I am writing this letter to commend U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., for voting in favor of universal health care for all Americans (H.R. 3962). He was one of a select number of Southern congressmen to actually consider the interests of his constituency and not just his political career.

It will never cease to amaze me why so many Southerners continue to be against a bill that would favor their region and their citizens more than the rest of the country. Since we have the poorest citizens and some of the highest rates of the uninsured and the underinsured in the nation, Southern states stand to benefit from this bill much more than Northern and Coastal states. Yet stubborn ideology causes many to vote against our own interests and keep our region at the bottom.

I thank Rep. Thompson for being the only congressman from Mississippi in Washington today working to move his state out of the 50th spot.

Katie Allen

Jackson