some things that have been bothering me

I just thought I'd see if anyone shares any of my feelings on some issues that have been bothering me.

1) The breast-feeding doll controversy: I saw a segment, I believe on Entertainment Tonight, about this doll. The segment featured a clip from The View (I wish I could find a link to post) which showed this doll in a very negative light. Now I can't say whether the doll is in good taste or whether I'd ever buy it, because I haven't seen it in person. However the idea itself doesnt' bother me in the slightest and I was SHOCKED by some of the comments made on The View. Someone even went so far as to say that (from my memory) "you might as well tell girls that they can't have careers". First off, I know MANY moms who have "careers" (meaning jobs out of the home) while still pumping and breastfeeding. Secondly, I thought the so-called feminists (or whatever you want to call them) were pushing for females to have choices and equality. Certainly women can choose to breastfeed. Isnt' it all about choice? I didn't realize that the way a doll eats had anything to do with a child's future career path. No one gets upset about baby dolls that come with bottles. I wonder if they also come with a daycare center or nannny since clearly mommy must be having a wonderful career out of the home. Ugh, the whole issue has clearly pissed me off.

2) Food dyes: Is there a reason that they need to be in so many foods? Do INFANTS need red dye? I seriously doubt it. Did you know that they even have dye in medications that you give babies (Benadryl, Tylenol, to name a couple). I'd like to start a petition to get them out of our foods.

3) Cash for Clunkers: I don't normally talk politics. In fact, I dont' believe I've EVER blogged about politics. I dont' claim to be very educated on the reasoning behind this "program", but it has annoyed me greatly. From what I understand you bring in an old gas-guzzling vehicle, they destroy it, and give you $3500-4500 towards the purchase price of a new fuel-efficient car. I have a few problems with this. For one, many of these "clunkers" still had a lot of life left in them. If someone had already been wanting to get rid of an old car, I'd rather see it listed on craigslist and give a low-income family a chance to buy a car. What good is it doing in the junk yard/scrap yard/recycling center? I'm all for more fuel-efficient cars, but I don't think getting rid of the current cars is the way to do that. Let them live their life, THEN get rid of them. Also, if someone is in the market to buy a BRAND NEW car, they are obviously doing fairly well financially. These aren't the type of people who NEED $3500-4500. I just don't see this program being an incentive for anyone who would not have been able to purchase a new car anyway, because $3500 isn't enough to do that. It's only an incentive to buy NOW if you were already planning on buying in the future. So why are we giving away money to people who can afford BRAND NEW cars??? I'm sure those who have taken advantage of the program were happy about it, but I'm sure most would readily admit they would have eventually bought the car anyway (yes, I'm sure there are exceptions too). And did I mention that this program isn't even restricted to American-made cars? Here's a better idea: give $3500 towards the purchase of a new OR used car and then sell the "clunkers" to low income families at a great deal. Maybe you wouldn't see so many people on welfare because they supposedly dont' have a way to get to work. Okay, clearly that program would be tough to operate. Instead, scrap the freakin' program and save the country millions. I could think of MANY better things to do with that money!

4) Bug bites: I've got about 10 in a small spot on my back. They have been driving me insane for about a week. It's not your typical bug bite. Maybe a spider bite? Hmm.

There, I feel better. Got it all off my chest. LOL.