Fluoride is a mineral which is often added to water. This is done to prevent tooth decay, and make your teeth more resistant to cavities. Despite being considered a safe practice by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when implemented at recommended levels of 0.7 milligrams per liter, many people have pushed back against this addition, preferring water to not contain it.
Utah to ban fluoride in tap water
From May 7 of this year, the state of Utah has proposed plans to ban the addition of fluoride in tap water, provided Governor Spencer Cox approves of the bill. The bill has already been approved by the Senate. This has been a long-raged battle in Utah for over five decades. If approved, Utah would be the first state in the US to ban fluoride in water. 72% of public water systems in the US include fluoride in their water.
“This bill does not prohibit anybody from taking fluoride in whatever fashion they want. It just disallows people who do not want fluoride from having to consume fluoride in their water,” says Utah state senator Kirk Cullimore.
The argument against putting fluoride in drinking water follows a case brought forward by a court in California which found that fluoride could potentially cause cognitive problems. The crux of the argument though is rooted in allowing for people to choose whether they want to introduce fluoride into their water or not. By eliminating fluoride in the water, but making it easily available at pharmacies, residents can make an informed choice on their own about if they want it in their water or not.
Some debate by residents over the proposed bill
While some groups such as the Utah Eagle Forum strongly support the new bill, others are indifferent. Very few areas and cities in Utah do actually add fluoride to their drinking water, and those that do, did so because of voters choosing to implement it. Reports ahead of the senate passing the bill show that there was little debate against the bill.
Sen. Todd Weiler argued that it should be up to local counties whether or not they want to fluoride their water, and a broad ban is not strictly necessary: “I don’t really have a dog in the fight whether we fluoridate our water or not, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the legislature telling Salt Lake City, Brigham City, Helper and Davis County that their local authorities can’t do what their residents have voted to do, so that’s why I’ll be voting no,” he said.
Utah to tax your social security benefits
While Utah is busy discussing the inclusion of fluoride in their water, more pressing debates for Utah residents is the taxation of social security benefits. Utah is one of nine states which puts state tax on social security retirement benefits. Many retirees are against this taxation, as a large majority of social security beneficiaries rely solely on their social security benefits to cover their expenses in their retirement, as they do not have any other form of income available to them.
Social security in and of itself is going through mass changes and debates, particularly with regards to the longevity of the fund. While the new Trump administration has previously stated that they plan to eradicate federal taxes entirely on social security benefits, the reality is that taxes need to, in actual fact, be raised in order to prevent the depletion of the fund. An alternative solution is to reduce the amount of benefits retirees receive now, or possibly a combination of both.
