Good Question took a break this week…so I could work on a story about fluoride and a debate in the Village of Poynette. I extensively covered this issue last month in an In Depth Report … check it out here.
There’s lots of emotion surrounding fluoride…both for and against. But the village board ultimately decided to take the issue to a non-binding referendum. That means, board members will be able to gauge how residents feel…but they’ll be making the final decision. In this case, they were deciding whether or not to add fluoride back into the drinking water. It was taken out in July. Two board members, Kevin Marquardt and Steve Tomlinson, told me they would vote along the same lines of the voters.
So…Last Tuesday, Poynette residents headed to the polls…and in a 278 to 128 vote, residents said they wanted to add fluoride back to the drinking water.
Last night, the Poynette village board, to put it lightly, completely ignored the referendum. Marquardt (remember…he said would vote along the same line as voters) and two other board members voted to keep fluoride out, two board members voted to return the fluoride to the water, and one board member abstained. Check out my follow-up story today…I got kind of tough on village trustee Dave Branish. But, as journalists, we need to question those in charge. I felt I did a fair job trying to get some answers.
So here’s the Good Question I want to pose to you: what do you think about this? I’m not talking about the debate about fluoride…whether it’s a good or bad thing. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this…so let’s not get into this here. I want to know how you feel about what Poynette’s village board did…basically ignoring the results of a referendum. Legally, they could…because it was non-binding. But was it the right thing to do?
What do you think?
I think you should question proponents of fluoridation rather than those who voted to keep it out of their water. You are supposed to be objective or at least tell the truth.
Regardless of which organizations and any person with impressive-sounding credentials assure you of fluoridation safety, the science does not. They are just as disinterested in reviewing the science as your are.
Fluoride is neither a nutrient nor essential for healthy teeth. I won’t come over your house and forced a vitamin C tablet down your throat. But in essense you have decided to force-feed me fluoride. Fluoridation is really stupid – if you would really think about it and not assume the fluoridationists are correct.
Health effects of fluoride ingestion: http://www.FluorideAction.Net/health