Letters to the Editor 12-3-15

Speak with your fill-up
Editor: Many people have asked how I am doing with my efforts to find a local gas station that will voluntarily follow the existing Healdsburg ordinance of not selling tobacco products to those under 21, because these people want to patronize whichever station will do this.
But first, I want to say that I have listened to all of the merchants who have declined to do this. Part of their reasoning is that their clerks were sometimes yelled at by potential customers under 21 when they were told the merchant would not sell tobacco products to them. And thus the customers said they would buy their tobacco (and gas) outside the city because of this. So I fully understand this, as it can be a financial issue for these merchants. The solution to this of course is to have this law pertain throughout the county (and the state). The merchants all want this to happen, as they all know the negative consequences of selling tobacco products. I believe and respect them when they say this.
Four of the five gas stations have stated they would not voluntarily follow the Healdsburg ordinance, but one is considering it. I have decided not to disclose which merchant is considering it, but may I suggest that wherever you buy your gas, please go into the office, and thank them for considering the idea of not selling tobacco products to those under 21. And tell them if they decide to do this, you will patronize them exclusively. That will work.
Dave Anderson, MD
Healdsburg
Fear mongering
Editor: It is not often I respond to letters to the editor, but as a member of this community and a board member of the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce, I feel it necessary. Mr. Winston’s letter in the Nov. 6 edition is blatant misrepresentation of the facts on what the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce receives by contract from the City of Healdsburg. This has been debunked several times in this newspaper. It is surprising to me that he made such a statement as he is considered an articulate individual.
However, in this case he either failed to investigate and confirm the validity of his assertion through various city sources or he specifically intended to mislead the public to fuel a negative feeling about the City Council’s allocation of Measure V funds. I hope this was just poor research. Regardless, the fallacy of his assertion brings the same result and demands correction. In fact, this is a red herring argument to divert attention away from his weak position that the GMO (Growth Management Ordnance), put in place 15 years ago, has had nothing to do with the continued climb in housing prices and rent costs. Simple economics and the law of supply and demand dictate higher prices when supplies are diminished. Keeping the GMO as is will render the same result at an even faster pace, a snowball effect so to speak.
Fear mongering, the use of inaccurate information, and using peripheral perceived hot button issues to support a position are part of fallacy building to trick and manipulate. Everyone, please investigate on your own. Ask questions, use multiple sources you trust and then take a position.
Mark Decker
Healdsburg
Parking set up
Editor: I recently parked at 247 East Street in front of the phone company substation. There’s a loading zone with a yellow curb and being Sunday afternoon I figured that the loading zone did not apply, as is generally the case with loading zones. Woe is me, $80 later.
This is a set up for the unsuspecting driver. Most loading zones are not in effect on Sunday and if they are, it is such an exception that signage will indicate the full time activity. No such sign exists saying that the loading zone is in effect on Sundays, on all days, and at all hours, or any variation thereof. It merely says “loading zone.” Just curious: how many other people have gotten nailed by this? It seems to be a set up. How about some accurate signage that left no room for error? Sure, there’s plenty of incentive for the city to leave it the way it is but it’s really rather nasty and certainly not creating any good will. Is Healdsburg really so hard up?
Wendy DeWitt
Healdsburg
Thanks to public servants
Editor: In the early mornings, the greyhounds and I take our walkabout around the town, often finding ourselves strolling around the Plaza. It often occurs to me how grateful I am to have alighted here. I am especially thankful for the hard work our city employees do. Almost without our noticing, the firefighters, the EMTs, the police stay on watch while we carry on our day to day lives. To the community servants who maintain the parks, the water and electricity, and all the dedicated men and women who support this little city with heart and selflessness, I thank you.
And I’d like to give a special shout-out to Victor Halverson. Very early, on this past chilly Thanksgiving morning, Vic was up to his knees in a trench, repairing a water leak in front of the bakery. In high good humor, he greeted me affably and we chatted like old friends. He takes his work seriously, and I have never heard him complain. What a treasure he is. Thanks, Vic — and all your colleagues — for the great and utterly necessary work you do.
Barbara Médaille
Healdsburg
Fluoride dangers
Editor: Dental cavities are bad, and I’m happy that fluoride in toothpaste and as a painted-on solution has kept my fellow Healdsburger John Murphy cavity-free for many years. But we fluoride “alarmists” don’t dispute the fact that, when applied topically, fluoride prevents tooth decay. The issue is whether this substance belongs in our drinking water.
On KQED FM on Nov. 21, the program “Living on Earth” – which has as its major sponsor the relatively non-alarmist National Science Foundation – looked at this question. Dr. Steven Peckham from the University of Kent in England was interviewed; he had published a paper earlier this year on the link between fluoridated water and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).
“We looked at the levels of hypothyroidism in general [medical] practice populations across England,” he said, “and found an association, or a risk, of higher levels of hypothyroidism in practices in fluoridated areas.”
Even more worryingly, the program cited research done by Dr. Philippe Grandjean, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, which has found a correlation between fluoride exposure and lower IQ. Dr. Grandjean said: “We looked at more than 20 studies from China where they had compared children exposed to high [and low] fluoride content in the water. And on the average, the difference in performance among those kids was seven IQ points.”
Nor is it clear that fluoride in drinking water prevents tooth decay. The Cochrane Collaboration, a global network of doctors and researchers who analyze science to improve public health, has looked at links between fluoridated water and cavity prevention. Dr. Peckham: “Their main conclusions were that there was no evidence to suggest that it reduced inequalities in dental health … that it had a positive effect on adult teeth … [or] that if you stopped water fluoridation, levels of decay would increase.”
The Cochrane group did find strong evidence that fluoride can prevent tooth decay when applied topically, as in Mr. Murphy’s experience; and fluoride that isn’t swallowed doesn’t carry the potential health risks to IQ and the thyroid. But Dr. Peckham believes that we don’t know enough when it comes to fluoridated water.
Hypothyroidism causes a range of symptoms that include tiredness, mental sluggishness and weight gain (thyroid regulates metabolism). Having been diagnosed with the condition in 1984, I can attest to all three. Some women with normal thyroid function develop hypothyroidism after giving birth, and even mild or subclinical hypothyroidism has been associated with impaired fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage.
Bottom line: if there’s any risk that this substance affects thyroid function and intelligence – and there’s evidence to support that it does – it should not be in our water supply.
A full transcript of the “Living on Earth” program from which I’ve quoted can be found on the program’s website, loe.org. The program was called “Health Risks of Water Fluoridation Raise Concerns.”
Nancy Roberts
Healdsburg