VA AND SHINSEKI TRAGEDY

There seems to be a message for high-level government agency appointees revealed in the so-called Veterans Administration “scandal”. General Eric Shinseki now resigned as secretary of Veterans Affairs, became aware of some job malfeasance in his agency and ordered an investigation. Acting as an efficient administrator, which he is, he ordered an investigation, which confirmed his worst fears; budget considerations caught certain administrators in an administrative squeeze and they started to “cook the books’ to make themselves look good. The truth is that the Republican controlled congress shorted his budget in keeping with their philosophy to destroy the government; they want to force the government to get out of your lives. The VA hospitals did not have the number of physicians they needed to fill the need for appointments, especially following the tremendous impact that the Bush war that bloated tremendously the veteran’s ranks—much greater than the measly budget increase. The books showed those responsible were falsifying the appointment waiting time records but not the waiting times. This is simply a manifestation of innate self-preservation.

Shinseki being a thoughtful administration, as opposed to a knee jerk boss, was in the process of proving the allegations before firing those involved and had fired a few of them before the D.C. media got wind of the problem. The Republican establishment went wild; they could condemn the government for “mistreating veterans”; the only segment in society that both parties hold in reverence, which are veterans. If they cared too, news people could look across the spectrum and could find other example in society where socialism is acceptable across the entire political spectrum. Social security is the most prominent for example. The GOP attack makes a mockery of their objection as a party to “socialized health care”, which is what the massive veterans health program is: hospitals clinic physicians, nurses, physical therapy: everything. Much more sweeping and socialistic than Obamacare ever was or ever will be. Of course, Shinseki would have fired the responsible employees had the Republicans not forced him to resign before he could prove who they were. It was a victory for irresponsible administration. It was a great victory for shifting the emphasis of a huge government agency from caring about people, which veterans are, to caring about the economic elite, a huge step toward destroying the Veterans Administration. We can now add the VA to their moves to destroy environmental protection agency, consumer protection, public schools, social security, and privatize health care of all kinds.   

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