SPD Renovations
Dear Editor: There is no question in my mind that Lorraine Inez Lil has told the truth about the police department building. I took her advice and got a tour of the 1975 building that at one time may have been adequate but now needs replacement. Just as our physicians need an up-to-date hospital to practice state of the art medicine; so too do “Sitka’s Finest” need a state-of-the-art Law Enforcement Center.
Now the question comes: How do we pay for the new facility with past Assemblies and administrators having spent us into a hole so deep our great- grandchildren will be enslaved by that debt. I’ll tell you where it cannot come from, the poor, average Sitka taxpayer who struggles in an economy 135 percent more expensive than the U.S. average cost of living.
We must look to the industry which has taken so much out of Sitka, overburdened our infrastructure, and given so little in community support. The Assembly and city administrator have pandered to tourism and business with hopes of a return on their investment. Well, the time has come for tourism and its associated businesses to pay back the community – for the new Centennial building, its parking lot, the new library, the sea walk, the Blue Lake dam, the Performing Arts Center, etc. None of those projects were needs. All of them were wants by a vocal minority at a time in the economy when most people had to cut back.
If you travel you have experienced the tourist-related taxes and surcharges to “build a new sports stadium” or “to enlarge the airport.” For some reason or other our administrators and Assemblies have not figured out how to tax tourism and its related businesses to pay their fair share of support to Sitka infrastructure.
That time has come; and a good place to start is replacing the current sales tax with a sales/transaction/service/rental tax that everyone pays with no exemptions. Maybe the tax would only have to be 2 percent if everyone paid. As a senior citizen I am willing to give up my sales tax exemption as long as all of the other 30-plus groups give up their exemptions.
We as a community need to come together with a viable, transparent plan that everyone pays their fair share and build a new Law Enforcement Center for our finest.
Bill Marx, Sitka
Fluoridation
Dear Editor: Once again, the Assembly is reopening the issue of whether to maintain fluoridation of our municipal water supply. Despite over 70 years of conclusive science-based research, some people still seem confused as to whether fluoridated water is a healthy and effective way to promote universal oral health. Fluoride in the water system is the single most effective way to improve oral health – it improves the resistance of teeth to cavities in the same way vitamin D added to milk prevents rickets and folic acid added to cereals prevents spina bifida. Community water fluoridation is supported by the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the Alaska Dental Society.
Children suffering from dental cavities are more apt to have trouble concentrating and perform worse in school – lack of sleep from discomfort and pain makes it hard to focus and millions of school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness. Water fluoridation is a cost effective method of giving all children a chance at a healthy mouth and a healthy life, costing, on average, just $32.16 per person – less than one-fifth of the least expensive filling. Juneau stopped their community water fluoridation 10 years ago, and it’s not been a happy time for the kids over there. A recent study found that, on average, children in Juneau are now experiencing one additional cavity procedure per year. This, in turn, translates into an additional expense of $200-$300 per child, per year.
There are many myths out there about fluoride. Fortunately, the science is clear. MYTH: Fluoride doesn’t belong in drinking water. FACT: Fluoride occurs naturally in water, it isn’t a question of choosing to add fluoride but of ensuring that people receive the optimum levels to prevent tooth decay. At optimum levels, fluoride is incorporated into and strengthens children’s developing teeth. MYTH: I can just brush with fluoride toothpaste. FACT: Fluoride toothpaste alone is not enough to protect our most vulnerable – children. In studies comparing communities with fluoridated water to those without, even with regular brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, there were higher rates of decay in the communities without fluoridated water. MYTH: There’s a warning label on my fluoride toothpaste – it must be dangerous. FACT: The warning label reflects the fact that the concentration of fluoride in toothpaste is significantly higher than what is in water. Even then, the risk is of mild fluorosis – a cosmetic condition that affects only the appearance of the teeth.
There is a plethora of pseudo-scientific information that claims the dangers of community water fluoridation. It is misleading at best and spreads false information that preys upon the fears of the public. The bottom line – water fluoridation is safe and effective. For more fact-based information, go to: https://ilikemyteeth.org/; http://americanfluoridationsociety.org/; https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/index.html.
Gretchen Clarke, MPH;
Dr. Jennifer McNichol;
Laurie Hood, R.N., Public
Health Nurse;
Dr. Valerie Edwards;
Amanda Capitummino, CHES;
Dr. Matthew West, DMD, FAGD;
Kim Hort, DMD, Pediatric
Dentist, SEARHC;
Traci Gale, Pharm.D.;
Patrick Williams, MHA;
Richard McGrath, M.D., Clinic Medical Director, Mountainside Family Healthcare;
Dr. David Vastola;
Courtney Hayashi, M.D.
