When globalization works

Globalization is often a loaded subject and while I think the so-called benefits are highly overplayed I also can see the benefits. The US chemical industry is finally being tamed a bit with new European Union laws that force chemical producers to prove their products are safe instead of the US model which forces others to prove chemicals are dangerous. If US businesses want to sell their goods in the EU - a market that has a larger population than the US - they need to comply with these rules or go elsewhere.

Never in a hundred years will the lobbyists allow such regulations to be put in place in the US so in this instance, globalization is taking care of a problem that is simply not possible to address at home. The EU has generally been pretty good with addressing consumer issues and battling trusts in recent years and the EU economy is not exactly crumbling as the right wingers would have you believe. It is possible to have both a vibrant economy and consumer rights so it's great to see the EU helping move this process along.