Leiner Health Products Recall of Multivitamins (January 28, 2005) Country Home Products Recall to Repair DR Leaf and Lawn Vacuums (February 1, 2005) Lakewood Recall of Oil-Filled Electric Heaters (January 26, 2005, Revised April 15, 2009 ) Jumpking Inc.® Recall of Trampolines, Enclosures (January 25, 2005) Research Products Corp. Recall of Electronic Air Cleaners (January 24, 2005,Revised July 8, 2005) Club Car Inc. Recall to Repair DS Golf Cars, Hospitality, Utility & Transport Vehicles and Rough Terrain Vehicles (January 13, 2005) SHURflo Recall to Repair Backpack Sprayers (January 11, 2005) The Step 2 Co. Recall to Repair Toddler Swings (January 4, 2005, Revised March 23, 2006) GE Security Inc. Retrofit/Recall of Smoke Detector Systems (December 22, 2004) First Team Inc. Recall of Basketball Hoops (December 14, 2004) Exmark Recall of Lazer Z Zero Turn Radius Riding Lawn Mowers (December 6, 2004) American Suzuki Motor Corporation Recall of 2004 & 2005 Eiger™ and Vinson® ATVs (December 7, 2004) Polaris Industries Recall of 900 Fusion, 900 RMK Snowmobiles (December 7, 2004) Electrolux Home Products Inc. Recall of Husqvarna Lawn Tractors (December 6, 2004) Scag Power Equipment Recall of Tiger Cub Lawn Tractors (December 6, 2004) Deere & Company Recall of Riding Mowers (November 24, 2004) Kubota Recall of Utility Vehicles (November 19, 2004) Maytag Corp. Recall of Jenn-Air Gas Cooktops (November 17, 2004) York International Recall of Gas Furnaces (November 15, 2004) Deere & Company Recall of Gator HPX Utility Vehicles (November 9, 2004) Answer Products Inc. Recall of Bicycle Suspension Forks (November 8, 2004) Valvoline Recall of Brake Cleaner and Brake Parts Cleaner (November 4, 2004 ) Polaris Industries Recall of RANGER 4x4 Utility Vehicles (October 21, 2004) Runtal North America Inc. Recall to Replace Runtal Sundance Towel Radiators (October 5, 2004) Goodman Company, L.P. Recall of Amana, Trane, and American Standard Brand Package Terminal Air Conditioners/Heat Pumps (September 30, 2004) Sauder Woodworking Recall of TV/VCR Carts (September 28, 2004 ) Polaris Industries Recall of ATVs Dispensers (September 27, 2004) Arctic Cat Inc. Recall of Certain 2004 Snowmobiles (September 16, 2004) IMI Cornelius Recall to Repair Frozen Carbonate Drink Dispensers (September 17, 2004) Polaris Industries Recall of ATVs (September 14, 2004) Suzuki Recall of Four-Wheel Drive Eiger ATVs (September 9, 2004) Halcyon Manufacturing Recall of SCUBA BC Inflators (September 2, 2004 ) Boston Billows Inc. Recall of Nursing Pillows (September 1, 2004) GE Recall of Ranges and Wall Ovens (August 26, 2004) Whirlpool Recall of Cooking Products (August 26, 2004) Seventh Avenue Inc. Recall of Kitchen Krumblers Candle (August 18, 2004) American Signature Recall of Dinette Chairs (August 18, 2004) PJ Sleep Shop Recall to Repair Bunk Beds (August 11, 2004) OTT-LITE Technology Recall of "10,000 Lux Light Box" That Simulates Natural Sunlight (August 11, 2004) Osram Sylvania Products Recall of Decorative Light Bulbs (August 4, 2004) Vornado Air Circulation Systems Recall of Portable Electric Heaters (August 3, 2004) Matsushita Electric Corporation of America Recall of Combination TV/VCRs (July 30, 2004) Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. Recall to Repair Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (July 27, 2004) BSH Home Appliances Corp. Recall to Repair Range Hoods (July 20, 2004) Shivvers Manufacturing Recall of Blower Blades for the Jazee and Jazee One Grass Collection Systems (July 21, 2004) Simplicity Manufacturing Recall to Repair Lawn Tractors and Riding Mowers (July 20, 2004 ) Graco Children's Products Announce Recall Travel Lite� Swings (July 13, 2004) Elkay Manufacturing Co. Recall of Bottled Water Coolers (July 13, 2004) Playworld Systems Inc. Recall to Repair Swing Sets (July 12, 2004) Rivers Edge/Ardisam, Inc. Recall of Tree Stands (July 6, 2004) Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. Recall of Ratchet Winch Kits, Sold as Accessory for Snowmobiles (July 6, 2004, Revised November 2, 2007) Echo Inc. Recall of Gas-Powered Hand Tools (June 29, 2004, Revised July 1, 2005 ) Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Inc. Recall of Grocery Frozen Food Case Heaters (June 16, 2004) Allen Organ Company Recall of Wooden Organ Bench (June 14, 2004) CPSC, Dynamic Cooking Systems Announce Recall of Self-Cleaning Wall Ovens (June 8, 2004) Electrolux Home Products Recall of Air Conditioning/Heating Units (June 3, 2004) A. O. Smith Co. Recall of Spas (May 27, 2004) Great Gifts Recall of Snowmen Holiday Lamps (May 19, 2004) CESSO, LLC Recall of Tree Stand Components (May 18, 2004) Shaw Industries Announce Recall of Flammable Carpet (May 6, 2004) Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. Recall to Repair Bunk Beds (April 22, 2004) American Standard Companies Recall of Trane and American Standard Accessory Electric Heaters (April 20, 2004 ) Deere & Company Recall of Compact Utility Tractors (April 9, 2004) Valley Dynamo Recall of Air Hockey Tables (April 2, 2004, Revised April 10, 2006 ) Lithonia Lighting Recall of Indoor HID Light Fixtures (March 8, 2005) Stanley Furniture Company Inc. Recall of Cribs (March 24, 2004) Murray Inc. Recall of Lawn Mowers and Lawn Tractors (March 23, 2004, Revised December 1, 2005 ) Murray Inc. Recall of Lawn Tractors (March 23, 2004, Revised December 1, 2005 ) Bath & Body Works Recall of Votive Candles (March 18, 2004) Brass Light Gallery Recall of Wall Sconces (March 17, 2004) Lakewood Recall of Electric Heaters (March 17, 2004, Revised April 15, 2009 ) CPSC, Ariens Co. Announce Recall of Snow Throwers (February 18, 2004) Polaris Industries Recall of Accessory Skis for Snowmobiles (February 12, 2004) Progress Lighting Recall of Fluorescent Light Fixtures (February 11, 2004) "Mega Rider" Swings Recalled by Swing-N-Slide (February 