A “maybe” versus established science: leave fluoride alone
It was free and it was fun. You walked out of class and got free toothpaste and toothbrushes. We didn’t know why, but it didn’t matter. We gave up math for a while. And I had fewer cavities.
They gave us a white tube with a number on it. We used it every day at school and at home. We walked down the hallway to a room converted to a long metal sink with water spraying from a metal hose. Like the army. Later, a dentist came to see if we had any new cavities.
It was sixth grade in 1950s Philadelphia.
I learned years later that they were testing fluoride in toothpaste. He was to be called Crest (some called him communist). It became the first toothpaste approved by the American Dental Association.
The point of all this? Winter Haven will be no more add fluoride to city water.
For what? Because fluoride can lower IQ and cause brittle bones in children. Note the word “may.” However, this prevents cavities. There are many. No “can” here.
My hope is the city, with 75% of other Americansleave the big F alone. Before they come for my badge.
Little Norman, Winter Haven
Voice of the people (December 1, 2024):Should we educate the children or just serve as daycare?
Trump’s first-term tariffs were a disaster for farmers
Bravo, juxtaposing Bruce Anderson’s column (Tariffs on our biggest trading partners are a terrible idea) and the Turkey Cartoon, $36 Trillion Debt side by side (December 1, 2024).
I have a disagreement with Professor Anderson: a global tariff against a nation is not just stupid, it is downright stupid. President-elect Trump pulled off a similar stunt during his first term, which bankrupted thousands of American farmers, forcing Trump to attack the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation for more than $70 billion to bail them out . Congress never approved this action.
The turkey cartoon, showing a $36 trillion federal debt, is relevant, but could have been better if it had shown America’s 806 billionaires eating that turkey, since they are the ones who accumulated that debt on the Ordinary Americans paying little or no taxes on this accumulated debt. wealth.
Yes, the average American created this debacle by voting for politicians who give massive tax breaks to the rich and big corporations. Will they learn over time to avoid catastrophe in their old age? Probably not. The American middle class now numbers only a few thousand people. Soon there will be more billionaires than middle-class citizens.
Richard Sutherland, Lakeland
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