Quantum Windbag
Gold Member
- May 9, 2010
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Couldn't have said it better if I tired.
The VA and the Limits of Liberalism | National Review Online
Why? Because the Democratic party simply is the party of government. It is the party that insists on the nobility, efficacy and intellectual superiority of government. The VA is at the intersection of all the things liberals insist are wise and good and just about government. It is government-run healthcare. It is the tangible fulfillment of a sacred obligation the government has with those whove sacrificed most for our nation. It is also the one institution and/or constituency that enjoys huge bipartisan support. The VA, rhetorically and politically, is more sacrosanct and less controversial than Medicare, Social Security, road building, the NIH, or public schools. We are constantly told that we could get so many wonderful, super-fantastic things done if only both sides would lay down their ideological blah blah blah blah and work together for yada yada yada. Well, welcome to the VA. Hows that working out for you?
The White House keeps saying these horrible cases of deception and wrongdoing are isolated incidents and not systemic. As I asked last night on Special Report, how many isolated incidents do you need before they become systemic? Right now, allegations have surfaced in 19 states. That feels systemic to me. But what do I know?
I do know that the VA has had problems of one sort or another for decades. The current allegations are particularly egregious, but the fact that the VA is plagued by bureaucracy and inefficiency is hardly a revelation. Its certainly not news to Obama, who acknowledged many of the problems as a candidate and was briefed on them after he was elected. Then senator Obama told the VFW in 2007, No veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to get care, or wait months even years to get an appointment at the VA. He continued, When we fail to keep faith with our veterans, the bond between our nation and our nations heroes becomes frayed. When a veteran is denied care, we are all dishonored. And given that in most of his State of the Union addresses Obama has gone on and on about improving government efficiency and cutting red tape generally, youd think the VA would be near the forefront of that effort.
It is absolutely true that the VA was plagued with problems before Obama came into office and Republicans who talk a lot about how much they love the military are open to criticism as a result. But Democrats talk about how much they love the government. And everything they need to make the VA work is available to them. And yet, its a mess and has been a mess for decades. Why? Maybe its a mess because such messes come with the territory when you put bureaucrats in charge. Criminality, as alleged, may not be inevitable (though Im not so sure). But rationing, incompetence, bloat, waste, rent-seeking, and a sort of legal corruption certainly are.
The VA and the Limits of Liberalism | National Review Online