Why I disagree with adoption fundraising

I disagree with it because I think it's tacky. Especially when the family has a big picture of the kid they want to adopt with a sign saying "Help bring so-and-so home!" I have seen this on countless blogs, complete with a pay pal account. To me, that is just...yuck. It really puts the child down as a charity case, and omg, how will this poor kid ever be grateful enough that he was "saved?" I think the root of my problem with adoption fundraising is...my issue with the ridiculous cost of adoption in the first place. I am thinking especially of international adoption. I think the thousands of dollars families spend to adopt from China, Russia, Ethiopia, etc just supports the corruption that exists in international adoption. If people are willing to pay $20,000 + dollars to adopt a child, this just leads to the sending country wanting to keep up the supply, and get as many kids to adopt out as possible. And to getting these kids by some not exactly ethical means. Coercion, lying, sometimes actual stealing. I think many families who adopt internationally can never know for sure that they got their child totally on the up and up. A lot of the information they are given about how the child came to be orphaned may not even be true. No, not in every case. Of course not. But in enough cases. I'm thinking especially of China, here. 
Yes, I know there are children in orphanages and institutions who have no one, who need a forever family. I know that. And I believe every child deserves a loving, safe, "forever" home. But the whole adoption system has become about money. And while of course I think no child should grow up in an orphanage, I also think all the money that US families pay just contributes and adds to the corruption. It feels a lot like baby buying. Do the original families of these kids (most of them do have at least 1 living parent) really understand what adoption is, as we understand it here in the US? That their child isn't coming here just for an education, and then will return to their country to care for the family. Do they understand that adoption is forever (unless of course you're Torry Hansen)? I don't think international adoption is the solution to poverty and the orphan crisis. I think stripping a child of their original families, of their culture, language, etc should be a last resort. No child should be put in an orphanage just because of poverty. I think the whole system needs major reform. And I think adoptive families need to stop oiling the machine. 

Welcome!

Hey reader(s) (anyone??)~
Welcome to my blog! I have decided to start this blog because 1) I love writing, and 2) I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things, and I'm kind of shy about expressing them "irl", so I thought this might be a good forum for me...I plan to write about a variety of things. I'm a Mom, but this isn't going to be a "mommy blog". I will write a lot about adoption, because it's a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I will write about books, movies, religion and politics if I feel the urge. Pretty much any subject weighing on my mind will be fair game. So are you in? Cool! Let's get started, then...

I believe in (and these are in no particular order):
-gun control
-a woman's right to choose
-marriage equality
-war never being the anwser
-affordable, quality child care
-affordable, quality housing
-adoption reform
-a good, hot cuppa coffee (or two) first thing in the morning
-books that are so good, you want them to go on forever
-palm trees and sunny beaches
-my iPad and iPhone
-living wages

Ok, I believe in a lot more stuff, but that's all I got for right now. Really need to go to bed, where my kiddo is already sound asleep. (In my bed. Yep, I never planned it, but somehow my child cosleeps with me. I don't actually mind it, except for the occasional elbow or foot in the face...)