It's important to make the point (as many times as possible) that the situation we're in today is not the product of one stupid President and his crazy V.P., but part of a long-range plan backed up by corporate power.

The "privatized" V.A. isn't a scandal to these people; it's a model for how all government services should be delivered (or not delivered).

I've often thought that Iraq, with its nonexistent "privatized" drinking water and electricity is really just an example of what they would do here if they had a free hand.

And what are the troops to them except workers to be downsized? The corporate philosophy of laying off half your employees and then forcing those remaining to work twice as hard to compensate saw its perfect reflection in Rumsfeld's plans for occupying Iraq with less than a third of the troops called for by Gen. Shinseki.

And what else do we do with workers? Screw with their pension plan and healthcare, of course. You don't have to be a Marxist to see that workers and soldiers (the same two groups that joined together to overthrow the Czar) have some powerful common interests. I say it's time to unionize the army.

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allow private corporations to provide health care under a monopolistic system. Of course the VA has been awful for decades (remember post-Vietnam) and if you look at footage of triage units and military run hospitals in WWII or Korea you'd wish you were in the modern Walter Reed (much less WWI conditions.) Having said, that these crypto-fascists are not 'looking out for competition' or 'free markets. These contracts, along with many other GAO but especially war time contracts, are not open bidding in any real sense. The accounting is always suspect once they are operating and a suspicious number of the same companies always seem to get thier fingers in the pie (Bechtel, KBR, Halliburton, etc).
1) Walter Reed was supposed to be closed (everyone remember that.)
2) the VA experiences over the decades should warn everybody about a universal, gov't run system.
3) since, at least some, of the facilities might be privately run could we get a bunch of shysters in there and sue for some malpractice? They make a good living going after good doctors in modern hospitals you'd think there would be a bunch waiting to get in on this action. It would never even go to a jury! (The gov't probably gave some clause about freedom from torts when they 'awarded' the contracts though.

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And here we go again. Doesn't anyone get it? Bush's and Cheney's push for "privatization" of government responsibilities leads to disastor because of the money these agencies/coporations want and get at our expense...and now we're hearing at the expense of people's lives. When are we going to wake up to the chaos this creates and the irresponsible actions of such corporations. Congress needs to take off the blinders and impeach this ass and his cronies.

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Alternet has become no more than Whining Wall.

If you believe that the administration are criminals - IMPEACH

Don't Whine - get your representatives off their fat useless backsides

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PUBLISHED AT: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/19244

There is a basic right owed to the men and women who serve to protect the integrity of this nation’s democratic promise. As said by the only great Republican:

“… to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Abraham Lincoln, second inaugural address, March 4, 1865

Twenty-five years ago, March 14, 1981 Jim Hopkins, Marine veteran of Vietnam, born on the Marine Corps birthday of November 10, drove his army Jeep through the glass doors and into the lobby of the multi-million dollar, showcase edifice of Wadsworth VA hospital, at Los Angeles, California. He did so to protest the gross, willfully negligent treatment given US veterans within the VA system. In specific, those veterans of the US war in South East Asia, aka, the Vietnam War.

He fired rounds from his AR 14 into the official pictures of then Republican President Ronald Reagan and Ex-President Jimmy Carter. For emphasis he then fired his .45 caliber handgun and a shotgun screaming that he was not receiving the medical attention needed. Hauled from the hospital by law enforcement, he screamed into the cameras that his brain was “being destroyed by Agent Orange.” That sent both a shock wave and a wake up call through the US and became a clarion call to thousands of veterans who felt the very same as did Hopkins.

Ron Bitzer, director and founder of the LA based Center for Veteran’s Rights and I took up his case. My specialty was vets suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD) who had come into conflict with law enforcement due to their illness.

Hopkins’ case gave national voice to three major issues for vets:

1- The failure of Reagan’s administration to investigate the damage caused by Dow Chemical’s dioxin based defoliants spread all over Southeast Asia known as Agent Orange, Blue and other quaint names. And its refusal to treat vets and their families for its damaging effect on both, (especially the obvious appearance of birth defects of children born to the vets.)

2- The refusal to acknowledge the illness of PTSD and to investigate its damage on vets and to provide appropriate treatment.

3- The callous and insulting disrespect shown the vets by Reagan and his efforts to cut both the benefits of the vets and to close their outpatient treatment centers.

After being released from in-hospital treatment from the VA hospital where we had him transferred from the LA County Jail Hopkins went on a speaking tour to vets. Despite our best efforts to help him Hopkins died of mysterious causes on May 17. The news of his death, now a hero to Vietnam veterans, spread across the country sparking a sit-in the same lobby by veterans. As Reagan alternately ignored and then ridiculed the veterans, as the VA proclaimed its innocence of neglect, the protest grew until it became a hunger strike led by highly decorated Vietnam combat veterans.

The hunger strike drew mass coverage by the US and world news. In the face of the aroused public, Reagan ignored calls for investigation, but held off forced eviction. When we rejected the government’s poor faith negotiations, Reagan called in the Federal forces. But we were prepared and within days were camped out in front of the White House and had forced meetings with various congressional Veteran’s committees. Fearing that any moment one of the vets would die and would trigger an armed response by the many outraged veterans across the country, Congress finally agreed to negotiate a compromise:

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By privatizing previously held positions filled by specialized military officers is the same as outsourcing. It is being done in Iraq with Halliburton and KBR. Today's military men and women are being used primarily for combat duties, and protecting the workers of private firms "rebuilding" Iraq. Once a soldier could be trained in combat military operations and a specialized field of their choice allowing them after their tour of duty to enter into a non combatant military or private career. Today they return with less support, mental problems, and PTSD. In this world of unprecedented instability our military is not prepared to meet the challenges of truly securing our safety while serving as security for private firms.

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I worked as a nurse at a VA facility in the late 60's and back then just getting into the system was as challenging, as it is today. I never understood why, Congress and the VA where so hostile to the veterans needs. Volumes and volumes of rules and regulations geared to deny care. I see nothing has changed, just gotten worse. America needs to wake up. We do need a new direction for all our vets. One rule. If You Served You Qualify for the best care we can give. No co pays for anything. And do not privatize the vets health care. At some point a CEO is going to eliminate prosthesic devices to save money. One reason health care is so expensive now is the profit motive. When it comes to our vets it should be recompense not profit.

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Privatization of Walter Reed is just another phase in the strategies of the ultra rich working through corporate America to fleece any and all Americans not having holdings in the top few per cent. They seem to have what passes for honor among themselves. And don't accuse me of waging class warfare: I am only pointing it out.

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