My beloved Portland made the news again for voting down fluoridating its water in a fight more divisive than you could ever imagine unless you live here. We’re a… unique people. Fluoride is added to the water supply in every large city in America except for Portland. New York, a city with over 8 million people, has had its water fluoridated for over 50 years and every major medical outfit supports its use. Try telling that to about half the people in Portland and you’ll be treated to an earful on everything from conspiracies about population control to more principled libertarian arguments against the government doing anything good for us. I don’t often find Gawker insightful, but this editorial on Portland’s refusal to submit to scientific consensus was spot on.

05.29.2013 |