You want socialism? You got it already. It’s
called the VA.
The entire defense department, including all
of the military services, stands at 738,000 employees. The postal service has
634,000 employees. The Veterans Administration comes in third, with 373,000
employees, almost twice that of any other non-military agency.
Since 2001, the VA’s budget has grown
almost five times, with numerous management changes. Yet the agency has been a continual
source of negligence, falsified records, and mismanagement.
Prior to joining the military, people had higher
levels of education, less illness, less criminality, and less family decay than
their non-military peers. But after getting out, veterans have suffered higher
rates of substance abuse, suicide, and intentional unemployment. What a
turnaround! Even though few veterans since 2011 have experienced combat,
they’re hurting anyway – from excessive dependence on a government agency.
Veterans should instead use healthcare services
of the private economy, paid by government insurance policies with deductibles
paid first by the veteran.
The VA itself should be terminated, with
its facilities sold to the highest bidders. Don’t expect high prices, because there
are already too many hospitals. Instead of each hospital in a locality specializing
in certain capabilities, almost every hospital in every locality strives to
offer a full array of capabilities. This is one of the many ways that the
federal government, directly and indirectly, has made a mess of American healthcare.
The VA, owned and operated by the
government, is the worst of it.
