The VA

I'm pissed that this even needs to be said. The Veterans Administration treatment of soldiers is appalling. Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused VA Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment.

However, I'm not one to point a finger without offering an idea. How's this: First off, run the VA like a business. That means cut fat out of various projects that don't benefit the soldier or the program directly.

Offer tax deductions to doctors and medical companies that provide care to veterans that are outside of the VA. In other words, if a veteran needs to see a psychologist but the wait time is too long in the VA, allow him to see what ever doctor he needs to see and give that doctor a tax deduction for treating that soldier.

That takes off the burden of overloaded medical staff that work directly for the VA.

Open up a website filled to the brim about VA benefits and information. Sort of like a "webmd.com" for the VA. Information at the fingertips of veterans is a vital tool that will help them with whatever problem they have.

Sadly, this isn't a new phenomenon. My father had a veteran friend named Mr. Bailey (no not Beetle. :) ) Mr. Bailey went to the VA a lot for various health problems (I was 5, so I just knew he was sick) and Mr. Bailey had tons of problems getting even basic things done. I innocently enough asked why we didn't go to the local hospital since I've gone there a bunch of times and when I was sick, they took care of me right away.

Mr. Bailey only said "it's more complicated then that". And that was all I knew.

These guys sacrifice everything so you and I can sleep safely in our beds and work/live and play without tyranny. The very least we can do is make sure that they get the medical care the desperately need.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com