In response to Bill Kinlaw’s attempt to rebut my recently published article “Wilson’s fear and beware tour,” I will bring some clarification to the proclamations that were made. While not giving an endorsement of approval to the congressman’s gathering in North, I did not attack its core intent to inform the people and to permit a forum to verbally vent the audience’s concerns, just to bring attention to some information provided.

Congressman Joe Wilson’s frequency of or the longevity of holding town hall meetings are not pertinent to the revelations that were made in my article. The representative’s dedication and commitment are commendable and impressive indeed, but not of consequence at this time. Providing a venue to allow citizenry an opportunity to voice their concerns has and will continue to be an essential part of the American political process.

However, information that is delivered to those same constituents should be legitimate and factual. I do not have issue with the dissemination of accurate, unbiased and certifiable data. All data issued should be subject to scrutiny as to the origin of the data, integrity of data and its collector, verifiability of said data, repeatability of the data -- if research were conducted by someone independent of the original findings, and whether the issuer of the information has ties to the concerns being addressed.

As representatives of the people, federal, state and local lawmakers are responsible and duty-bound to ensure that information passed on to their constituents is totally truthful, devoid of political aligning, and not include dire personal revelations that are merely conjecture and lack substance. The eyes and ears of our delegates are our link to legislative activities and the veracity of those reports are important.

Secondly, I am an active participant in the South Carolina and national voting processes and extremely cognizant of the voting records of any and all persons whose activities are vital to the promotion of my well-being and concerns. Every person should periodically check the records of their representatives and not assume because you elected them that everything their designee does has your best interests at heart.

The honorable Congressmen James Clyburn and Jack Spratt’s methods of keeping their constituents informed do not have to mirror those of Wilson. They have chosen their own unique manner of communicating with the residents of their areas. The mode and frequency of the information dispensed are secondary to its overall truthfulness, impartiality and completeness.

Sen. Brad Hutto and Rep. Bakari Sellers have never failed to keep the citizens of their districts abreast to current political activity. That is incumbent of them as elected officials. The popularity of these representatives is an indication of voter approval as to the delivery and means of transfer of essential information.

Finally, the issue of universal health care coverage for the masses is a festering sore that has needed attention for a long time. Doomsayers have sought to deliver an epitaph and send the prospect of ensuring the well-being of all citizens to a premature grave. Cries of coverage being extended to illegal immigrants and undocumented workers are constant ravings of those who seek to generate misgiving among the least informed. Financial devastation will be the result of any legislation endorsed by the Obama administration, rant so-called conservatives. One has to wonder about the real intent of those who until recently were able to include health care reform in their vocabularies.

The perpetuation and continual support of the practice of denying coverage to citizens with pre-existing conditions and ignoring the plight of the less fortunate seems to be the primary focus of those whose war chests are being replenished by health care interests. The proposed legislation may not be perfect, but at least we should make an attempt to rectify the shortcomings of our current system. The worst thing that we can do is to do nothing at all for the citizens of the world’s most prosperous country.

-- Harold Thomas, Orangeburg

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