politics meet the bullet pont fanatic

I confess...I haven't written much about "issues" lately and kinda miss that.  I like rambling about a political or social issue but I also feel like I can only say so much.  I'll admit I definitely have "my" issues and I've talked about those already.  Clearly the solution is a quick bullet point post with a few random thought snippets...

• If men were the ones to breast feed, breast pumps would totally be tax-deductible already.  I do think there's an unfair amount of pressure on moms sometimes...I know some who truly tried but couldn't breast feed (or at least not as a sole feeding method).  But it has such great benefits and we should make it easier for those who elect (and are able) to do so.  Not really relevant but I'll admit I'd totally want to breastfeed for my own weight loss...the health stuff would be good too but I know me and my motivations....
• I also favor protection for the ability to breastfeed in public.  I'll admit there's a limit to how much I want to see, but my experience is that the vast majority of mom's feed very discretely.  I've had more than one time where I truly didn't even know a woman was feeding her baby until she was re-buttoning.
• I am thrilled that the administration is going to stop defending DOMA in courts.  I'm glad Fienstein is introducing a bill for DOMA's repeal but I don't expect it to pass.  It creates such a legal mess when the federal government refuses to recognize marriages that the states allow.  It also creates really odd circumstances if a couple marries, moves, and wants to separate.  We let heterosexual couples split (though we don't make it easy...see the next point) but leave some gay couples in legal limbo given the residency rules...you can only divorce in your own state but you can be "stuck" if that state doesn't recognize a marriage leaving you married in one place but not another.
• Not a current event, but it really annoys me that MA requires an IN PERSON hearing for a divorce.  I'll sign the papers.  I'd even find someone to go on my behalf.  It feels like an extra tax punishing me for moving by making me travel back.  It can't be too unusual for one partner to move away during the separation.
• I am very disappointed in the cut of federal aid for Planned Parenthood.  I understand that most people associate them with their most controversial aspects and can even understand limiting federal support in that arena (I don't like it but understand).  But they do a lot of work for women's health beyond the abortion issue and they are structured to help keep that (and hence funding) distinct.  Cancer screening, annual exams, and general women's health are crucial and our dollars are well-spent there.
• I haven't closely followed the Wisconsin events but I always feel really mixed when unions are involved.  They can be such a powerful force for good but I'm not sure they are always used in a positive way.  They can keep people in jobs when they shouldn't be there and sometimes the demands seem ridiculous to me, like the refusal to allow drug-testing of Boston firefighters.  It'd be easier to be a full supporter of the union concept but I can't get there even though I certainly know they deserve credit for many important reforms.
• I am trying to keep up with foreign affairs but it is a definite weakness.  I need to find a good source of basic summaries on things like the events in Libya.