5, 2004) Bowflex Power Pro Fitness Machines Recalled by Nautilus Direct (January 29, 2004) Sta-Rite Industries Recall of Pool Filters (January 28, 2004) Flagpoles Recalled by Kearney-National, Hapco Division (January 20, 2004) Deere & Company Recall of Compact Utility Tractors (December 23, 2003) Wet/Dry Vacuums Recalled by Emerson Tool Company (December 16, 2003) Hill-Rom Recall of Rocking Chairs (December 15, 2003) Guth Lighting Recall of Lighting Fixtures (December 18, 2003) Zutopia (a division of Wet Seal Inc.) Recall of Girl's Loungewear (December 12, 2003) Arctic Cat Inc. Recall of Snowmobiles (December 12, 2003) Infinity and Lifestyle Spas Recalled by Firms (December 9, 2003 ) Club Car Inc. Recall to Repair Hunting Vehicles (December 3, 2003) Bachtold Brothers Inc. Recall of Brush Cutters (December 2, 2003) Cub Cadet Recall of Compact Tractors (November 18, 2003) Polaris Industries Inc. Announce Recall of ATVs (November 12, 2003) Notifier Recall for Fire Alarm Panels (October 30, 2003) Fire Control Instruments Recall for Audio Evacuation Units (October 30, 2003) Koyker Manufacturing Recall of Utility Vehicles (October 21, 2003) "Candle and Soap Making For Dummies" Instruction Book Recalled by John Wiley & Sons Inc. (October 15, 2003) Buck Knives Inc. Recall of Pocket Knives (October 15, 2003) Lawnmowers Recalled by Honda Power Equipment Manufacturing Inc. (October 15, 2003) Cybex International Recall of Treadmills (October 8, 2003) Kawasaki Recall of ATVs (October 7, 2003) Melting Pot Gift Sets Recalled by Lang Candles Ltd. (September 25, 2003, Revised August 8, 2005 ) Segway LLC Recall to Upgrade Software on Segway® Human Transporters (September 26, 2003) LP-Gas Regulators Used on Gas Grills Recalled by Marshall Gas Controls (September 25, 2003) Bottled Water with Sport Caps Recalled by CCDA Waters LLC (September 17, 2003) Telephone Line-Sharing Devices Recalled by OnQ Technologies (September 10, 2003) Gas Grills Recalled by Weber-Stephen Products (September 10, 2003) Life Fitness Recall to Repair Treadmills (September 3, 2003) Fire Escape Hoods Recalled by Essex PB&R (September 8, 2003) GE Interlogix Recall of Smoke Detectors (September 3, 2003, Revised August 11, 2006) Hayward Pool Products Recall of Pool Heaters (August 21, 2003) Hedstrom Corp. Trampoline Recall (July 31, 2003, Revised October 22, 2004 ) Ideal Industries Inc. Voltage Tester Recall (July 31, 2003) Toy Trucks Recalled by MagicCabin (August 4, 2003) Adjustable Beds Recalled by Select Comfort (July 9, 2003) Toro Company Recall of Riding Lawn Mowers (July 15, 2003) Electric Blankets Recalled by Perfect Fit Industries (July 2, 2003) Kawasaki Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (June 30, 2003) Toshiba America Consumer Products Recall of Rear Projection Televisions (July 3, 2003, Revised March 30, 2004) Weed Cutting Attachment Blades Recalled by Conceptual Marketing & Development, Inc. (May 29, 2003) Stihl Inc. Recall of Chain Saws (May 29, 2003) High-Leg Recliner Chairs Recalled by Lane Furniture Industries Inc. (May 22, 2003, Revised January 11, 2007 ) Cribs Recalled by Baby's Dream Furniture Inc. (May 6, 2003) WestPoint Stevens Inc. Recall of Electric Blankets (April 24, 2003) Black Diamond Equipment Recall of Bionic Crampons (April 9, 2003) Maytag Corp. Recall to Repair Gas Ranges (March 27, 2003) Comarco Recall to Replace Detachable Plugs On Power Adapters (March 20, 2003 ) Electric Sanders Recalled by Makita U.S.A. (March 6, 2003) ATVs Recalled by Polaris Industries (January 13, 2003) Century Tool and Manufacturing Recall of Camping Stoves (December 26, 2002) Madrigal Recall of Subwoofers (December 26, 2002) Milwaukee Tool Corp. Recalls Electric Grinders (December 19, 2002) Tecumseh Products Co. Recalls Power Equipment Engines (November 27, 2002) Kolcraft Recalls of Toy Attachments on Baby Walkers (November 21, 2002) Cannondale Recall of ATVs (November 25, 2002) Honda Recall of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) (November 25, 2002) Estyle, Inc. recall Children's Jackets (November 19, 2002) Stihl Inc. Recalls Chain Saws (November 13, 2002) API Outdoors Recall of Hunting Treestands (October 30, 2002, Revised November 18, 2003 ) Riding Lawn Mowers Recalled by Snapper, Inc. (October 16, 2002) Invensys Building Systems Recall of Siebe Actuators in Building Fire/Smoke Dampers (October 2, 2002) Invensys Building Systems Recall of Siebe Actuators in Building Fire/Smoke Dampers (detailed version) (October 2, 2002) Cordless Electric Lawn Mowers Recalled by Black & Decker (September 19, 2002) Lithium Batteries in Electric Bikes Recalled by EV Global Motors Co. (September 17, 2002, Last revised April 25, 2008) Battery Chargers Recalled by Chargetek Announce (September 12, 2002) Barstools Recalled by LPK International (August 23, 2002) Polaris Industries Recall Snowmobiles (August 27, 2002) Gas Water Heater Recalled by Bradford White Corporation (August 15, 2002) Garden Tractors Recalled by Electrolux Home Products, Inc. (August 6, 2002) Bicycle Suspension Seat Posts Recalled by Cane Creek (July 24, 2002) Mosquito Traps Recalled by The Coleman Company (July 15, 2002) Holophane Recall of Luminaire Optical Assemblies (July 1, 2002) In-Sink-Erator Recall of Instant Hot Water Dispensers (June 27, 2002 ) Mountain Safety Research Recalls Stove Fuel (June 25, 2002) Graco Recall of Toy Track on Activity Centers (June 12, 2002, Revised July 31, 2002 ) Pop 'n Scoot Ride-on Toys Recalled by Little Tikes (June 12, 2002, Revised April 30, 2007 ) Candles Recalled by Island Soap & Candle Works (June 6, 2002) Southern Wood Products Recall of Children's Toy Box (May 31, 2002) Dorel Juvenile Group Recall to Repair Infant Car Seats/Carriers (May 20, 2002) Gas Shut-Off Valves Recalled by Seismic Safety Products Inc. (May 16, 2002) Cribs Recalled by Vermont Precision Woodworks (April 25, 2002)"

