I agree that there's no need for words like 'hippies', etc., when making a case for something.

I will just say that I still think that fluoride should be a choice and not put into water. Why not take it in a pill form so you can regulate exactly how much you get?

One side that I haven't seen discussed enough is the expectations for public drinking water. Of course, they must add chlorine, however when it comes to optional additives like fluoride or water softeners, satisfying the desires of the majority of customers might be the most reasonable goal. If they didn't fluoridate, one option might be to provide free fluoride to needy families that wanted it, as well as PSAs to increase their fluoridating water, but that might be more complex, expensive, and less successful. (BTW, I think you need to drink fluoridated water, rather than take a pill, as the prevention of tooth decay requires contact with the teeth).

At any rate, if the majority of customers desire fluoridated water, then I think it's reasonable to expect that the minority can opt out by drinking water from other sources. Perhaps this could/should be subsidized too?

It's a very tricky issue, to be sure.