As the president of the union which represents more than 600,000 workers in the federal and DC governments – 40% of whom are veterans – we are well aware of the role the Bush Administration has had in minimizing and politicizing the role of public service in government. From Hurricane Katrina to Walter Reed to the United States Justice Department the results have been catastrophic. Our members, who are on the front lines of 75 agencies including Social Security, the VA, and the Department of Homeland Security, realize and know first-hand, the devastating impact of the Bush Administration’s efforts to quell our ability to provide quality service for all Americans.

The Administration’s mantra of privatization and outright animosity toward federal workers has resulted in wreaking havoc throughout the federal government.  And sadly, the most insidious of these government abuses has come at the expense of America’s heroes, our veterans.

For years, the Bush Administration and its enablers in Congress have consistently underfunded the VA, leaving the venerable system understaffed, and under resourced. Less than a month ago the White House threatened to veto legislation granting the agency $47.7 billion for veterans’ health care and infrastructure improvements, an increase favored by veterans’ service organizations in their Independent Budget.  It doesn’t make any sense. Why try to strangle the very agency that historically has given back to our veterans what they deserve – the best health care money can buy?

The VA is regarded as the nation’s foremost medical health care system. It gives our men and women in the armed services specialized care that cannot be fulfilled in private ‘for-profit’ facilities. Unfortunately, our presumptive Republican presidential candidate Senator McCain has taken the side of the administration.  Senator McCain is backing a voucher plan for veterans to receive care at private for-profit facilities, a move that is tantamount to dismantling the current Veteran’s Health Administration.  These vouchers would further divert funds away from veterans’ health care.  We should be fully funding the VA, not finding ways to further tear it apart.

Not only does this practice of outsourcing health care to contractors and contracting out medical support functions cripple the VA system, but it deeply affects VA’s ability to hire veterans who are struggling to reclaim their economic security. When the VA outsources housekeeping, laundry services and grounds keeping, the employees affected are overwhelmingly women, minorities, and veterans. When these jobs that historically have served as valuable stepping stones for disabled veterans are lost; employees and their families lose health care benefits, a living wage and the opportunity to support fellow veterans. It is unconscionable to treat veterans this way at anytime, but during war it is morally deficient.

This type of political gimmickry and the constant undercutting of the system through the use of contract care have left the VA struggling to meet the needs of America’s veterans.  The VA is not a political pawn to be moved around the chess board. And unfortunately, this is happening in many government agencies – not just the VA.

The bottom line is that credibility – which systematically has been dismantled over the past eight years – needs to be restored in government public service.  There must be a fundamental change in how the President views the role of government and public service.  I hope that Senator Obama and Senator McCain – whoever will be in the Oval Office – will heed this call.   A change has to be made.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 12:15 pm and is filed under Politics, Presidential Campaign, The Administration .