And yet privatizing Social Security would force people to assume more risk. This is exactly what private funds do and why so many unwitting "consumers" lost their asses with what they thought was, and were sold as, fairly ironclad investments when the shit hit the fan. Remember, Gramps? 1. No - but feel free to elaborate. 2. Private funds use the money to pay for wars? Elaborate on which consumers lost money and how. Your answer to 2 is much more likely to be public-sector pension funds than not, which gets us to a deeper layer of irony since the impossibility of financing their payouts made them so desperate for yield that they adopted an invest first, ask questions later strategy.

More fearmongering from the let's privatize everything front. The truth is that SS is doing well considering the current economic downturn (with 8 millions out of work, payroll tax receipts are down 2.5% from 2007). Although some reforms are necessary, like removing the cap on taxable income (anything above 110k per year isn't currently taxed), there is no crisis of social security. Media claims that we have to start borrowing to pay benefits are lies. So per your understanding, is the balance in the Trust Fund filled with something other than special-issue Treasury Bonds? When the total cost of benefits exceeds inputs, and the SSA redeems the bonds in the trust fund to pay for them - where is the money required to cover those redemptions going to come from? Think about that question for a moment and then consider whether or not the fact that the rate that the US government has to pay for money it borrows to cover deficits will have any bearing on the political status of Social Security benefits. It's possible that both Congress and the public will be willing to make heavy cuts everywhere else and raise taxes dramatically in order to fund current entitlement obligations at face value but I'm certainly not going to count on it.

