When Babies Are Born

Linda Burton posting from Salem, Oregon – When babies are born in Oregon, the doctor slaps them on the bottom and says “No self-serve and no sales tax.” I was given this (sort of) tongue-in-cheek answer to my question this week, “Why can’t I pump my own gas here?” I know that when babies are born in Alabama they are dedicated right then and there as either “Alabama” or “Auburn” loyalists, whether or not they ever attend either university; a logical thing, you see; it keeps the sale of season tickets reasonably predictable (cue, chuckle). But I’m puzzled about the prohibition against being able to manage my own gasoline needs in Oregon. I’ve asked a few residents how they feel about it and the answers all come out the same: they like it like that. “I don’t like getting gas on my hands,” is one answer; “I don’t like getting out in the rain,” is another I’ve heard. Since Oregonians are always “out in the rain” on their bikes, or hiking their lovely mountain trails, or just going to the grocery store, that one didn’t resonate; and since I’ve pumped my own gas for more than twenty years and never gotten any on my hands, I decided to track down the legislative power behind the babies bottom. » read more