The media opines that the Obama Administration's stimulus and bailout packages are reminiscent of the New Deal. Another oft-ignored parallel to that bygone era and its big government response to global economic crisis springs to mind, prompted by a couple recent news items. That parallel is the federal government's retreat from free trade to insular protectionism. Think of the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930.

Earlier this week, Jeff Stier of the American Council for Science and Health asked in an op ed piece at Forbes.com : "As we enter a trade war with China, are our toxin fears founded?" He continued:

Scaremongering U.S. regulators have been indiscriminately attacking products from China for years, and China recently struck back. Shanghai's equivalent of our Food and Drug Administration investigated baby products made by Johnson & Johnson, echoing claims by a coalition of U.S. activists that the products pose a threat to children because they contain trace amounts of the "carcinogens" formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane. That China opted not to ban the products is good from both scientific and economic perspectives--and we should learn from this brush with product banning.

He explained that China's investigation was political retaliation, not legitimate scientific concern. "It's just the latest move in a junk-science-exploiting trade war, which plays well at home in each country--but undermines both trade and health," he said. China was retaliating for equally ill-founded scaremongering in the U.S. where the feds declared Chinese-made toys "toxic" because some were found to contain low levels of lead, despite the fact that the levels did not pose a health threat.

The second example was the political payback the Obama Administration afforded the Teamsters Union on March 11 by rescinding a pilot program allowing Mexican trucks to bring their products into the U.S. (instead of using Teamsters-driven U.S. trucks). Mexico retaliated, applying new tariffs on 90 U.S. products with annual sales of about $2.4 billion in Mexico. Time Magazine 's Ioan Grillo calls it "Obama's 'trade war'" and reports:

Down in Mexico, the administration of President Felipe Calderón accused the U.S. of being hypocritical and protectionist. It has a strong case. Under NAFTA, Mexican trucks were meant to be roaming some U.S. roads in 1995 and the width and breadth of the whole country by 2000. However, successive U.S. administrations could not say no to Teamster complaints that Mexican trucks were not fit for the interstates. Finally, both sides agreed on the pilot program to break the deadlock.

Let's not forget our history: The populism of Smoot-Hawley may have had short-term political appeal to "save American jobs," but it widened and deepened the Great Depression. If monetary liquidity is a problem today, let's not compound it by balkanizing trade. China and Mexico are two of our three largest trading partners. What are we going to do next? Disrupt trade with Canada?

A contemporary art exhibition, "Salt of the Earth ," will be held in a historic church in Salthouse in the UK, which was named after its role in the medieval salt trade. The exhibition features over 50 contemporary artists who are creating new work in response to the theme of 'Salt of the Earth', considering salt's role in culture, history, religion, agriculture, science and culinary matters. The exhibition promises to be an exciting event featuring paintings, drawing, printmaking, film, sculpture, installation and ceramics by some of the leading British artists. This year's curator is Norfolk native Simon Martin from the award-winning, prestigious Pallant House Gallery in Chichester.

The Hutchinson news reported March 11 that Reno County is nearing conclusion of plans to build a gas pipeline from the local landfill to Morton Salt's Huchinson evap plant.

County Counselor Joe O'Sullivan said discussions with Morton Salt, South Hutchinson, for a future methane gas pipeline project are progressing, and a proposed agreement will be ready this spring. The county plans to sell methane gas generated at the county landfill to the company.

Wow, what a batch of winners! Congratulations to all involved in these recent safety achievements:

• Morton Salt, Manistee, MI evap plant, 1.2 million hours
• Canadian Salt, Lindbergh works, Elk Point, AB evap plant, 1.1 million hours
• Canadian Salt, Pugwash, NS mine, 800,000 hours
• Cargill Deicing Technology, Cayuga mine, Lansing, NY, 800,000 hours
• Cargill Salt, Hutchinson, KS evap plant, 700,000 hours
• Cargill Salt, Watkins Glen, NY evap plant, 500,000 hours
• Cargill Salt, Bonaire, N.A. solar facility, 400,000 hours
• Cargill Salt, Timpie, Grantsville, UT solar facility, 400,000 hours
• Cargill Salt, Breaux Bridge, LA evap plant, 300,000 hours
• Morton Salt, Hutchinson, KS evap plant, 100,000 hours

• Cargill Salt, Pittsburgh, PA terminal, 31 years
• Cargill Salt, Baltimore, MD processing plant, 17 years
• Cargill Salt, Milwaukee, WI terminal, 17 years
• Cargill Salt, St. Clair, MI terminal, seven years
• Cargill Salt, Tampa FL terminal, five years
• Compass Minerals, Sifto Canada, Amherst, NS evap plant, four years
• Canadian Salt, Pugwash, NS mine, two years
• Cargill Salt, Breaux Bridge, LA evap plant, two years
• Cargill Salt, Hutchinson, KS evap plant, two years