The irony here is that putting all of those funds into Uncle Sam's Cookie jar made it much easier to fund all of the wars, etc than it would have been if the money were in private accounts subject to all of the protections that bank accounts, homes, and other personal property are covered by. huh? "protections" like during the last few bubbles? The truth is you wish SS was privatized but you can't seriously make the argument that people's retirements would be safer in private accounts unless you are already suffering from alzheimers. 1. You can put 100% of your IRA balance in CDs if you wish. Every 401(K) plan will have at least one money market fund or equivalent. People that assume more risk with their retirement assets did so because they chose to, not because they had to. 2. The government can't "borrow" the money in your personal account, issue an IOU, and use the money for whatever it likes. The fact of the matter is that your favorite sacred cow makes more money available to your favorite regressive neocon warmongers to play-with, not less. Much easier to raid the cookie jar and issue an IOU than to borrow the money from savers who get to choose whether or not to loan Uncle Sam money, and on what terms. If the Dukes and Barons had to keep all of their money in the royal safe, there'd be no Magna Carta.

The irony here is that putting all of those funds into Uncle aSam's Cookie jar made it much easier to fund all of the wars, etc than it would have been if the money were in private accounts subject to all of the protections that bank accounts, homes, and other personal property are covered by. wars that you supported? no irony except in the dumb canuck known as Alanis who doesn't understand irony sense So - per your understanding of the term, a "Yes" answer to your question would make pointing out the fact the ability to borrow from the Social Security trust fund makes it easier for the US government to fund wars is...ironic? Looks like we're getting into some recursive, multidimensional irony loops here.

Had mine done in '03. Was something like ~$1250/eye for the old-school LASIK where they created the flap with a blade. Wife had hers done on the East Coast ~'06 or '07 w/ the blade free incision (used a laser) and the total cost was ~$5000. Zero complications for us. Could see clearly right after the operation, was ~20/15 the next day and have pretty much stayed there since. Had blood around the iris for ~10 days after the operation, had to wear eye-protectors while sleeping for ~ 2 weeks or so after the operation. Definitely noticed halos around lights while driving at night, but either that's gone away or I've become so used to it that I don't even notice them any more. I think my wife's experience was pretty similar, but supposedly using a laser to make the incision reduces healing time and reduces the odds of complications. All around it ranks up there with the best money I've ever spent. Not having to deal with glasses and contacts in every-day life alone made it worth it. Not having my contacts knocked out and getting blinded in heavy whitewater, losing a contact on the tent-floor and searching for it by headlamp, etc, etc, etc made it even more worth it. I had my eyes done by Dr. John Jarstad at the Evergreen Eye Center in Federal Way. http://www.evergreeneye.com/about-us.php

The irony here is that putting all of those funds into Uncle Sam's Cookie jar made it much easier to fund all of the wars, etc than it would have been if the money were in private accounts subject to all of the protections that bank accounts, homes, and other personal property are covered by.

