BY WILLIAM ROBERTSON
Physicist, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Ret.
David Reagor is running for re-election to Los Alamos County Council. As a fellow member of our scientific community, I am particularly concerned about the position Dr. Reagor has taken on two critical issues, namely, climate change and vaccinations.
It is vexing that his positions appear to be rooted in politics and not science. A foundation of the scientific method is that extraordinary claims must be supported with extraordinary evidence. While human induced climate change may have been novel several decades ago, it is now accepted as the standard.
NASA’s answer to the question, “Do scientists agree on climate change?” is simple:
Yes, the vast majority of actively publishing climate scientists – 97 percent – agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change. (science.nasa,gov, October 7, 2024)
Climate change denial is now the extraordinary claim and, without evidence, should be viewed as a fringe belief. Specifically, denial of human induced climate change, demonstrates contempt for the scientific method and should be rejected.
Furthermore, Dr. Reagor has expressed a disturbingly pessimistic reason for his position as a climate change denier.
Our county is so small that nothing we do will have a meaningful effect on the worldwide
Carbon budget. Local action on such a global issue is just a pompous ego polishing. (Los
Alamos Reporter, August 12, 2024)
A foundation of democracy is that everyone’s voice can have an impact. Whether it is your vote, your first amendment right to advocate for or protest against policies, or letters written to your local newspaper, the only thing most of us can do is to act locally, even on global matters. For a politician to write that it is arrogant to believe in the power of their community and that their constituents are powerless, shows his contempt for our voices. A citizenry believing they are powerless does not bode well for a democracy.
Another example of Reagor’s divergent beliefs is his position on vaccines.
The way government works today almost is running fear campaigns. They do that with COVID, they do that with bank failures, whatever it is. (March 8, 2024, Los Alamos Council presentation on the proposed Climate Action Plan)
With over a million dead Americans from COVID and numerous examples of economic catastrophe resulting from bank failures, I want a government that takes these issues seriously. I want a government that advocates for public support of policies and regulations that help its citizens. In 2021, Governor Lujan sent a letter to businesses and commercial associations urging them to follow the state’s lead in requiring proof of vaccination or testing of employees. In response to this, Reagor stated:
I have to speak in opposition to approval of this letter…we now have the mask mandate…if
you think a vaccine is effective, why do you have to wear a mask? (August 10, 2021, Los
Alamos Council discussion)
Amelioration of the effects of a pandemic through vaccine development and promotion of its use is good for us all. Refusing to be vaccinated for lethal diseases like polio, smallpox or COVID; refusing to wear a mask during an airborne pandemic; or even weakening regulations that are designed to prevent a cascade of bank failures is irresponsible and ultimately bad for our community.
Ironically, Dr. Reagor claims to be a strong supporter of our healthcare providers citing as one of his top five priorities for our county to “maintain our hospital and local health care.” My nurses were all wearing masks this morning, as they have done since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when we learned the virus could be spread by air. Dr. Reagor appears to be out of sync with our hospital and local health care system he professes to support.
Dr. Reagor has demonstrated a consistent record of putting political opinions over scientific and economic standards. I want my representatives to seek out and use established facts and well-reasoned logic when forming their policy positions. Dismissing science because the facts do not conveniently fit into his version of what it means to be “pro small business” is no excuse. I want a representative that understands government can be a powerful agent of change to enable its citizens and businesses to prosper.
We are fortunate to live in a community that famously includes so many well-educated science andmedical experts. Our county’s expertise should be leveraged to promote the facts around these vitally important issues and refute the fringe theories propagated by David Reagor. Instead, Reagor believes “nothing we do will have a meaningful effect.” We need a representative that values our voice. We need a representative that will use the power of our people to give voice to facts, not fringe theories.
In a community that values its scientific expertise, Reagor is not the person we should want to represent us on County Council.