It's no secret that Wal-Mart has a horrible reputation in the public eye. But the mega-retailer recently did something great that they're keeping very quiet.

Back in February, Wal-Mart secretly told toy suppliers that they would have to meet strict new standards for toy safety during the coming Christmas season. The new Wal-Mart standards govern how much lead toys can contain, what chemicals can be used in manufacturing and more. Toys"R"Us and Target have since adopted similar standards.

The toy safety issue really boiled over last Christmas with lead showing up in children's trinkets. Parents refused to buy certain items and Wal-Mart -- as the nation's biggest toy seller -- really suffered because of it.

So Clark applauds the company's new move – even though it's clearly profit-driven.

These standards should have come from our politicians. But they're too busy drinking "Inside the Beltway" Kool-Aid, and have lost touch with the people amid all their bureaucratic wrangling.

There's a sort of anarchy with retailers dictating standards to the manufacturers. Yet Wal-Mart, Target and Toys"R"Us account for more than half of all toys sales in our country. So the manufacturers will have to fall into line.