Actually, no, that's not how it works. The younger generation is paying for those that receive the benefits. No one is socking away money for their own SS benefits. You put money in as you work with the promise of getting it back with interest. How the government delivers that (spending your money in the interim and paying it off with younger taxpayer's contributions) is irrelevant. I agree that's the way it is supposed to work in theory, but I'm not terribly confident that's the way it'll work going forward. I'm hoping that someone, somewhere, is looking at debt forecasts that incorporate a Monte Carlo simulation of future yields on Treasury debt but I doubt it.... "Treasury Market Fires Warning Shot By RICHARD BARLEY Jitters in the Treasury market: a technical blip or evidence that U.S. fiscal woes are finally starting to test the patience of bond investors? Last week bond auctions struggled, 10-year yields surged to 3.88% from 3.7%, and 10-year yields rose above 10-year swap rates for the first time in living memory—all indicators of market stress. Fiscal worries certainly triggered the initial market wobble. The passage of the $940 billion health-care bill reignited concerns about the U.S. deficit, pushing yields up and narrowing the gap to swap rates, which tends to be driven by expectations of government bond supply. A negative spread could indicate lack of demand for Treasurys or doubts over U.S. creditworthiness.." If this was all about promoting retirement savings then putting the same money in private accounts that you couldn't touch prior to retirement without massive tax penalties would do the trick. The extremely risk averse could easily simulate Social Security like returns by investing their contributions in CD's and converting the balance to an annuity upon retirement. I'd much rather have a system like that and use general tax revenues to take care of the disabled, indigent, etc.

EXACTLY!!! Read aloud what you just wrote. OK, I did. What's the issue? You don't feel the same way? You are content with insurance companies dropping coverage after the insured dares to make them do their job. Content with people paying thousands in premiums each year only to get stuck with losing their life savings anyway if they get sick or injured? Or, you just have a great plan and fuck all if others don't? Or are you saying this situation already exists? Because I don't think it does. Yes many of us can afford the premiums, but to actually get sick and make a claim? Maybe you have $150,000 laying around for a rainy day sickness, but I don't, and I could live out of my car and work full time for the next 20 years and I still won't. Where were you shopping for insurance? I think we've got about the same age and health status. Catastrophic coverage in Washington was cheap. Ditto for excess major medical insurance that kicks in when you exceed the limits on your primary policy. And Hasn't it been illegal to rescind coverage for illness since HIPAA in '96. Ditto for denial of coverage in group plans? Since we're on the topic, if you're worried about going broke after a medical catastrophe, you should really look into getting adequate personal disability coverage if you're the main earner in your household or you are part of a household that needs both incomes to stay afloat. Even if you don't pay a cent in medical bills, the loss of income can easily put you and or your family under. Probably costs quite a bit more than catastrophic insurance, but well worth it IMO. I'm amazed that neither I nor my wife even thought about this until we were in our early thirties.

