Conservative Blogger: Dishonoring Our Veterans...

Make no mistake about it, the conditions for America's wounded veterans at the Walter Reed Army Hospital are not only deplorable, they're also the greatest dishonor to the bravest of American citizens. We owe our veterans nothing less than the best medical treatment and after-care that money can buy for the sacrifices they've made in the act of choosing to serve this country.

That said, the conditions at Walter Reed and other VA Hospitals are not the fault of the Bush Administration.
They're not the fault of the Clinton Administration.
They're not the fault of the previous Bush Administration or even the Reagan Administration.

They're the result of over four decades of mismanagement and a lack of accountability.

As a child, I remember my father would rather go to an animal hospital than go to the VA Hospital here in Manchester. He thought the place was a dump and the care was not only substandard, he said it almost killed him. My father vowed to never go back in that building, and he never did.

There is nothing new about the condition of Walter Reed or any other veterans' hospital.

That, folks, is exactly the problem.

For nearly half a century, a lot of these facilities have been pig styes with medical care I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. To that end, I have a solution to this problem:

I believe that all of stateside veterans' and army hospitals should be closed forever.

That's right. You didn't misread it. I personally believe that we should close every single one of these outdated and unimproved facilities. Let's shut down the Veterans' Administration and make it part of the Department of Defense and let's sell off the assets and land.

Why bother keeping them? We're paying to own and operate these buildings and staff them with people who don't want to work there. The equipment is far from cutting edge and the money to bring all of these facilities up to the 21st century would make the budget for Welfare look small in comparison.

These facilities aren't exactly convenient to get to, either. Some veterans have to travel hundreds of miles to get medical attention and after-care. In many cases, they have to plan extended trips with their families who take time off from work just to go to an appointment at a government hospital.

The Government doesn't fund or staff the facilities the way they need to and they also do nothing to improve the system.

Why do we continue to throw good money after bad? Isn't this--repeating the same act over and over and expecting a different result--the definition of insanity?

So, let's not do it anymore. Let's close every single one of these places down and do our veterans a favor.

Let's get them medical care in their own towns at their own hospitals and have the Government pick up the tab---as they should. Why make our American heroes travel to substandard facilities when there are up to date hospitals and rehab facilities in their cities and towns?

Instead of a VA Hospital, they can now have a VA Card that will get them the care they need and it's on the Government's dime. The benefits are guaranteed for life and can never be taken away. That way our veterans get the care they deserve from us.

Does it put the Government in the insurance business? I suppose it does in a sense, but I'd rather be there than in the hospital business. Besides, this is a debt our nation owes to those who have put on the uniform of the United States.

Does it create a new entitlement system? No, I don't believe it does. In Welfare, you get something for nothing. With this, our vets are getting what we owe them. I think that's a big difference, don't you?

Let's do right by our Vets. It's our responsibility and it's time we lived up to it.

William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com

Posted by WilliamSmith on March 14, 2007 10:00 PM to Conservative Blogger