First let me thank you for providing a newspaper that covers Lexington County as well as state and national news. In your editorial, you wrote my thoughts exactly. I’m amazed at “leaders” who don’t think past their you-know-what and throw money we don’t have at a problem. It’s obvious they are buying votes.

What is the incentive for a person collecting more in unemployment than they made to return to work? Reminds me of our welfare program. And the loans that banks gave to big companies rather than the small businesses, is disgusting. We’re going to lose a lot of the small businesses.

A question: Why don’t obituaries say a person died from covid-19 if known? There is no shame. It might make those who came in contact with the person get checked?

Thank you for the facts and not all the BS we get from other media. Keep the pressure on to get to the real answers.

- Deborah Shealy Nye, Gilbert

Time to end regulated monopolies

A controversy in the regulatory community is the line between state and federal regulation. This is just a squabble over which politicians can meddle in energy.

The real question is if regulation is needed at all. Open markets work everywhere and regulation fails everywhere.

How can monopoly regulation be reformed? Free competition is needed for the most efficient utilities to gain market share from monopolies. This means competition in delivery, too. Let competitors offer power from generators to customers. Threatened with their infrastructure becoming obsolete, monopolies will share delivery systems.

Regulation came into being through politics as protection from competition.

There is no sound reason the services offered by regulated monopolies cannot be made in an open market with utilities competing for ratepayers on price.

- Jim Clarkson, Columbia