Kudos to Alabama Governor Robert Bentley for his “State of the State” address on Jan. 14. Bentley revealed a sensitivity and generosity of spirit that many politicians either lack or keep under wraps.

Bentley is more than a politician. He is also a dermatologist selected by his peers as one of the “Best Doctors in America.” I don’t know how doctors decide who among their ranks is “best,” but the following lines from Bentley’s address suggest one possible consideration:

“When I was still practicing medicine, I saw anyone who needed care. I would travel to some of the most impoverished counties in West Alabama and spend a day seeing and caring for patients. If they did not have the money to pay, I would not charge them. Many times, I would buy medications for those who could not afford to buy their prescriptions.”

Some people criticize doctors (and politicians) for caring only about lining their own pockets. That’s probably true of some, but it is certainly not true of Gov. Bentley. He even declines his salary as governor. Yes, doctors charge a lot for their services, but those high fees are needed to cover the costs of medical school, malpractice insurance, and paying a staff to handle forests of paperwork.

People like Gov. Bentley who give of their time and expertise to minister to the poor set a noble example of generosity and selflessness. When those of us who are well off help those who are not, the promise of America expressed in Emma Lazarus’s words on the base of the Statue of Liberty becomes a reality:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Gov. Bentley has probably never been desperately poor. Neither have I. There were times when, as a struggling priest in a small parish, I lacked the money to go to a movie or buy a magazine, but I have never had to choose between eating and having a roof over my head. I know people, though, who do face that choice, and like Gov. Bentley, I like to provide small sweeteners to those otherwise bitter lives.

That’s why I’m puzzled by a disconnect in the governor’s address. His personal life and his public policy are out of sync. The governor referred to a “downward spiral of dependence” and to “a flawed and broken system that encourages greater reliance, not on self, but on government, pulling even more of our vulnerable citizens into what President Ronald Reagan called the ‘spider web of dependency.’”

Surely when Dr. Bentley was providing free medical care to the poor of West Alabama he didn’t see himself as creating a “downward spiral of dependence.” If he had, he would have stopped providing it. Surely no poor Alabamian said, “No, Dr. Bentley! Don’t cure my melanoma lest I be sucked into a downward spiral of dependence!” Nor can I imagine anyone enjoying a “dependence” on the skimpy public assistance available in Alabama.

Many people gladly extend a helping hand when they come face to face with someone in need, but when considering large groups of the needy — entire cities, entire counties, entire races — that generous spirit vanishes and the talk turns to helping the needy by not helping them. “Someday they’ll thank us, after they get on their feet.” Unless they die first.

Americans are famously generous after hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. We don’t see that as creating a dependent class. But we are strangely resistant to making sure people have food, good schools and good medical care on an ongoing basis. It’s the lack of those things that perpetuates the “downward spiral.” Sensible, forward-looking, well-funded government programs can help break that spiral.

Which brings me to Obamacare. I don’t like it. It’s complicated and expensive. But Obamacare is at least an attempt to do the right thing by providing every American with basic health care. Before we consider repealing it, let’s devise a better way to achieve that end. Governor Bentley, you’re a compassionate man. How would you provide universal health care?

Richard H. Schmidt is a retired Episcopal priest, editor and author who lives in Fairhope. He can be reached at courier@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.