There's a difference between prices and costs. Government can enact legislation that puts caps on prices, but it can't control the gazillion factors beyond its control that determine what it actually costs to make things or bring services to the market. Government can cap the price of milk at 1$ a gallon, but hard as it may try, it can never control the real cost of all of the inputs that go into producing the said gallon of milk. When the real cost exceeds the price the government sets, then farmers stop producing it. If they're forced to keep delivering it they'll degrade the quality as much as possible in an effort to stay afloat you probably won't want to drink it. Health care is no different. Governments can control the price of delivering healthcare, but they can't control the cost of doing so, much less the demand for it. As of right now, something like 86% percent of all premiums are used to pay for goods and services, and the profit margins run around 2.2%. When you control for the real cost of Medicare, most of the efficiencies disappear. Even if there is a real margin there, the notion that it holds the key to making healthcare more effective is difficult to comprehend. The right way to value the efficiency of health care is to divide the benefit to the patient over the total cost of delivering it. What really matters is the numerator, and of the components that make up the denominator, the .1 to 0.05 that's in play in the "administrative efficiency" component aren't terribly significant. When you actually look at major drivers of total health costs, the obsessive parsing of marginal differences in administrative costs is even more puzzling. The nation is getting older and fatter, and the number of pills and devices at our disposal to address the health consequences of both is continuously expanding. You can scale administrative infrastructure pretty easily without spending much more money. This is not true for delivery - whether it's CT scanners or bariatric surgeons. I suspect that before long the illusion that it's private sector administrative expenses that are driving up the national tab for health-care will vanish, and then the conversation about how to best contain them will start to get very interesting. You've missed the cost savings entirely. Other countries are currently, right now, enjoying a 12% discount due to lower admin/billing costs. Right now. It's not theory, it's not idle CC chat, its reality. For the sake of argument - let's take your figure as granted. If all we were concerned with was administrative efficiency, the argument would be over. If we're concerned with what actually happens to patients, the analysis is more complicated. Then we have to look at what treatment the patient receives, and the net positive effect on their health. In a world where administrative costs trump all, there's no difference between no treatment, a treatment that makes the patient 0.1% better, and one that makes them 100% better. Once you start caring about the clinical efficacy of a given treatment, then you reduce administrative costs to a minor sub-component of the "cost" denominator in a true measurement of medical efficiency. E.g. Efficiency =(Health Benefit/cost of doctors+nurses+imaging+devices+drugs+etc, etc, etc, etc + administrative costs). Administrative costs trump all? Never said that, but idealize the argument (consider the spherical chicken...old engineer joke) to put it in a lab box if you need to. You seem to be ready to trot out the old 'you'd be dead in France' line. Spare us. And for the 30 + million Americans who aren't covered at all, none of what you just posted matters at all. You're the one with the single-metric focus here, kemosabe. Not me. Your claim seemed to be that eliminating marginal differences in administrative costs between would automatically translate into better health care for all by improving "efficiency." I'd be happy to continue that argument for as long as you want to persist in it, but you understandably seem anxious to change the topic. Dead in France? Non, mon ami. Mon Dieu! I do think that any aggregate advantage that the French enjoy in life expectancy has very little, if anything to do with their doctors and hospitals doing a better job, and everything to do with the fact that they take better care of themselves. If you actually look at the life-expectancy rankings from time to time, you'll notice that the differences in life expectancy are: 1) Small. 2) Not terribly well related to the clinical efficacy of the care that their doctors and hospitals deliver. Denmark - 78.3. Albania - 77.96. 0.34 * 365 = 124.1 days. (124.1/(365*78.3)*100 = 0.43% The Danes spend a gazillion times more on their health care and only manage to eke out 0.43% more life than the Albanians. What's the take away here? For me - it's that once you have the rudiments of sanitation and vaccination in place - longevity stats aren't a terribly good basis for making comparative assessments of either the efficacy or efficiency of health care systems. For most of the folks here, it's that Denmark clearly isn't getting much bang for it's health care buck, and it's high time they incorporated the clinical and administrative insights at the heart of the Albanian efficiency miracle into their own system. I wish this was hyperbole, but the the above exercise is no less ludicrous than the claims made by everyone that trots out the infant-mortality/life-expectancy/WHO statistical troika and uses them as a basis to claim that our health care system inferior to country X. All of this will matter a great deal for the 30+ million people who currently lack insurance, and for the 270 odd million people who currently have insurance. That'll be a much more interesting and productive conversation. I can think of lots of topics. -What will happen to the remaining uninsured (illegal immigrants, transients, etc) who rely on hospitals that receive "disproportionate share funding"? -What will happen if the proposed medicare cuts actually go through and even fewer doctors accept medicare patients? -Who will treat all of the new Medicaid patients, since doctors lose money every time they walk in the door, and how will the already bankrupt states foot their share of the bill? Etc, etc, etc, etc.....

