VA Problems Far From New

[unhappycamper]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/VA-Problems-Far-From-New-by-Mary-Pitt-Alcoholism_Disability_Military_NEGLECT-140530-66.html



VA Problems Far From New
By Mary Pitt
OpEdNews Op Eds 5/30/2014 at 20:37:20

When the Walter Reed Hospital was found to be virtually uninhabitable during the Bush adminstration, due to filth, vermin, and neglect, most Americans thought that would be the end of complaints about the abuse and neglect of the returning veterans. It was, however, no surprise to this writer or to many others who had witnessed problems with the system for many years.

I was the youngest in my family and had seven big brothers, five of whom served in the military during World War II. The older two brothers were married when the war began and so did not serve. Brother #3 had enlisted in the Navy some time before the war and Brother #4 volunteered for the draft the day after Pearl Harbor. Brother #5 was still in his teens and stayed home for a few years to help his mother with a dying husband and three younger children. He did enlist at the age of 19 and went into the Army Air Corps. Shortly after he left, Brother #6 also enlisted in the Air Corps, followed two years later by Brother #7, who went into the Navy.

~snip~

I am neither shocked nor surprised that the present breaches in the VA system have occured. There is no basis for blaming Obama, or Shinseki, or any other individual who tries to step into the breach to "straighten things out" unless it involves delving into the total operations of the entire system regarding not ony an admissions rate but thoroughness and efficiency.

Furthermore, we need a Congress that is more concerned with governance than politics. Failing that, the system is so riddled with a lackadaisical philosopy that, if left unattended by professionals, it will slide right back into "the way we've always done it."

[bemildred]

1. They are going to privatize it, just watch.

First you cut funding.
Then you start talking about how it is "failing".
Then you get someone to fix the finances (not mentioning the cuts).
And they riaise lots of private money, so you cut funding even more.
And this goes on.
And then you start the drumbeat for privatization and how it needs to be more "efficient".
And off you go.
Just take a look at the schools.

[unhappycamper]

2. It's the Republicon meme

"I love veterans."

"We can't afford this."

But the sorry ass motherfuckers love Raytheon, Boeing, BAE, Lockheed Martin, etc. etc. et al.