Chinese parents are angry. Not only are they limited to one child per family but their one child is at risk from dangerous products and faulty construction to name a few recent events. The Chinese government has come up with a compensation system to make amends for the deaths of children who died in collapsed schools during the recent earthquake and for children who died or who hurt from consuming contaminated baby formula. In the earthquake in May 7,000 classrooms collapsed killing thousands of children. Later many Chinese children died and thousands were hurt from Melamine contamination of baby formula. According to MSNBC the Chinese government has come up with its own tort compensation system for the product liability damages and deaths:
Compensation will be available to families of victims in both instances. The government has offered $8,823 for each killed child to the quake parents. The China Dairy Association this week confirmed a compensation plan was in the works for the milk parents. Some reports have said families could receive up to $29,000 if their children died, but the details are still unclear.
Now in our product liability system a jury of our peers would evaluate the conduct of the builders and manufacturers and then award compensation commensurate with the suffering they caused. Contrast that with the Chinese system where to contaminate baby formula with industrial chemicals to save money or to build a school with shoddy construction to save on costs is conduct that merits a mere pittance provided to the chinese families for the loss of what is usually their only child.
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