Gotta go - but you realize that a giant chunk of the insurers are non-profit, and that profits at for profit health insurance companies has been something like ~2.2% on average for the past few years? I'd like to see that statistic from a reliable source. And of course profit does not include CEO compensation. For a taste of that go here: http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/special-reports/total-package-health-plan-ceo-compensations-2008 So CGNA might post a 5% profit but pays over $12M to its CEO and another $50M+ for a handful of other executives. My heart aches for them. The latest quarterly figures for the sector are here: http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/522.html Scroll down on the right, and look under "Net Profit Margin." The figure there is 4.4%. In the latest ranking of industry profits I could find, circa 2009, Health care plans ranked 86th, a couple of notches below "Packaging and Containers." http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SuIFQY6zybI/AAAAAAAALwo/IK1ddRvAqhA/s1600-h/profitmargins.jpg It's clear that the CEO's of health insurance companies get paid a ton of money. As is the case with any private sector job that pays a ton of money, the question isn't why they are willing to accept millions of dollars in compensation, it's why the folks who own the enterprises are willing to offer it to them in exchange for running the companies that they own. I'll leave you to ponder that. In the meantime - lets focus on the concrete impact that executive compensation has on the price and availability of health care. If you took total compensation paid to executives, reduced it to zero forever - how many days worth of total health spending could you fund in the US? As a driver of cost increases, where does rising executive compensation fall next to obesity, aging, etc? I'll help you out by noting that the health insurance companies aggregate profits would fund about ~ 2 days worth of the national health bill.

Gotta go - but you realize that a giant chunk of the insurers are non-profit, and that profits at for profit health insurance companies has been something like ~2.2% on average for the past few years?

Jim - you keep trotting these claims out - and when the time comes to separate lifestyle factors and registration artifacts from things that doctors, nurses, and hospitals can actually do something about you seem to disappear. I hope you aren't going to use the infant mortality and life expectancy stats again to try to make this case, since adult life expectancy tells you nothing about the clinical efficacy of care when you are comparing one advanced country to another (life expectancy is high everywhere these days, and death by accidents, suicides, etc generate most of the variance), and infant mortality is defined and measured very differently from one country to the next. Even metrics that seem relatively straightforward when you are comparing clinical outcomes for the same disease, etc can be compromised by selection bias in the patient pool. That is - one country may go forward with treatment that another country would rule out on the basis that it'd most likely be futile for the patient in question. In this case, the outcomes might be worse for the first country simply because the patients that they're treating are sicker, on average. Anyhow - bring out your stats and we can have an interesting discussion.

There's a difference between prices and costs. Government can enact legislation that puts caps on prices, but it can't control the gazillion factors beyond its control that determine what it actually costs to make things or bring services to the market. Government can cap the price of milk at 1$ a gallon, but hard as it may try, it can never control the real cost of all of the inputs that go into producing the said gallon of milk. When the real cost exceeds the price the government sets, then farmers stop producing it. If they're forced to keep delivering it they'll degrade the quality as much as possible in an effort to stay afloat you probably won't want to drink it. Health care is no different. Governments can control the price of delivering healthcare, but they can't control the cost of doing so, much less the demand for it. As of right now, something like 86% percent of all premiums are used to pay for goods and services, and the profit margins run around 2.2%. When you control for the real cost of Medicare, most of the efficiencies disappear. Even if there is a real margin there, the notion that it holds the key to making healthcare more effective is difficult to comprehend. The right way to value the efficiency of health care is to divide the benefit to the patient over the total cost of delivering it. What really matters is the numerator, and of the components that make up the denominator, the .1 to 0.05 that's in play in the "administrative efficiency" component aren't terribly significant. When you actually look at major drivers of total health costs, the obsessive parsing of marginal differences in administrative costs is even more puzzling. The nation is getting older and fatter, and the number of pills and devices at our disposal to address the health consequences of both is continuously expanding. You can scale administrative infrastructure pretty easily without spending much more money. This is not true for delivery - whether it's CT scanners or bariatric surgeons. I suspect that before long the illusion that it's private sector administrative expenses that are driving up the national tab for health-care will vanish, and then the conversation about how to best contain them will start to get very interesting. You've missed the cost savings entirely. Other countries are currently, right now, enjoying a 12% discount due to lower admin/billing costs. Right now. It's not theory, it's not idle CC chat, its reality. For the sake of argument - let's take your figure as granted. If all we were concerned with was administrative efficiency, the argument would be over. If we're concerned with what actually happens to patients, the analysis is more complicated. Then we have to look at what treatment the patient receives, and the net positive effect on their health. In a world where administrative costs trump all, there's no difference between no treatment, a treatment that makes the patient 0.1% better, and one that makes them 100% better. Once you start caring about the clinical efficacy of a given treatment, then you reduce administrative costs to a minor sub-component of the "cost" denominator in a true measurement of medical efficiency. E.g. Efficiency =(Health Benefit/cost of doctors+nurses+imaging+devices+drugs+etc, etc, etc, etc + administrative costs).

