**Feds seek views on vaccine opposition

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Hmmm... Any guess as to how the Feds will use that info?===========http://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/story/658047.htmlPosted on Sat, Jan. 10, 2009Feds seek views on vaccine oppositionThe government is paying parents in an Oregon town to discuss their opinions onchildhoodimmunizations.BY JEFF BARNARDAssociated PressThere are so many parents in this free-spirited, unconventional small town who won't get their kids vaccinated that federal researchers are paying money just to hear their side of things.Eighty locals will get $50 apiece today to talk about their worries over the risks of childhood shots."One of the basic tenets of my decision-making is mistrust of the government, a mistrust of the pharmaceutical companies, and mistrust of the big blanket thing that says this is what everybody has to do," says Tracy Harding, an organic farming consultant and mother of two."I get the public health standpoint," she said. "I am still questioning (vaccines') safety."Nationally, there is a budding movement of parents who are getting exemptions from laws requiring children to get vaccinated before attending school. The exemptions are one explanation the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives for a spike in measles cases. The government recommends as many as 10 vaccines before a child is 6, plus boosters along the way.Ben Schwartz, an adviser to the National Vaccine Program, said the meeting in Ashland is one of three where the government is paying average citizens to give their views to inform officials charting the direction of vaccine research for the next five years. A similar meeting was held in Birmingham, Ala., and another is set for Indianapolis, both sites with more mainstream views about vaccines.But Ashland stands apart from the mainstream.The town of 20,000 on the flanks of the Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon has always been different. In the early 20th century it was on the Chautauqua lecture circuit, and the sulfurous waters of Lithia Springs drew visitors looking for a cure for what ailed them.Today, it has one of the highest rates in the nation for vaccine exemptions -- 28 percent and rising in kindergarten classes, compared with about 4 percent statewide. One alternative school has 67 percent.A liberal outpost in a conservative region, Ashland likes to go its own way. The city has its own water and electric utilities, and was a pioneer in promoting solar energy, high-speed Internet, and dog parks. It has serious debates about whether to cut down trees to expand the library or whether to allow a woman to ride her bicycle naked in the Fourth of July parade. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.