[antimedia] antimedia: I had lunch with an old friend yesterday....

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Posted by antimedia:
I had lunch with an old friend yesterday....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1173419848.shtml


   ....and we got to talking about the military and the recent mess at
   Walter Reed. (She was a helicopter pilot in the Army. Her husband is
   an Army (reserve) economist, spent 21 months in Iraq and may be going
   back soon.) We both agreed that for us the scandal wasn't a scandal.
   You see, those of us who have been in the military are used to be
   treated shabbily. The VA is one of the worst organizations on the
   planet when it comes to health care. (And yes, I know that Walter Reed
   isn't run by the VA.) Everyone in the military knows it. So does
   Congress. But military health care is only a scandal to Congress when
   there's something to be gained from it politically.
   The rest of the country can't be bothered with it unless it hits the
   evening news.
   Personally, I think the Walter Reed mess and the VA are two shining
   examples of what government health care would be like, if we ever get
   it. If you think universal health care, run by our government, is the
   answer to all problems, go visit your local VA hospital. Get to know
   some of the people that work there and the veterans who are forced to
   use its facilities because they can't afford otherwise.
   If you come away thinking government-run health care is a good idea,
   you're blind or so politically biased that you refuse to admit the
   truth.