Yeah, the "left" has been skeptical of this scheme all along. It was a sop to the insurance industry as a way to spread its risk across the entire population in lieu of a single payer program. As if you didn't know this already... As a fan of the state, you should be thrilled that they've got the insurance companies out front as flack catchers for the backlash that will erupt when the time comes to impose the hard rationing that will be necessary to balance health care costs with health care spending. Think of the kings and tax farmers of yore. If you're sitting on the throne and need to squeeze the people for more revenues, popular anger at the tax-farmers you've contracted with to turn the screws is far preferable to having it directed at the crown.

There's a difference between prices and costs. Government can enact legislation that puts caps on prices, but it can't control the gazillion factors beyond its control that determine what it actually costs to make things or bring services to the market. Government can cap the price of milk at 1$ a gallon, but hard as it may try, it can never control the real cost of all of the inputs that go into producing the said gallon of milk. When the real cost exceeds the price the government sets, then farmers stop producing it. If they're forced to keep delivering it they'll degrade the quality as much as possible in an effort to stay afloat you probably won't want to drink it. Health care is no different. Governments can control the price of delivering healthcare, but they can't control the cost of doing so, much less the demand for it. As of right now, something like 86% percent of all premiums are used to pay for goods and services, and the profit margins run around 2.2%. When you control for the real cost of Medicare, most of the efficiencies disappear. Even if there is a real margin there, the notion that it holds the key to making healthcare more effective is difficult to comprehend. The right way to value the efficiency of health care is to divide the benefit to the patient over the total cost of delivering it. What really matters is the numerator, and of the components that make up the denominator, the .1 to 0.05 that's in play in the "administrative efficiency" component aren't terribly significant. When you actually look at major drivers of total health costs, the obsessive parsing of marginal differences in administrative costs is even more puzzling. The nation is getting older and fatter, and the number of pills and devices at our disposal to address the health consequences of both is continuously expanding. You can scale administrative infrastructure pretty easily without spending much more money. This is not true for delivery - whether it's CT scanners or bariatric surgeons. I suspect that before long the illusion that it's private sector administrative expenses that are driving up the national tab for health-care will vanish, and then the conversation about how to best contain them will start to get very interesting.

Uh-oh. "He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly..."

Seems like it's hard to answer anything but "yes" to the above. Ditto for the levies imposed to fund Medicare. In one case your money will be funneled into a series of highly regulated, nominally private cartels and in the other it's going into a marginally solvent public-monopoly/intergenerational ponzi apparatus. Not sure which should be more worrisome to the principled civil libertarian. I'm moderately relieved that there are people on the left like Tvash who are marginally concerned with the expansion of state power entailed in the entailed in the purchase-or-penalty scheme, but I'm not sure how diverting the funds directly into a state monopoly would be an improvement in that regard.

To summarize: JayB thinks Europe sucks because they actually take responsibility and honestly account for the outlay. Still haven't seen any reason whatsoever why the US is going to come out ahead because this "SERVICE ECONOMY" is just as much bullshit as the old, just easier to outsource (as the Filipino legal assistants will tell you)

well, society has to pay for both. you get massively butthurt over an admin making $75k a year from Washington State and fellate some feeble fuckwhit making $750k a year on Wall Street who has the same skill set (the ability to negotiate the hiring process and a pulse). both are a drag on the rest of us..... Yes. All private sector employees have their pay and benefits financed with tax revenues.

time for "structural reform" Yes. In England and the Netherlands, and rather sooner as a result of the Icelandic vote.

surely you jest? The economy cannot tell whether the debt is public or private. Yet you keep pointing out the public debt to justify ending social welfare and completely ignore a much larger private debt that brought the economy to the brink. I was wondering why you brought this up as a counterpoint - since by your own logic (which I agree with) that means that that the higher private debt gets as a percentage of GDP, the *less* capacity the said economy will have to finance their public debt. It's not as though Greece et al are any less fucked when you add private debt to the pile, or that it's any more likely that the ever-dwindling pool of workers will be able to support the legions of public sector workers and their benefits while the said public sector workers are actively employed, much less while they're enjoying their 30 year retirements.

Seems correct to me. What's your point? That all debt - whether it be car loans or public pension obligations have equal claims on the public purse? Not sure where you're going with that one, but feel free to elaborate.