Another Week, Another Scandal

If I wanted to hide a tree, I'd consider a forest. Since President Obama took office, it has been one scandal after another. Little scandals, such as when Obama's friend Dr. H.L. Gates was detained by a Cambridge police officer who was properly doing his duty. In spite of the fact that the President had no knowledge of the situation, he publicly announced that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly" and he came off looking foolish. Then there were the huge scandals such as Benghazi where people died and the IRS debacle that illegally deprived people of their Constitutional Rights..

In almost every case, Obama proclaimed himself shocked and dismayed. He would then promise that no stone would be left unturned to get to the bottom of things. Ultimately, he swore, those responsible would pay the price. Now, into his sixth year, they must still be looking for stones to turn because no bottom has been found, no one has been assigned responsibility, and no one has paid any price. Not so much as a nickel. Although, the Cambridge cop that Obama maligned did get a couple of free beers out of it.

The stall was on. Time passed. Tame reporters stopped reporting, if they ever even bothered to start. All of these scandals became a background blur to a public trying to survive in a rotten economy. Few people were paying attention. Few people even cared. When those that did care brought it up, they were denigrated in the most evil terms, up to and including being called racist.

But now we have a scandal that seems to be getting legs. The horrible mismanagement of the Bureau of Veterans Affairs affects large numbers of people who have devoted all or part of their lives to the service of their country. Many of them have paid a huge price. These veterans have family and friends that are also concerned. As they would say in the military, that becomes a force multiplier. The administration has finally come up with a scandal that is so big and so ugly, there is no place to hide it.

Heads must roll. It should start right at the top. A complete reorganization with everything right out in the open. Stop the bonuses and fancy trips for government employees. Stop the feel good team building. Start monitoring job performance. Fire people for poor performance. It is our government. It does not belong to the politicians. We have a right to demand better. And there is no better place to start than by doing the right thing and taking care of our veterans. It is their right and our obligation. The politicians seem to be able to find whatever they need, be it money or services, to take care of themselves. Now they must start taking care of those that really deserve it.