Usually, I choose to remain quiet about most debated issues. However, after reading Mr. Hare’s letter of Sept. 21, I felt the need to speak out. First of all, Mr. Hare ... kudos to you. Gov. Mark Sanford sinned. Andre Bauer has sinned. I have sinned. Who has not? An unknown source stated, “You can’t undo anything you’ve already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And then let God do the rest.” Amen.

The governor will have to answer for all of his sins one day, as will I, and as will you. Even Andre Bauer will have to answer for his sins. I hope that for all of us, that day is not today. Hopefully, we will learn from our mistakes and be forgiven.

Furthermore, Andre Bauer needs to shut up. The self-righteous lieutenant governor has been caught breaking the law many times himself, yet those indiscretions seem to be swept under the rug. These incidents just go away. Bauer is left alone. Bauer broke the law in a state-issued vehicle using gas that the taxpayers pump! In a separate incident, he was issued a warning for going over 100 mph down I-77. Seriously? A warning? Although many will argue that this is minor compared to Sanford’s transgressions and cannot be compared, I contend that they are one in the same. Both wrongdoings are addressed in the South Carolina Code of Laws. In fact, a first-year law student would have any case against the governor dismissed, as our laws have no jurisdiction in Argentina.

“What about the fact that he behaved immorally,” some might ask? Breaking the law is breaking the law, I answer. “Well, what about from a religious point of view,” still others will query? Sanford and the Lord can discuss his issues while we deal with our own Christian shortcomings. Who among us could withstand the scrutiny in our personal and professional lives that the governor has undergone and come out unscathed? Who would welcome such attacks on himself and his family? I say let Sanford worry about his missteps and concentrate on what really needs to matter to us. Americans need to educate themselves on health care and the issues we are currently debating. These issues dramatically affect you and me.

Our health care system is terrible. Not the technology or providers, but the reimbursement from third-party payers and the control these non-medically trained yahoos have over how I take care of my patients. What started experimentally as a non-profit organization in the 1920s for a group of schoolteachers in Dallas, Texas, has now become Blue Cross. In the 1950s, other insurance companies took this model and used it to generate profit for themselves. Apparently, this was highly successful. In 2007, the CEO of Aetna brought home $467,309.85 a week. That is right, weekly. Some other CEO compensations from 2007 follow: Coventry, $14,869,823; Humana, $10,312,557; and U.Health Grp, $13,164,529. I do take my hat off to Cigna, which trimmed its CEO’s salary from $25,839,777 in 2007 to a paltry $12,236,740 in 2008. Poor guy. But, hey, it could be worse. He could be one of the millions of people who pay for expensive insurance plans, only to get sick and then be dropped. Or, worse yet, need medical procedures done and have the insurance companies deny the request.

Like Mr. Hare, I have no health insurance. It is not that I have not tried to get any. The same company that covered me while I worked at a business that offered group insurance turned me down when I applied for individual coverage less than one month after leaving. Thus, I am left waiting on Obama and our other fine elected officials to provide me with coverage. If all politicians had to enroll in the plan that they mandate on us poor masses without health insurance, then I am positive it would be adequate. After all, they have done such a fine job managing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Oh, wait. Those too are just programs they manage but do not participate in. Yeah, that is exactly who I want looking out for me: Politicians who will never have to participate in any type of “for the people” insurance plans. Politicians have their own special retirement and health care plans already in place. Be careful what you ask for people, you may just get it.

— Dr. John Hayden, Orangeburg

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