May 27, 2014

America has just celebrated another memorial day to honor those who made the extreme sacrifice in service to our nation. The accounts of unparallel gallantry and bravery reflect the very best of our Republic. Our freedom is not an abstract concept but a living energy that is always fleeting. It must not be taken for granted and those who served this nation must never be forgotten. Our promise to provide our veterans with the finest medical care has been broken and our failure is a disgrace.  

The Veterans Administration has been plagued with problems for years but it has gotten worse. The prior administration briefed President Obama after he took office on 2009 and yet five years later nothing has been done to address the problem. We see stories of veterans waiting years for treatment and dying due to a lack of treatment. It is beyond a scandal, it is immoral. The buck stops with the President, yet he is still standing behind his Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki who has been running the agency since the President’s election. Eric Scinsecki should resign or be fired.  

The President's hallmark is to do nothing, blame the prior administration then claim that the story is old news. This is the same pattern we have seen during the ATF gun running investigation, the IRS scandal and the attack on our Embassy in Bengazi. This time his deflections won't work. While all of the recent scandals involve important public policy issues, this scandal is visceral. Veterans and their families put their trust in our government to deliver on their promise of taking care of those who served yet they have been unable to even get an appointment to see a doctor, something we all take for granted. Many have even been denied treatment for serious diseases only to die without care. What a twisted irony, surviving on the battlefield to later die at the hands of government bureaucrats.  

This is the same administration that wanted to charge veterans for their care excluding those who retired and have Tricare. At this level of service, veterans are owed more then refund, they deserve an apology from the President and his administration.  The Veterans Admistration was touted by the President's Congressional allies as an example of a successful government run health care program and was the basis for their support of Obamacare. How can any rational person believe that government run healthcare works when it was well known that the Veterans Administration has been failing our veterans for years? The reality is it will not work. This is why the President has unlawfully delayed the implementation of Obamacare thirty eight times since its passage. Unable to acknowledge his failure, the President pushes on no matter the cost. How can our veterans trust him to fix this mess when he can’t even fix his failed healthcare law? 

This scandal is wrong on so many levels. It is time for congress to act and hold this administration accountable for their inaction. Our veterans deserve better. The President needs to own up and finally espouse the famous words of Truman, “the buck stops here”.