I remember getting that sugar cube.

oh yeah missed the oral part there

I'm on a handful of attorney list-serves (because lawyers haven't moved out of the 20th century), and a good number of the emails are ridiculous chain email worthy conservative posts. Old people gonna old people, I guess.

Yes, that's pretty much what I said. Hope you were joking and not thinking you were making some sort of point.

If this was directed towards me, then it's clearly not what I believe or was saying. The issue of mandatory vaccines should be decided on its own merits anyway, regardless of our views on other topics.

You have a pretty reasonable tone but unfortunately you've been exposed to a lot of faulty info.

Look at Haemophilus influenzae type b. Hib is a nasty, encapsulated bacteria that primarily preys on people with weak immune systems such as the young and the old, and can cause a wide-range of problems like meningitis. (Keep in mind you get vaccinated against organisms, not diseases)

When the Hib vaccine was introduced, American childhood hospitalizations due to Hib infections dropped from ~100/100,000 children to ~1/100,000 children.

What amazing leap forward in living conditions occurred in the USA between 1985 and 1991 to explain this if it wasn't due to the vaccine?

The "information out there" shows nothing of the sort. Please provide some references to reputable intelligent sources or just stay quiet, because you sound like a flat-earther, only one whose anti-social self-centered decisions endanger everyone else. Anti-science libertarian stupidity is also a disease that needs to be eradicated.

This was cool, though preaching to the choir in my case and in fact he stole (obv. not really) one of my ideas. I like to say "everyone is the hero of their own story."

Parents should have the right to not have children get vaccines but if you don't have them vaccinated you are giving up your right for the child to be educated in the public school system.

I think this is one of the best podcasts out there right now. They're really long, but since he has such a great radio voice and enunciates so well it's extremely listenable at 2x.

If someone is interested in just sampling it but is put off by the long episode length, there are a bunch of "inbetweenisodes" that are only about 30 minutes, with the same high-quality content.

Question for those in favor of making vaccination mandatory:

What are your thoughts on medical privacy and the right to autonomy over one's body?

Story is in the LA Times near me this morning. Most preschools have around 90% measles vaccination (lower income areas are the highest). The hippy lord of the flies preschool near me has 36%.

'lord of the flies,' you say.

Too vague a question to even begin answering. At some point, you absolute freedom/autonomy of body runs up against public health. Livin in a free society doesn't mean you get to be the next Typhoid Mary.

Naked children running wild. Truth.

Periodic murders via stone spears, tho?

Australia requires vaccinations in order to take the children related tax deductions. I think that would do the trick in the US.

It's not vague at all. I mean, pro-lifers could easily take your post here and flip it around to say that living in a free society doesn't mean you get to kill your own kids on demand.

I don't think so. Currently, most of the people who don't want to vaccinate their kids are on the higher end of the income scale. They are probably willing and able to take the hit.

I know shades of grey aren't your strong point, but yes people could make that argument. I could argue that rape ought to be legal because personal LIBERTY!!! Where we draw the line between unlimited individual freedom and the needs of the public is something to work out on a case by case basis. Like maybe I'm okay with forcing Typhoid Mary into quarantine but not okay with for in everyone to get a flu shot every year at gunpoint.

So, this story is as relayed from my wife and it is 13 years ago so the details may not be exact, but the crucial hippie element is accurate. My wife took our then 2 year old to visit this parent participation preschool. Our daughter went to the sand pit where there was one naked 5 year old boy playing with many toys. Our daughter picked up a toy and then the boy started curb stomping her. The near by parent supervisor said, "I guess he doesn't feel like sharing."

My wife also attended this preschool some 44 years ago so she is pretty familiar with it.

You may be right but my assumption is that most of the anti vaxxers are high end hipsters that don't feel strongly enough to pay 5k annually for the right to brag to their friends how much more concerned with their kids well being they are than the unwashed masses. Could just lie and pocket the money.

Jesus. Did he make her bite the curb?

It's a fairly low level and technical transgression without evidence a vaccine is harmful to a human being. The childrens' right to not be harmed by poor healthcare choices is also a constructive right which supports a balance between a person's privacy and the responsibility for children's' health. While I don't clearly support mandatory vaccinations, I do not see that a mandate for them would break the foundation of human rights.

Well, she had recovered by the time I saw her. Maybe he was a bad stomper.

Nah man. Rich people love their tax deductions way more than the actual children.