The front page of the (U.S.) Wall St. Journal today had a glowing report on how wonderful it is for U. S. companies when they can make money in export markets. Specifically, the article was about American Standard capturing 40% of the sit-down toilet seat market in China (where there is apparently increasing demand for Western Style toilets) and its winning over Chinese production (because there is no "protectionist" legislation) and its main Japanese competitor, Toto. While the article was mainly a pedesterian "free markets are won by the 'brave, strong and free'" piece and slanted against protectionist legislation in Asia, I could not help but vaguely recall a major collusion case involving American Standard, Olsonite, and some other U. S. firms in the 80's. I don't remember the details or even if the government won its case but I do remember something. The WSJ did note that the manufacturing for the "U. S." firm was done in Malaysia but missed out on the collusion irony (isn't collusion a form of infant industry protection). There is another possible irony as well. I have never seen "traditional Chinese squat toilets" so it is quite possible that the sit down variety is a "step up"; but isn't the western sit down toilet one of the more inefficient of possible designs. I seem to recall that the seat should be slanted one way or the other to aid alimentary efficiency. Peace, Jim Westrich Institute on Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at Chicago (Interviewer:) Your comments bring up a lot of class issues. Are you a Marxist? (Stephen J. Raphael:) Well I suppose I am a bit of a Karl Marxist. I am also a bit of a Groucho Marxist. But mostly I'm a Bernard Marxist.
