I recently discovered that Senator Kevin Bryant is being attacked because of his pharmacy’s business with the State of South Carolina. My wife and I are retired state employee teachers and have chosen Kevin’s pharmacy to meet our healthcare needs for many years. State employees can take their business to any pharmacy in the state, but we choose Kevin’s store because we get excellent service. He takes care of his customers as well as his constituents. Kevin and his wonderful staff treat us just like family.

My wife, Sandra needed a prescription item that was difficult to find, but Kevin’s brother, Craig (who is also a pharmacist) was kind enough to order it for me, and I had my medication the next day. On another occasion, there was a product that we needed that Kevin didn’t have in stock. They were kind enough to call five or six pharmacies to locate the item we needed, even though that meant a sale for another store. I believe having people of different backgrounds in work and business representing us in Columbia is an advantage for the voters.

We have an overabundance of lawyers there. Should we ask them to recuse themselves from any votes that might involve the law? Of course not. I hope we can deal with facts in this campaign rather than insinuations.

Kevin’s pharmacy has no monopoly on the business of state employees, and in Anderson, the retail pharmacy market is very competitive. We could go anywhere, but Kevin’s team goes above and beyond to satisfy their customers. We like having him in Anderson, and we like having him in Columbia.

DAVID and SANDRA RANKIN

This morning I was on local talk radio and I had a caller ask for a referral for a lawyer. Below is some useful information:

What is the Lawyer Referral Service?
The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) is a public service of the South Carolina Bar that provides referrals to individuals needing qualified, prescreened lawyers. You may call for a referral from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The number to call, both in state and out, is 1-800-868-2284. (In Richland and Lexington counties, call 799-7100.) An online referral service is also available 24/7 and may be accessed by clicking here.

The LRS can refer you to a qualified, prescreened attorney in one of more than 100 areas of law, including the following:

* Personal injury
* Real estate and landlord-tenant
* Family law, including divorce, custody, alimony and child support
* Criminal defense
* Employment law, including discrimination, wrongful termination and unpaid wages
* Most other areas of law

How does LRS work?
The LRS offers referrals by the type of law and by the area or location in which you need a lawyer. Each participating lawyer agrees to charge no more than $50 for a 30-minute consultation. If the consultation extends past the 30 minutes or you hire the lawyer to represent you, the lawyer will charge you his or her normal fees. The lawyers do not take pro bono cases.

Kevin has a clear, consistent, conservative record: fixing our roads without raising your taxes, defending: life, your 2^nd amendment rights, your right to free speech, however, they choose not to attack Kevin’s record.

When they can’t defend their liberal records, they result to personal assaults on one’s character.

Here’s a few clarifications on the most recent attacks:

Fiction: Kevin Bryant has made millions from contracts with the State of South Carolina
Fact: Kevin Bryant and Bryant Pharmacy are approved Medicaid & State Health Plan (state employees’ & retirees’ healthcare) vendors, not exclusive contractors. Bryant Pharmacy serves these patients who can take their business to any pharmacy in town. He’s proud and privileged to have their business.

Fiction: Kevin Bryant opposed Ethics reforms
Fact: Kevin has voted for every ethics bill.

Fiction: Kevin has voted on HHS budget issues to enrich himself.
Fact: Kevin has voted AGAINST all HHS sections in his 12 years of service. Kevin also cosponsored legislation to CUT the reimbursement rate for healthcare vendors. It passed in 2009. Kevin has also voted against every Medicaid expansion proposal (including Obama’s).

Fiction: Kevin has kept over $3m in Medicaid money since 2009
Fact: When filling these prescriptions, the first thing pharmacies do, is turn over 87% to pharmaceutical manufacturers. Then there’s payroll, taxes, utilities, etc. Not much room for profit there.

Big Pharma? That’s another story. Kevin sponsored legislation (and passed) to try generics first, picking a fight with big pharma and saving your tax dollars.

Fiction: Kevin Bryant worked tirelessly to protect the Retirement System Investment Commission that lost billions of the public’s money.
Fact: Kevin Bryant chaired special hearings for two years that led to comprehensive reform legislation passed unanimously by the SC Senate. Those hearings also led to Ethics Charges against one commissioner that are scheduled for adjudication on June 15.

We’ll be posting election results as we get them Tuesday. Please refresh for updates Tuesday night. Thank you so much for visiting.