"Happy 50th Birthday, Barbie....Now get out of West Virginia!"

With important issues such as road conditions, unfinished bridges, unemployment and the economy demanding our attention, do we as West Virginians really need to waste our time with frivolous bills in the legislature like the one posed to ban the sale of Barbie Dolls in the state?

Sure, the thought process behind the proposal is meaningful and heartfelt, but it does nothing more than clog up an already busy legislative session.

The legislature is not the place to make political gestures, it is the place to pass bills that will benefit all West Virginians. How will it benefit West Virginians to ban a plastic doll that has been on the market for 50 years? Young ladies do need to be taught what real beauty is, but you’d be hard pressed to find a girl who wants to look like Barbie.

Now that this story has reached the four corners of the Earth, now West Virginians have another wave of insults and snide remarks to deal with. Is it any wonder West Virginia is the butt of all jokes? Hopefully our elected officials can move past this and work to keep our state out of the red.