In an extraordinary move by [Beaufort] County Council, a unanimous vote was recently made in favor of one of our many charitable nonprofits in Beaufort County, the St. Francis Center. Our District 2 Councilman, David Bartholomew, deserves recognition as a leader who exacts justice with common sense.
Many know that the St. Francis Center, which serves the needy on St. Helena Island and adjoining areas of Beaufort County, recently lost its only form of promotion, a sign along Hwy. 21. In the process of applying for a new sign location, we were told that the Center, that operates on property owned by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese and is leased to the Congregation of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, would be required to have a business license. This was unacceptable to the Sisters and to the Diocese.
At my request, Councilman Bartholomew toured the St. Francis Center during a food distribution and witnessed firsthand the generosity that flows into our community, led by Sister Canice Adams with about 80 volunteers.
In the Council Meeting on June 8, Councilman Bartholomew eloquently stated “When government requires a religious ministry to seek permission to operate, to apply for a license, to submit to the licensing power, to certify itself to the County under oath, government has placed itself between the faithful and their works of faith.” I agree.
He finished his statement with “St. Francis feeds the hungry, repairs the homes of our elderly and disabled neighbors, and asks almost nothing of us in return. The Constitution asks something of us: that we leave them to their work.”
Well done, Councilman Bartholomew. We are grateful for your service to all citizens of Beaufort County.
— Shelley Gay Yuhas, Republican candidate for S.C. House District 121
Medicare fraud is not a victimless crime
Who are Philip Esformes, Judith Negron, Lawrence Duran, John Estin Davis, and Salomon Melgen? They all have two things in common: each was convicted of major Medicare fraud, and each later received a pardon from Donald Trump after making generous donations to him.
These cases are part of a broader pattern: Trump has pardoned more than 20 people convicted of Medicare fraud involving more than $2 billion.
Medicare fraud is not a victimless crime. If you are a current or future Medicare recipient, these criminals stole money from you and from the program millions of Americans rely on. By granting these pardons, Trump also eliminated court-ordered restitution that were intended to help recover stolen funds.
If you support Trump, I ask you to explain why these pardons are good for our country. Please explain why you do not find these pardons to be morally and ethically repugnant. (BTW, Hunter Biden and Nancy Pelosi had nothing to do with this so you can save your what-about-isms for another day.)
— Peter Birschbach, Port Royal