Sunday, November 18, 2007
Trouble with the VA
I just read an article on CNN about problems that the VA has with caring for our troops. Quotes from the article site problems such as a 62-year old disability rating system and not being ready for this war. A true testament to the inherent flaws of a bureaucracy. The department that handles veteran’s affairs for one of the world’s military superpowers has not changed its injury ranking systems since World War II. Quite possibly because since then we haven’t made that many advances in medical technology relating to the diagnosis and treatment of injuries. Either that or maybe there was no need to update the system, we haven’t been in that many conflicts since WWII and the few that we have been in have been minor. Seeing as neither of those statements is true I’m sure someone out there has a good answer, we just haven’t heard it yet. As far as the VA being ready to handle the influx in wounded veterans that usually accompanies a conflict one would assume that procedures are, and have been in place for quite some time. If your department’s sole duty is to deal with veterans it would probably be a good idea to have procedures in place so that when wartime rolls around you are ready for said influx. The solution to this problem? A new department called the Department of Efficiency, in the true form of the United States government this department would slowly and inefficiently ensure that all other departments are managed efficiently.
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2 comments:
The "Department of Efficiency" already exists. It is just more widely known as the United States Congress. It is their job to oversea the government administrations. They just do a lousy job at it.
In America we say that we appreciate the sacrifice our soldiers make, but in all reality we don't give a damn. We tend to isolate ourselves from their problems because it means exiting our comfort zone. A large percentage of Vietnam veterans, for instance, are homeless. Yet we as Americans are, in general, too caught up in our consumerism to help them. America is all about serving your self first. Soldiers need to be commended for abandoning this mindset and actually doing something that helps other people.
The thing that really agitates me is when people who don't give a damn about our soldiers try to determine their role in society. That includes the politicians who send them into battle and the activists who try to burden soldiers with false accusations of abuse and terror.
Most people fail to see the real issues at hand. Our soldiers are people too. One's that have just as many rights and decisions as we do, yet they have decided to set aside their own personal ambitions for the good of their world.
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