What I find disturbing is the fact that within WIC
breastfeeding is not very well promoted as a
better alternative.
There is a widespread Eww factor some women
take, on breastfeeding in general. I’ve never
understood this. By all accounts, breastfeeding
is way more convenient. No bottles to deal with,
no measuring, or having to make sure the temp
is just right.
Also, most women who receive WIC must be
under a certain income requirement. Usually not
working or working very little hours per week.
So, the “Not having time” factor seems to be no
excuse for not breastfeeding.
I just wish more women would breastfeed their
babies. Even the most nutritionally deficient
women in American produces better milk than
powder formula.

Ruth…! Ruth…! Ruth…! You get more and more annoying as time passes. You want to attribute corporate abuses to Government. When giving anecdotal evidence, two can play that game.

First, Lanny Davis may be registered as a Democratic lobbyist, but he is a corporate shill, loud mouthed, an atrociously rude demagogue, and a warmonger. Note that your other villain in this piece is a Corporatist Republican.

Back to the anecdotal evidence; when it comes to Government versus Business in terms of abuse; how about the Gulf disaster for starters. Small Government Republicans gutted regulations and oversight, but you want to attribute abuses to Big Government.

When Democrats try to initiate regulation and oversight, they are stonewalled by Republicans with cries of “Big Government,” Government takeover,” and other such propagandist blathering. Have you adopted the Corporatist agenda, or are you just being duped by right wing sophistry?

Oh well, you’re not alone, many Democrats, and much of the electorate, are also being duped by right wing sophistry, much of it disseminated by the so called liberal media. In other words, jounalists like you.

“the broader, disturbing lesson is how hard it is to take even the most common-sense steps to save taxpayer dollars.”

I’ve got an idea!

Let the taxpayers KEEP their dollars and let THEM figure out how to use them!

This is why the Tea Party even exists. The government takes peoples’ money, then, 90% of the time, can’t figure out how to use it wisely.

The price of infant formula is obscene. I recently was behind a person using WIC to purchase formula and could not believe the prices. The cost of feeding one baby a week is unreal, parents don’t need a two income family if they have just one baby, they need a third source of income just to pay for the formula.

All of these “better additives” will no doubt be found to cause cancer, obesity and other major health issues down the road. For all of the “healthier” food products available, even for people who eat a healthy diet and keep an active lifestyle does not mean you will not be obese. I believe, in many cases of obesity and Diabetes II we see so much of today, can be related to all the additives put into our food supply. There have been theories of putting unhealthy ingredients into the food supply, thus causing medical problem, which lead to more doctor visits and more pills and such to correct the problem created in the first place by mega corporations in the name of greed.

I fed my daughter Similac-popular in the 70’s and put her on skim milk starting at 6 months. And back then, the pediatricians wanted babies from the time they were 6 weeks old to also start having baby cereal. Never heard of much before then as most mothers waited much longer to start babies onto foods other than milk. That was also about when the childhood obesity rates started to climb-giving extra calories when not really needed by babies leads to excessive fat cells in the body.

Yes, we can all see that these companies have our best interest in mind when they make and push their products unto the public.

The latest PR campaign on Capital Hill is to deny or accept funding for an extra F-35 engine.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/58015-senators-scrap-money-for-second-f-35-engine

No doubt to fight terrorists and that pesky Al Queda air force.

3.9 billion could do alot more good in this country with social programs like WIC than making spare jet engines to give to Israel.

A 637 billion defense budget, what a waste.

“...to save taxpayer dollars.”

Does it ever occur to anyone that it’s not about saving taxpayer dollars?  That it’s about spending taxpayer dollars in a useless way that enriches the already rich where it can, and is intentionally wasted to keep prices and scarcity up?  Pentagon spending is a prime example, agricultural “price supports” another; gifts from the taxpayers to the corporations.

The sad truth of the matter is that our corporate-coddling country is decidedly anti-family.

Sure, Marcus.

Making infant formula the poster child for saving money is doing the taxpayer’s a service?  Supporting Republican claims to ‘review’ government purchase of breast milk as a ‘common sense’ way to save money?

Are you kidding?

How about the ‘common sense’ solution of regulating the cost of inflated corporate sales for items that are essential and should not be subject to corporate monopoly.

Formula, despite your snide comment about breastfeeding, is essential because this country does not support working mothers or childcare, and it is a rare family that can survive on a single salary, so that mom can stay home and ‘do the right thing’—breastfeed.