FEEDBACK: Car rental cautions, mad about no Medicaid expansion

To the editor:

A couple of other things to be careful of when renting a car – make sure you can drive to the state(s) that you want to go.  I was driving to Florida and one of the car rental places (not at the airport but a national company) prohibited taking the car to Florida.

Also, if traveling with a spouse and you do not want to do all the driving, make sure they are covered under the contract.   Read ALL the fine print online before you get to the car rental counter.  I found it also helpful to belong to their “club” which is usually free but have express lines for check-in and check-out but be careful — if you rent through one of the online travel companies, the same “benefits” may not apply – like express pick-up.  Tricky business!!

— Judy Carberry, Charleston, S.C.

Furious over feckless intransigence on Medicaid money

To the editor:

My fury knows no bounds whenever I think about [Gov.] Nikki Haley choosing the false economy of refusing to expand Medicaid.  My anger is rooted in the knowledge that not only small hospitals in South Carolina may disappear, but in this state’s failure to train our young people in medical technology that would catch fire and create jobs, jobs, jobs — both now and in the future.

This state government’s failure to expand our economy with the money given to us on silver platters by the federal government is caused by the state government’s lack of knowledge about and care for its citizens.  The worry that our state would have to repay this money to the federal government is a feckless one because the tax revenue from so many good, good, good jobs would repay the federal government if it demands these repayments for Medicaid expansion (which I find doubtful).

There is the additional advantage in ensuring that citizens throughout our state will reap the rewards of good health and healthful lifestyles.  The thought that a state like Kentucky is now positioned to reap the rewards of its Medicaid expansion and is now serving its citizens admirably causes me to think that South Carolina political leaders are short-sighted and are leading our state into … well, nothing.

No industry exists now to create jobs 100 years from now that science, such as medical science, will engender.  Kentucky is a leader in mining fossil fuels from its ground,  an activity that cannot continue because of the negativity of carbon proliferation in our atmosphere which must end as soon as possible and will vanish within 100 years, if we humans are to survive.

The question is whether or not South Carolinians will survive along with any prosperity.  Such poor decisions now on the part of our government leaders puts that survival and certainly our prosperity in dire peril.

I hope there is some way that state government can change course to utilize these opportunities that we have to create for alternate and prosperous futures for citizens.  I suspect that the most important change would be an awakening of citizens to demand that political leaders stop their bickering and their living in the past and begin working diligently to ensure a prosperous future for all Sand Lappers.

— B.K. Haskell, Clover, S.C.

Rant.  Rave.  Tell us what you really think.  If you have an opinion on something we’ve offered or on a subject related to the Lowcountry, please send your letters of 150 words or less to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. Our feedback policy.