Hilton Head Town Council mustn’t risk loss of needed funding for bridge replacement | Opinion
Replace the bridge
I recently saw a presentation by S.C. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort.
The new bridge project funding of $120 million, I believe, is secure.
The only hold up on beginning this needed bridge project is the Hilton Head Town Council.
The only way we can lose this money, as a needed investment, is the Hilton Head Town Council.
I understand you must be in fear, having no engineering degree from MIT, but bridges need to be replaced in a timely manner, or we will be left with a pontoon bridge and canoes, while new money is secured and we wait another five to 10 years.
Please do not allow your emotional-based thinking to screw this up and solidify your legacy.
If so, your legacy will be built as such, and not easily forgotten by the miserable residents of Hilton Head, nor its financial stability.
I could not even believe this nonsense when I heard about it.
Thank you for your due diligence.
Roger Hershline, Hilton Head
All I want for Christmas
With Christmas approaching, and everyone’s going crazy with politics and world situations, I just want to say that all I want for Christmas is to have Harris Teeter take over the Kroger store in Belfair Towne Village.
We already have a newer, bigger Kroger not that far away, and since Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger, why not have one on this side of the island. Makes sense to me.
I think it’s a great move for Kroger and the shopping center and would really spruce things up a bit.
Thank you for listening, Santa.
Sue Spaulding, Sun City
Infant mortality and abortion stats
According to a recent Beaufort Gazette editorial by Lisa Jarvis bemoaning the rise in infant mortality in the U.S., “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers a horrible statistic: the infant death rate in the U.S. rose by 3% in 2022 to 5.6 deaths per 1000 live births.”
She doesn’t mention the abortion rate, however, which has increased to 14.4 infant abortions (deaths) per 1,000 women as recently as 2020, a 7% increase from 2017.
These figures are according to The Guttmacher Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who offer the primary abortion statistics in the U.S., and which also report the following stats:
– About 930,160 legally induced abortions are provided annually in the U.S.
– 20.6% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion.
– The top reason for abortion is not being ready for a child, with only 1% or less for rape or incest.
Ironically, Jarvis does mention abortion…as a form of health “care.”
Having survived an unwanted pregnancy to be adopted by wonderful parents, I find absurd, this mentality that bemoans infant mortality when it increases by 3%, and ignores abortion’s infant mortality rate, which is 100% every single year.
David Rockwell, Beaufort
Improve health care
Note: The writer is president of IndeDocs.
Our healthcare system is infamous for its complexity, high costs and lack of transparency. As an independent physician, I witness daily the impact of our broken system on patients and doctors.
It won’t fix itself. It’’s time to drive changes that put power of choice back in the hands of patients and their doctors. Ways to help:
1. Challenge non-competes: Let’s ban contracts that make it inconvenient, or impossible, for doctors to practice where they want and for their patients to follow.
2 Incentivize charity care: Tax credits for doctors who provide true pro-bono medical care would help mitigate their costs and give more options to patients in need.
3. Empower patients with real prices: Transparent billing allows patients to make informed choices, allocate funds wisely, and challenge the inflated prices perpetuated by the current “somebody will pay” model.
In a society where choices abound for housing, transportation, food and recreation, we need a similar revolution in healthcare choices. The prescription for a better future involves community demand, informed decision-making, and a collective push toward healthcare transparency.
I encourage you to proactively seek independent doctor-owned practices, question hospital bills, and advocate for alternatives and choices.
Dr. Marcelo Hochman, Mt. Pleasant
