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Products "m ade in " bites A m ericans back
u G alley L athrop ______________
Staff Reporter
Stuff. It's everywhere!
Products that we buy in
stores like Albertsons, Dollar
Tree, Wal-Mart and Safeway,
but are made thousands
of miles away in foreign
countries make up the basis
of our existence. Food,
clothes and other essentials
(as well as many non-
essentials) are not only being
created in sweatshops, but
are coming to this country in
some state of toxicity.
The tables have turned
and Americans are now
paying with their health for
the cheap and accessible
products that have been
reaped illegally and
wrongfully for years. Before
the recent recalls, most
Americans did not worry
about where their "stuff"
came from. Some took
initiative, bought American
products and supported the
anti-sweatshop movement.
However, the "made in" issue
now affects every American.
Melamine is a chemical
substance that, when put
to the test, can resemble a
protein compound. Recently,
kidney stones, reproductive
system damage and even
bladder cancer or failure. It is
used in products to give the
Objects made in China are abundant in the school. The United States
has been relying on China and other countries for 80% of its toy market
and 40% of all other products. Most of the fruit in the country has
come from Central America.
Photo by Mary Wood
Chinese products like baby
formula and pet food have
been found to contain
melamine, which ingestion
of can cause deadly effects.
The pseudo-protein can cause
appearance of having very
high amounts of protein. By
doing this, manufacturers can
get away with selling cheap
and nutritionally lacking
foods. Recently, 53,000 young
children in China were
poisoned and four died after
20 Chinese factories began
using melamine in their milk.
These are factories that could
have exported their products
to America.
Currently, the U.S. relies
on other countries for 80%
of its toy market, and 40%
for ALL other products. This
means that there is a very
reasonable chance that any
item you pick up will be
made in a foreign country.
Even products that are
perishable are coming from
places thousands of miles
away, and, most commonly,
fruit.
From bananas to melons
and everything in between,
most of our fruit comes
from Central America. In
El Salvador, 85% of its fruit
products are shipped to
industrialized countries.
Guatemala, Mexico, Costa
Rica and Cuba are all
countries that the U.S.
relies on for produce. The
problem lies in how the fruit
Measure 60 lacks specific measures of performance
arah
L und ________________
Staff Reporter
Political activist Bill
Sizemore's claim to fame
appears to be his uncanny
ability to place ballot
initiatives before the people
of Oregon. He has done
so numerous times since
he started referring ballot
measures in the 1990s.
While his track record for
the most part has been
sponsoring initiatives that
are related to taxes, and
more recently he has been
accused of using tax money
for personal needs, this
election he is looking into
the education system.
One of his more recent
measures, Measure 60,
pertains to teachers' pay
raises. Teachers' pay raises
are based on education
and seniority. Measure 60
presents the idea of raising
teachers' pay based on
performance. This is a good
idea in theory; but there
isn't a clear definition of the
term "performance." This
idea probably won't appeal
to older teachers as much,
but in my school experience
the older teachers I've had
have done a pretty good job
of teaching.
West Linn High School, 5464 West A Street, West Linn, OR 97068
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The Amplifier is published approximately every four weeks by the West
Lima High School Advanced Journalism class. Opinions expressed in
commentaries and editorials represent only those of the writer, and are
not necessarily the opinions of West Linn High School, its administration,
faculty, staff, or student body.
Editors-in-Chief
Staff Reporters: Austin
Chris Erbin
Adam Holmes
Calley Lathrop
Cummins, Dillon George,
Carly Halverson, Sydney
Hongo, Cole Hulden, Dylan
Lotspeich, Sarah Lund, Libby
Mathes, Erin
Robertson, Tamra Schelot,
Ashley Sheron, Jackie Steeh,
Valorie Wallace, Ashley Welp,
Lexi Welp, Mary Wood
Photographers: Zack Mueller,
Avery Breyne-Cartwright
Business Editors:
Avery Breyne-Cartwright
Mary Wood
Section Editors
News: Calley Lathrop
Forum: Adam Holmes
Features: Chris Erbin
Sports: Max Hays
Entertainment: Jennifer Sitton
Photo Editor: Hannah Zaayer
Technology Editor: Zack
Mueller
Adviser
Ann Breyne
Additionally, it states
that job security would be
based on job performance.
Once again, no definition of
"performance" but it seems
somewhat fair. If a newer
teacher was working really
hard at his or her job, he
or she would have a better
chance of remaining at that
school.
Although this measure
might sound like a good
idea, it probably won't
work too well if put into
action. There are too many
ways to interpret and judge
"performance." One person
might judge performance
based on the average grade
attained by students while
another might judge based
on how the teacher actually
teaches. Test scores could be
used for judging as well.
Assessing performance
based on test scores would
not be a good idea because
it could cause teachers to
focus on only teaching
areas that are covered by
the test and miss some key
points in the process. Some
students who don't do too
well under pressure could
end up missing a problem
or two due to nerves; not
because the teacher failed to
instruct them properly.
There is one more thing
that seems to be missing •
from Measure 60. It goes
on and on about teacher
performance being the basis
for pay raises, but wh#t
about student performance?
The teacher could be doing
an amazing job, but if the
student doesn't care, then
the student isn't going to
learn anything.
Glenn Krake, English teacher,
helps Arielle McKowen,
sophom ore, with some class
work. Last year, Krake was a new
teacher. Measure 60 bases pay
raises for teachers on seniority,
which could prove unfair for
newer teachers.
Photo by Mary Wood
Measure 60 has too
many unknowns. It leaves
undecided the issues of
defining performance and
how teachers would be
rated or qualified. While
most people agree to the
idea of rewarding teachers
for doing their job well,
this ballot proposal does
not describe the method of
judging performance.
is grown. Pesticides are used
and hormones can even be
injected to make the fruit
bigger and juicier. We will
never know what happens
2,000 miles away on that
farm that grows our bananas,
and greed may get the better
of farmers who have no one
to answer to.
Another issue is the
conditions of the factories
where these products are
made. Sweatshops. Workers
in these factories are paid
little, work long hours
and are often abused and
mistreated. Many companies
say that they are abiding
by labor laws, when really
they are exploiting loopholes
and/or their government. If
conditions in these factories
are not being monitored, then
why would the quality and
safety of the products they
are producing be?
Students are affected
as well. Teens bodies are
constantly growing and
developing, and often
the phrase "you are what
you eat" rings true. These
c o n ta m in a te d a n d e v e n
toxic overseas products are
damaging to organs like
the kidneys and liver and
can even cause permanent
damage.
By buying from China
we are not only buying
contaminated products
produced by oppressed
workers, but we are
supporting a country that has
been committing atrocities
in the small country of
Tibet for decades. In 1951,
China invaded Tibet and
has occupied it ever since
(New York Times), killing
Tibetans, forcing labor and
committing other human-
rights violations that have
been overlooked by the rest
of the world.
Just like buying products
that are sweatshop free, we
can also support healthy
and safe production,-even
if overseas. However,
this begins with America
taking action and starting
by improving factory
conditions. After that, the
product creation can be
monitored. Another option
is by boycotting products
that are made in China as to
promote safe, healthy and
legitimate production. These
movements would take
money, time and effort, but
isn't the condition of what
we live on, sleep on, eat and
work with worth it? And,
that's not even mentioning
our brothers and sisters
overseas who are suffering so
that we can pay little and live
large.