Ultimately, we doubt that much of anything is going to be done to slow the advancing pace of globalization very much.

Or perhaps we should be more clear. We doubt that the march of American businesses to outsource all or parts of their work overseas is going to slow. The opportunity to increase profits is too great when one considers the cost of labor in, say, China, versus the cost of the same work in the United States.

It might be easy to attribute this all to greed, but if you do, it is not just the greed of corporate executives. There is greed enough to go all the way around that leads us to find some nation somewhere that will lower the costs of doing business, from labor to government regulation.

But sometimes we will pay a price for doing that which cannot accurately be measured in dollars. We are paying one now.

After investigation it appears that the blood thinner Heparin, manufactured in China for a U.S. company, was intentionally tainted in China. So far more than 80 people have died from the poisoning and more than 1,000 have had problems.

China's governmental regulations are far less stringent than those in the United States and regulations cost money, pure and simple. But regulations also protect people. Sometimes, yes, they are oppressive and unnecessary, but it is clear that this is not always so.

Heparin is not the only drug manufactured in a foreign country. In fact, thousands of them are. Some of those nations probably have adequate controls, but we don't know — and the American consumer does not know — which is which.

Ultimately American consumers are going to have to exert power in this matter, though. It might not matter that we buy a cheap shirt from a foreign country or shoes that fall apart, but there are many products — and not just drugs — that we need more control over.

We're convinced the companies themselves will not take the steps necessary and we aren't sure the government can.

But consumers can refuse to buy such products and, if they do, then we can assure you the trend will change. It takes willpower and a bit of a "We-aren't-going-to-take-it-anymore" attitude. But it can, and should, be done. If it is not then the story of Heparin is just going to be repeated over and over.