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10/02/2005: And here's how Rethugnicans "thank" our veterans....
Dismantling VA
As a veteran, I'm appalled:
The Senator's aide chuckled rather loudly and said, "What VA? By the time this administration is done there won't be a VA." Our conversation had begun with a discussion of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) healthcare budget, and quickly came down to a single, simple point. VA is being dismantled.Yep. Time to outsource Bush and his bozos, and bring in the Canadians. They have proved they can do it much better....
Three reasons why the administration would want to dismantle VA immediately come to mind:
VA is a large-scale, publicly funded healthcare system that works: VA works so well it has been used as a model to push the case for nationalized healthcare; something that strikes fear in the heart of every Republican.
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VA is ripe for privatization: And that spells profits for private corporations.
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VA is part of BIG government: And that's something this administration abhors. GOP strategist Grover Norquist says he wants the government shrunk down so he can “drown it in the bathtub.” The problem with this is that smaller government means fewer services as well as the much-touted lower taxes. And the jobs that are spared are outsourced and cost more to maintain because private corporations have to build in a profit margin.
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It's time for veterans to realize that the current administration has failed them. Smaller government and lower taxes are wonderful phrases and paint a glowing picture. But the reality is much different than the painted picture. VA's chronic under-funding has led to hiring freezes, layoffs and the closing of healthcare facilities. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of veterans are forced to go without healthcare.
Those in Congress who realize this are shouted down and voted down along party lines. Smaller government and lower taxes are obviously more important than veterans' lives. I pray for a change and urge my elected representatives to work for a change.
I don't look forward to a dismantled VA that puts veterans out on the street instead of in a hospital room. But if the administration is successful, maybe we can chat about it while we share Grover's bathtub.
Props to Lurch at Main and Central for the pointer.
Len on 10.02.05 @ 12:15 PM CST
