Eight Years
Holding myself out as a small L libertarian means that I do see the need for some services to be provided by the government. After all, I pay for them. My list isn’t very large. I expect:
Navigable roads
To not be invaded
If my house catches fire, I expect someone to come put it out
My home to not be located next to a bomb factory
If an intruder invades my home, I expect the police to show up, remove the body, and recommend a good method for removing blood from the carpet; or a good cleaning service
You know, the little things. But there are also other services that I specifically pay government and quasi-government agencies for as I use them. One of those services is water. Good ol’ H2O. I like having water. In an effort to cut costs, the local utility in Blount County has decided to stop fluoridating the water supply. They say it’s for other reasons but word on the street is it’s about money. I can’t imagine it costs that much. Some folks oppose fluoridated water stating that it is medicating the water. Seems odd to me.
Today, Junior went to the pediatrician to get shots. This already horrifying experience was made even more so by the doc telling the Mrs. that Junior needs to take a fluoride supplement since the county no longer fluoridates the water. She has to take these supplements for eight years. Yes, for eight years. Unbelievable.
December 30th, 2004 at 8:55 am
Most of Europe has abandoned floride in the water. While it does wonders for your teeth, it is linked to alzheimers – pretty strongly linked. And you can get flouride treatments twice a year at your dentists office – can’t buy it yourself because it is so toxic.
December 30th, 2004 at 10:21 am
“This already horrifying experience”
I was banned, on the word of Mrs. G, from being present at any of my son’s future shots.
No, I didn’t faint. But I made the Dr. so uncomfortable he had to leave the room.
Can I help it if I puff up like a silverback gorilla when someone is hurting my boy?
December 30th, 2004 at 3:24 pm
If a broad public benefit is reason enough for putting flouride in the water supply, why not put other useful compounds. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, etc. Heck, why stop there. Why not broadly used drugs like Ritalin or Prozac?
Or maybe, we shouldn’t be using a system intended for delivering water to distribute something else that people may not want, just because parents are too cheap and went everyone else to pay for their kids’ medical care.
December 30th, 2004 at 3:27 pm
Well, stormy, since I pay for the water, I feel fully within my right to demand what i want in it. period. Unfortunately, they’re the only game in town and, since they’re government, are guaranteed not to have competition. Unless I dig a well. But that won’t be fluoridated either.
December 30th, 2004 at 6:47 pm
So because you want flouride, everyone else has to get it to?
December 30th, 2004 at 7:30 pm
I seem to be in the majority in my town so yes. Turns out, it’s one whackjob politico whose mom died from Alzheimer’s and thinks that fluoride caused it who made the call.
December 31st, 2004 at 4:56 am
I’m not interested in the particulars of whether flouride is a good idea or not, because I agree that it’s a good thing.
What I’m not in agreement in is that means it out to be paid for by the municipal water authority and inserted into the water supply.
1.) Different people would want different things added to the water. It’s impossible to meet everyone’s demands. What’s so special about flouride?
2.) Some people, whether for good reasons, or not don’t want it. Since it’s easier to add things to water than to remove them, why not just distribute plain water and let people who want flouride install flouridators in their houses?
3.) Even by your doctor’s instructions, the only needed until age eight. What percentage of your town is parents of children less than eight? Why should the parents of older children or non-parents have to chip in for something they have no use for, just because it helps your kid?
4.) Some people have allergies to flouride. What happens to them? They’re not allowed to use the town water?
5.) I don’t care whether the majority in the town thinks it’s a good idea. If the majority in the town wanted to ban gun posession, would that be fine with you, since it’s what the majority wants?
December 31st, 2004 at 10:33 am
What you don’t understand is that this is not a matter of law. It’s a matter of markets. They sell a product. When you do that, you cater to what the market wants.
December 31st, 2004 at 12:59 pm
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