There must be a price to pay

Special interest groups better be getting ready for the most insane things possible

How about eliminating the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Yes…you read that right. In an OpEd published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday it was presented as a host of bite size suggestions for the ways that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy can use their stupidly named, Department of Government Efficiency, to make some quick cuts with unneeded bureaucracy.

The suggestions had some monumentally idiotic ideas.

Among those stupid ideas and buried some ten paragraphs, here was what the 15 million veterans of our military were given: a single sentence.

“Veterans Affairs — can’t they use the same hospitals as the rest of us, no matter who pays?”

The author I am sure pulled on his vast knowledge of veterans healthcare needs, service to the nation, and the commitment made to our veterans by none other than the original Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, when he promised to care for those “who shall have borne the battle” and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.

I pull this summary from Trump’s actual last Administration:

On March 3, 1865, President Lincoln signed legislation that established a network of National facilities to care for the nation’s wounded Civil War Soldiers. This singular act codified a social contract between the Nation and our Veterans that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would always be there to help Veterans and their families heal and recover from the illnesses, injuries, or wounds sustained in service to America, and successfully reintegrate into civilian life. This set of principles drives VA’s mission to this day.

As the Nation’s largest integrated health care delivery system, VA serves over nine million Veterans by providing many types of care and benefits tailored to Veterans and their families that are not available in the private sector. VA delivers exceptional care in polytrauma, spinal cord injury and rehabilitation, prosthetics, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress treatments and other behavioral health programs.

Further, VA plays a critical role in preparing our Nation’s doctors and nurses — 70 percent of whom train at VA facilities – and leads the Nation in innovation that improves the lives of Veterans and their families. VA research contributed to the first liver transplant, development of the cardiac pacemaker, advancements in treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, cutting-edge prosthetics, and many other medical breakthroughs.

(VA) also lead(s) the Nation in providing health care through telehealth to make it much easier for Veterans to see a doctor. Other important benefits VA provides for Veterans and their families includes funding for higher education, life insurance, home loans, employment and transition services, pensions, and memorialization and interment services.

The second largest government agency, largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, and 15 million veterans who gave their lives, physical, and mental health for the nation got a single toss of line from this guy, Andy Kessler.

Yep…his vast experience in our world? None. Just a classic Wall Street jackass who has never served a day in his life.

Why should we take it seriously? Because Mr. Kessler got the highlight that night from Trump’s favorite “advisor” Sean Hannity.

It’s easy to get ramped up about every dumb idea we are going to hear as the Trump Administration forms. Groups with special interests and focus will have to be prepared for the attacks on their constituencies. When Trump was in power the big Veterans Service Organizations struggled to stand up to him. Over and over they bent over to maintain access and keep the peace.

They better be ready to find their spines this time. Throwing millions of veterans into healthcare systems that have no understanding of their unique needs across a country already straining to serve the mental health and specialty care issues of an aging population will be a disaster.

The people that will pay are the men and women that stepped up to serve. We won’t let that happen without a hell of a fight.

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