For decades, through countless administrations, both Democrat and Republican it’s been well known that the Veterans Affairs hospitals have been poorly run and poorly supervised. Portrayed in the 1993 Oliver Stone film Born On The 4th of July, the real life story depicts the Vietnam era Bronx VA hospital as filthy, woefully mismanaged, understaffed and disorganized.
Two days after Barack Obama was inaugurated as 45th President he appointed retired four-star General Eric Shinseki as US Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki was a war hero, he was awarded three Bronze Stars for valor and a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster. The latter honor was conferred during an operation in which he sustained an amputation of part of a foot from a landmine explosion while serving as a forward artillery observer.
During the general’s tenure the VA reduced veteran homelessness by 24%.
Recently departed Secretary of Health and Human Services Katherine Sebelius while serving with distinction as Democratic Governor of Kansas, a bastion of the GOP where the state legislature is overwhelmingly Republican, was named one of the three top governors in the country. Yet she was offered as a scapegoat when the Affordable Care Act (aka. Obamacare) went through a rough start up. It was well known in Washington that the initiation of the first national health care system was so sensitive the White House handled the program from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and was reckless in putting time above efficiency rightfully believing it had to be up and running quickly so that the cat would be out of the bag; the president determining that once the genie was out of the bottle it could not be reversed. Yet a very good public servant was hung out to dry.
There is ample evidence of inefficiency in a sprawling federal bureaucracy, but the private sector is perfect? You have no problems with your internet? The airlines? American cars? Wall Street? The media? Should the health care of our veterans and our citizens be profit oriented or health oriented? When there is a need that is not profit motivated that is when the role of government steps in.
In the age of Obama the’ just say no’ GOP searches for any faults in government to bolster their argument that government under Democratic presidents is bad. The press being both insouciant and greedy follows suit. Keep in mind most government programs have been severely cut and lo and behold there is inefficiency!
Like a pack of coyotes ambushing a small breed dog, Washington goes after easy, vulnerable targets, the IRS, VA hospitals a new social program in its nascent stages.
Maybe it’s good, the system is working, shining light on chronically plagued programs. But Mr. and Mrs. Obama have shown repeatedly that the number one priority of the administration is veterans care.
While this DC kabuki dance goes on good people in the administration are falling and being left on the battlefield of politics.