Former Gov. Beasley deserves praise for being a champion in the fight to end hunger

On David Beasley

During my tenure in communications for the U. S. Postal Service in the 1990s and 2000s, one South Carolina governor stood out among the state’s public figures when it came to supporting our annual Letter Carrier Food Drive.

That individual was David Beasley, who was our state’s governor from 1995 to 1999.

Beasley would always welcome us to his office to hold a press conference on the annual event, and he would personally endorse our effort to carry out the world’s largest food drive.

Beasley’s actions back then are being reflected today through his inspiring leadership as the executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, which has just won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.

Congratulations to one of South Carolina’s greatest governors!

Harry Spratlin, Columbia

On Medicaid expansion

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has expressed concern because New York, California and Massachusetts have 22% of America’s population yet receive 35% of Medicaid funding.

But cherry-picking this statistic doesn’t give a true picture.

South Carolina is one of 14 states that have declined to expand Medicaid, and when our state made that decision we were warned that we would miss out on benefits that would be directed instead to other states.

If we were to expand Medicaid and grant benefits to all households under 138% of the poverty level, we would be able to do the following:

▪ Reduce other Medicaid costs.

▪ Decrease emergency room visits.

▪ Increase tax receipts.

▪ Direct funding to our rural hospitals.

▪ Make our workforce more productive.

All of this would be well worth South Carolina taking on 10% of the cost to expand Medicaid.

Graham’s concern also overlooks the fact that South Carolina is a national leader in getting back more money than we send to Washington. This is influenced by military spending and also by various programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

According to a chart published by The Atlantic magazine, South Carolina ranks No. 1 in “return on investment” from the federal government; we receive $7.87 for every dollar we send to Washington.

Meanwhile, New York, California and Massachusetts — the states mentioned by Graham — are among the 14 states with negative returns of investment vis-a-vis the federal government.

David Ezell, Columbia

On COVID-19

Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, wrote a recent op-ed in The State regarding how our state and country are addressing the pandemic.

I read Mulvaney’s piece not just once, but twice.

All of the points Mulvaney made were very enlightening, but he could have also added some observations on the need for proper leadership and modeling.

With proper leadership from the top leaders — and that includes our senators and members of Congress — we folks in South Carolina would better understand the need to get this COVID-19 behind us.

And the easiest way to accomplish the results we want would be to just model the behavior that is desired and needed.

Talk and stats are great, but when we back up our concerns with our actions, victory can become an achievement rather than simply remain a dream.

Herbert Garvin, Columbia

On a vaccine

More than ever we need to see elected leaders support the work being done by the biopharmaceutical industry to defeat COVID-19.

The industry has shifted its focus to researching breakthrough treatments and developing a vaccine for this virus.

Our lawmakers must shift focus to do the same, because a vaccine is necessary if we are to return to normalcy and reinvigorate the economy.

As an employee in the court system I know the importance of returning to a sense of normalcy — and I know that only a vaccine can provide it.

Our office has been greatly affected by the hold on face-to-face interactions and the inability to hear trials, both of which also put family units in jeopardy.

My passion is to help children who cannot speak for themselves, and I am scared that without a vaccine children who need our help won’t receive it.

I hope South Carolina’s lawmakers will announce their commitment to fight for their constituents in this battle over the virus. By doing so, the people of South Carolina will be able to stay healthy, keep working and continue to thrive in the classroom.

Katriel Kasperski, Columbia

This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 2:56 PM.