I agree with Heather that taxing formula as though it were tobacco or
alcohol is not the way to go.  Unlike tobacco and alcohol which are not
foods, nor, strictly speaking, essential for life, formula is what keeps its
consumers from starving. 

Even if one argued for punishing parents who feed formula to their children,
it is purchased for use by the most vulnerable amongst us, children who have
no independent income nor the ability to make an autonomous choice about
what kind of milk they are to be fed.  Unless major structural changes were
made in society, the children who might not get fed formula if it cost even
more would be unlikely to get breastfed instead.  More likely they would be
given even less appropriate food than formula.

I'd rather see the WHO Code on marketing of breastmilk substitutes made into
law in every country, a law with sharp teeth and a strong jaw to really bite
violators.  The cost to the consumer who really needs formula would go down
if the companies didn't spend so much on marketing the product, and the
people who need it would be able to afford it, while the people who don't
need it would be free of misleading advertising.  Any taxes should affect
the unethical entities who market formula and not the consumers who fall for
their marketing ploys.  They and their children are already being penalized
for believing the advertising.

Rachel Myr
happy to find that the sprained thumb I got falling off my bike this
afternoon is no hindrance to communicating online, even though I can't hold
a pen! and yes, I had a helmet on :-)

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome