Thursday, May 22, 2014

A VETERAN'S VIEW

Allow me to get something off my chest.  I'm more than a little angry about the VA scandal.  Veterans signed an agreement to fight our nation's wars and in return we were to receive certain benefits.  First, the government promised to take care of us should we be injured.  They promised to take care of our families should we be killed.  This was understood by every veteran and gave us peace of mind. For years the VA has performed its duties rather poorly.  In other words, the government hasn't kept its word.


So enter Obama and his promise to fix the problems that have plagued the system for years.  In short, this promise meant as much as the rest of his promises.  Nothing.  With this administration, politics and ideology trumps everything.  And they really don't make any bones about it.  This situation is shameful and gaming veterans is wrong.  Our country is betraying our trust.  I'm a proud member of the American Legion which has been out front in calling the VA out for the shameful conduct of its business.  Jay Carney, Obama's sock puppet, stated that the Legion supported the firing of the second in command at the VA.  That's a blatant lie.  He retiring anyway.  The vapidity of this administration breathtaking.  And the lying is so frequent it's hard to keep track of all of them.  This administration and this president have no honor. 


The VA system is rotten as hell.  So here's my remedy.  First, with a total budget in 2013 somewhere in the neighborhood of $170 billion, the VA is typical of government in its ineptitude.  Why not abolish the VA medical system and go to a voucher system?  Give each veteran a voucher they can use to obtain medical care from a doctor of their own choosing.  Don't discharge a veteran injured on-duty until they can be released safely to a doctor they choose.  This will allow veterans to establish a relationship with their doctor who in turn knows the specific needs of the veteran.  Additionally, some veterans live a long way from the nearest VA facility.  A voucher system will allow them to obtain care near their homes. 


What to do with all the facilities?  I think they should sell them or tear them down and sell the land to settlers like a modern day Homestead Act.  Or turn the buildings into, Oh I don't know, a Costco's.  At least it will turn a profit.  Why does the VA have a police department?  Security guards, sure, a full-fledged law enforcement agency?  Redundant and wasteful. 


While I'm on a rant, let's talk about the militarization of the Executive branch.  There are somewhere near 180,000 armed officers in various law enforcement agencies in this branch.  I'm not talking about Andy of Mayberry types, but well-armed military type groups possessing high-tech military weapons and equipment.  For example, the Department of Education has a police agency.  I hope I don't anger them or they might conduct a raid on my classroom.  How about the Department of Agriculture?  Soon we may hear about a raid on pastures supporting evil, methane spewing, farting, cows, blatantly adding to global cooling, or global warming, or climate change, or climate disrupting, or whatever the hell they call it now.  I don't even want to think about the TSA or Homeland Security. 


Doesn't it piss you off that politicians blithely talk about millions of dollars in fraud and waste in Medicaid etc., and talk about it like a line in the budget and cite it as possible savings?    If you know about it, do something about it!  Only in Washington would criminality be accepted as the price of government.


Our Constitution is very specific about the powers granted to the government by the people.  All the rest are reserved to people in the tenth amendment.  How have we gone so far off the rails?


   

4 comments:

Constitutional Insurgent said...

Hear hear. My outrage extends also to local law enforcement and their acquisition of MRAPs and the like.

I'd have to find the link again, but one Sheriff was quoted as fearing returning vets who 'had experience building IEDs'. I could rant on about the idiocy of that sentiment.

Z said...

Law and ORder, I completely agree with you. COMPLETELY.
We need YOU to clean the mess up! And you COULD/WOULD!

Law and Order Teacher said...

CI,
I actually read the post you're referring to. My wife constantly warns me about my status as a veteran and retired police officer and the paranoia of the government. Since when are these two things something to make one a threat?

Z,
Thank you for your confidence in me, although I think that politics are an avocation and not a career. At least that's the way the Founders saw it. I'd love to have the money to take on some of these empty suits, but that's not happening.

Thanks to both of you for coming to my blog to comment. I have a lot of issues with the government, but the VA and the militarization of the Executive branch are two of my big ones.

Z said...

I think it's important that you're read more and more, and write MORE AND MORE, of course.

I think so many of our fine conservative bloggers should be read by more than just conservatives...it would help