# I pit the Kansas House of Representatives for trying to protect our precious bodily fluids **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 24, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121 "2014-02-24T17:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/1 "2014-02-24T17:50:23Z")
See [here](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/kansas-fluoride-bill). I can barely believe this is real. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/2 "2014-02-24T18:00:36Z")
:sigh: At least they get to _have_ fluoride in their water. Goddamn ignernt fuckos here in Portland managed to scrap a fully-funded fluoride initiative here. Our idiots come in two flavors: knee-jerk right-wing and extra-crunchy granola. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/3 "2014-02-24T18:41:08Z")
> [@](#): > > The bill, known as “HB 2372,” mandates that all Kansas cities and other local government entities "providing water service that artificially fluoridate their community drinking water must notify the consumers of that treated water, that the latest science confirms that ingested fluoride lowers the I.Q. in children. I’d say it’s complete bullshit, but then whoever sponsored the bill was probably raised drinking fluoridated water, so maybe there’s something to it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/4 "2014-02-24T19:30:45Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > See [here](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/kansas-fluoride-bill). > > I can barely believe this is real. Here, have a drink of distilled water and pure grain alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/5 "2014-02-24T19:43:43Z")
Leave it to KS to jump on the anti-fluouride bandwagon 60 years after the rest of the country is over it… ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/6 "2014-02-24T20:29:37Z")
The bill says the government “must notify the consumers of that treated water, that the **latest** science confirms that ingested fluoride lowers the I.Q. in children.” Bolding mine. So what happens when the latest science changes? If the latest science confirms anything other than what is written in the bill then the bill is nonsense, is it not? In any case, that’s just Kansas. That state is so perfect now that the legislators have nothing to do all day except keep up on the latest scientific advances in areas like water floridation. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/7 "2014-02-24T20:35:56Z")
This bill comes on the heels of two recent pieces of legislation attempted to get passed in the Kansas Legislature: 1. permitting businesses to legally discriminate against homosexuals based upon religious reasons. Introduced by republican house members. 2. permitting corporal punishment by parents, teachers, caregivers, that even will leave marks and bruises. Introduced by a democratic house member. ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/8 "2014-02-24T21:12:11Z")
The fluoride bill is most probably dead: [http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/24/3309284/house-panel-tables-proposed-anti.html](http://www.kansas.com/2014/02/24/3309284/house-panel-tables-proposed-anti.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/9 "2014-02-24T21:21:41Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > This bill comes on the heels of two recent pieces of legislation attempted to get passed in the Kansas Legislature: > > 1. permitting businesses to legally discriminate against homosexuals based upon religious reasons. Introduced by republican house members. > > 2. permitting corporal punishment by parents, teachers, caregivers, that even will leave marks and bruises. Introduced by a democratic house member. There’s lots of crazy here this year. There’s a bill that prohibits the federal government from listing the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species, and makes it a state felony for any federal officer or employee to enforce any federal laws or regulations concerning the lesser prairie chicken. This bill passed the Kansas Senate, and is expected to pass the Kansas House. > **[sb276\_01\_0000.pdf](https://www.kslegislature.gov/li_2014/b2013_14/measures/documents/sb276_01_0000.pdf)** > > 85.37 KB ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/10 "2014-02-24T21:29:35Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > There’s lots of crazy here this year. There’s a bill that prohibits the federal government from listing the lesser prairie chicken as an endangered species, and makes it a state felony for any federal officer or employee to enforce any federal laws or regulations concerning the lesser prairie chicken. This bill passed the Kansas Senate, and is expected to pass the Kansas House. > > [http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013\_14/measures/documents/sb276\_01\_0000.pdf](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/sb276_01_0000.pdf) :rolleyes: [Nullification](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullification_Crisis) again?! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/11 "2014-02-24T21:35:11Z")
