Last year, when Utah lawmakers passed the nation’s first statewide ban on community water fluoridation, they included a provision making it easier for people to get fluoride supplements without having to visit a dental provider.
One of two things imo, (1) either purely ideological, or (2) intentionally putting up a new fence to restrict access to a commodity for greater profits.
(1) The government enacting these regulations stifles innovation, making it impossible to find better solutions for healthier teeth, and preventing communities (individuals really) from making their own decisions about their body.
(2) The most efficient way to do things (fluoride for teeth) is collectively through municipal water sources. This is bad for profits/gdp. By not providing it (and potentially destroying old infrastructure) new markets are opened or expanded for fluoride, and a new “need” for new infrastructure is created, resulting in new profits/increased gdp.
Bonus background reason:
The more you can convince the citizens of your country of, the easier it is to control them
Bonus Bonus reason:
It gives “opposing” factions something to fight about that isn’t the class war, effectively distracting people from the on-going -gestures wildly at everything the west does-
Basically using these 4 things as a starting point for all “why are government doing” questions in the west can help us understand it, and not fall down the thought terminating (cough liberal cough) rabbit hole of “gawd they are so stupid/evil! I can’t wait until the wet cheeto isn’t in power anymore! #love”
One of two things imo, (1) either purely ideological, or (2) intentionally putting up a new fence to restrict access to a commodity for greater profits.
(1) The government enacting these regulations stifles innovation, making it impossible to find better solutions for healthier teeth, and preventing communities (individuals really) from making their own decisions about their body.
(2) The most efficient way to do things (fluoride for teeth) is collectively through municipal water sources. This is bad for profits/gdp. By not providing it (and potentially destroying old infrastructure) new markets are opened or expanded for fluoride, and a new “need” for new infrastructure is created, resulting in new profits/increased gdp.
Bonus background reason: The more you can convince the citizens of your country of, the easier it is to control them
Bonus Bonus reason: It gives “opposing” factions something to fight about that isn’t the class war, effectively distracting people from the on-going -gestures wildly at everything the west does-
Basically using these 4 things as a starting point for all “why are government doing” questions in the west can help us understand it, and not fall down the thought terminating (cough liberal cough) rabbit hole of “gawd they are so stupid/evil! I can’t wait until the wet cheeto isn’t in power anymore! #love”