Letters: Is the SCBWA truly serving the public?; How will ‘MAGA Republicans’ respond?

Is the SCBWA truly serving the public?

The SCBWA has done a disservice to our community by their decision to discontinue public fluoridation or the water supply.

As a local pediatrician, I have concerns with children’s dental health as well as their neurodevelopment. At the present time, I remain unconvinced of the evidence against fluoride. I continue to prescribe fluoride for children and do not recommend pregnant or breastfeeding mothers avoid fluoride.

At the public sessions concerning this decision there were impassioned speakers, from outside the area, speaking on both sides of the issue. All of the local heath and dental experts spoke out in favor of continuing fluoride supplementation. Several hundred of us signed an online petition in support of fluoride. The SCBWA is a public entity; why was local public opinion not given greater respect?

What would it take for the water board to reconsider their decision? Newer methods of fluoridation have been developed that are both safer and are not subject to supply issues that the SCBWA cites. Would a survey of current customers influence their decision to resume public fluoridation?

Sixty-eight years ago the water authority made a decision to add flouride to the water. That decision has had a positive impact on thousands, if not millions, in our community. It was the right decision at that time and remains the right decision now. The public is not being well served by the discontinuation of public fluoridation of State College water.

How will ‘MAGA Republicans’ respond?

Congressional representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are living proof that decent Republicans exist in America. But, they are a dying breed. The overwhelming majority of Republicans are MAGA Republicans, a seemingly criminal organization featuring cult-like adoration of Donald Trump – an evil con-man, inveterate liar, long-time unindicted criminal and notorious crybaby. They are a threat to democracy. What values do they teach their children?

MAGA Republicans cultishly embraced Trump after he bragged about grabbing women “by the p----,” after he paid hush money to a porn star, after news of his mafia ties, after retracting his racist lies about President Obama’s birth certificate, after his multiple bankruptcies, after asserting that there were decent neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, after E. Jean Carroll’s allegations of rape, after telling some 35,000 lies while in office, after botching the government’s COVID-19 response, after stupidly suggesting that an injection of disinfectant might cure COVID, after cruelly separating children from their parents at the border, after attempting to bribe Ukraine’s President Zelensky to obtain political dirt on Joe Biden, after suffering two impeachments, after becoming the target for civil and criminal investigations for tax fraud, after losing the 2020 presidential election by some seven million votes, after launching his “Big Lie” about a stolen election, after losing some 50 “Big Lie” lawsuits, after attempting to rig Georgia’s vote count, after inciting the Jan. 6th insurrection.

Now, after stealing highly classified documents, how will the MAGA crowd respond when their “fuhrer” finally is locked up?