Some years back there was a book titled “What’s the Matter With Kansas”, which did not impress me as it was a long lament about how they stopped being Progressive Republican and became Conservative, with much “they’re voting against their own interests” condescention. But really, these sorts of things are why I’d find necessary to ask WHAT is the matter with Kansas? They might as well hold a “Stupid Pride” parade. Y’know, THAT is one of the most frightening things I have found in my exposure to the legislative process: when the legislator (state or national) figures out he can just write \*\*anything \*\*under “findings”. That fluoride is proven to damage IQ, that pi = 3, that gays “convert” children, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/12 "2014-02-24T21:51:00Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Some years back there was a book titled “What’s the Matter With Kansas”, which did not impress me as it was a long lament about how they stopped being Progressive Republican and became Conservative, with much “they’re voting against their own interests” condescention. Recent article by the author, Thomas Frank: [“The matter with Kansas now: The Tea Party, the 1 percent and delusional Democrats.”](http://www.salon.com/2014/02/16/the_matter_with_kansas_now_the_tea_party_the_1_percent_and_delusional_democrats/) ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/13 "2014-02-24T22:14:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Recent article by the author, Thomas Frank: [“The matter with Kansas now: The Tea Party, the 1 percent and delusional Democrats.”](http://www.salon.com/2014/02/16/the_matter_with_kansas_now_the_tea_party_the_1_percent_and_delusional_democrats/) I certainly don’t agree with Frank that the solution is for Democrats to move left. IMHO, lots of what happened here I think is voters rejecting what they see as east-coast, fuzzy thinking tax and spend liberals. I don’t think voters understood how serious the Tea Partiers were in cutting government; the voters didn’t believe that government services would be cut if taxes were cut. We’ve had massive tax cuts mostly on business income, resulting in significant budget cuts and shift of the tax burden to salary earners. I’m skeptical that the Tea Partiers can resell themselves in 2014. As someone once said (and I forget who) “Kansans ultimately aren’t going to stand for the kinds of cuts in government services that Bownback is going to propose. Kansans may be ideological conservatives, but they are practicing liberals: they want the government programs, they just don’t want to pay for them.” ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/14 "2014-02-24T22:19:15Z")
The thing is, fluoridated water really does lower the I.Q. in children. When I was a kid, my mother used to make me drink fluoridated water, and now I’m stupid enough to believe that fluoridated H2O lowers IQ. You may think that’s a stupid and recursive argument, but ask yourself, would I be stupid enough to make that argument if I didn’t drink fluoridatd water as a child? game… set… checkmate, motherfuckers. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/15 "2014-02-24T22:49:55Z")
Actually _high_ flouride concentrations _are_ associated with lower IQs … of course those are levels signficnatly higher than the levels in regulated drinking supplies and above EPA guidelines and those levels might be a marker for other substances in those water supplies … but the distorted factoid is not completely false. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/16 "2014-02-24T22:50:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Here, have a drink of distilled water and pure grain alcohol. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/17 "2014-02-24T23:08:54Z")
Someone should tell them about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/18 "2014-02-24T23:55:42Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Someone should tell them about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide. Exposure is ultimately fatal in **100% of cases!** Not just in humans, but in **all known species!** ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/19 "2014-02-25T01:08:48Z")
Here’s a fun article about a bill introduced by a Kansas Legislator trying to block a primary challenge. His day job is a minister. The fun part is the possible (probable) involvement of prostitutes. > **[Bill to require 2-year district residency on shaky ground](https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/state/2014/02/24/bill-require-2-year-district-residency-shaky-ground/16678978007/)** > > A state representative's bill to require two years’ residency in a district before a Kansan runs for state or local office — which would eliminate a potential opponent — appears unlikely to advance. … Background article. > **[Sixteen years span dual mysteries of Haysville lawmaker](https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/state/2013/05/12/sixteen-years-span-dual-mysteries-haysville-lawmaker/16397706007/)** > > The mystery of Rep. Joe Edwards' spooky late-night experience in February lives on. > Edwards, a freshman Republican from Haysville, was barely into the second month of the legislative session when h… Idiots like this are why Kansans get such stupid legislation. But people voted for him. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121/20 "2014-02-25T02:26:57Z")
> [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](#): > > Here’s a fun article about a bill introduced by a Kansas Legislator trying to block a primary challenge. His day job is a minister. The fun part is the possible (probable) involvement of prostitutes. > > [Bill to require 2-year district residency on shaky ground](http://cjonline.com/news/2014-02-24/bill-require-2-year-district-residency-shaky-ground) His fashion sense alone should disqualify him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-kansas-house-of-representatives-for-trying-to-protect-our-precious-bodily-fluids/682121.md?page=2)