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Vietnam Era Music
My Veterans Column For Oct08
Folks - On October 13, the U.S. Navy was established (1775), on the 29th the Internet was created (1969), and a favorite holiday of mine falls on the 31st, Halloween. ---------------- A Rose By Any Other Name...: Can You Spell P.R.I.V.A.T.I.Z.E? As has been said: "Money makes the world go around ...the world go around ...the world go around. Money makes the world go around It makes the world go 'round." However, there comes a time where other considerations must take precedence. P... We Veterans get the best care anywhere, at the VA. A given, known to most of us. And, this care is given at a 'cost' significantly lower than similar care given at and by many other caregivers. Pr... Still, there is an element within the current governmental bureaucracy that understands this: there is money to be made if a veteran's treatment includes 'others' from outside the VA; another given. Don't agree? Take a look at the "Compensation & Pension (C&P) examination arena" to mention just one area; one that is mentioned again, below. Pri... When the "GI Bill for the 21st Century" had not yet become law, certain high VA officials began suggesting the implementation of the bill from the VA's point of view would be 'problematic.' Priv... In a letter to the American Federation of Government Employees ("AFGE"), one of the VA employee's unions, National VA Council president Alma Lee, VA Secretary James Peake said, "The implementation of this new program [the new GI Bill] and subsequent new work will have a profound impact on VA. The challenges of creating the procedures and systems to support a new program ... will tax VA's resources." Priva... It should be noted that: 1) it is the VA's 'job' to administrate these types of programs; 2) they do this for 'other' programs and do a good job, and; 3) they do so using existing procedures and systems which could be used for the new Bill's program, with the expansion of their existing employee base. Privat... Still, Secretary Peake continued in his letter, "...The decision has been made to seek private-sector support to implement this new program... We intend to move quickly to select a contractor...." Privati... Using the private-sector to implement the Bill's new program would prevent the VA from hiring new employees, and since some company is sure to make a good size profit, it would cost more than if the VA did it themselves; not to mention concerns over the quality of work that would not exist if the VA did the work directly. Privatiz... It is being said by individuals from the VA that in VA management meetings one company's name is being mentioned as a shoe-in to receive this contract. That company's name is QTC Management, Inc., which looks to make over one billion dollars with this new contract. Privatize... It just so happens that past VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi heads up QTC Management, with current VA Secretary a past key executive of QTC Management. Oh yes. Remember my mention of C&P exams? And the company who is currently providing that service to the VA, and making a tidy profit from it, is... wait for it... QTC Management. Privatize, N... AFGE has already responded: "AFGE... sought help from Virginia senator Jim Webb after VA announced it will outsource the work of processing applications for education benefits under the new GI bill Webb championed. In a letter sent to Webb's office, [it] said VA has plans to transfer to other VA offices more than 400 employees working in the Education Division processing applications for benefits provided under the old GI bill. VA will then staff this office with contract workers, who will need to be trained to do the work these 400 employees already know how to do. [They] said this absurd move would waste VA's time and the taxpayer's dollar while uprooting workers, many of whom are veterans. [They] suggested that VA train the current workers to apply the new law while hiring veterans and temporary workers to help with the surge. AFGE also filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office... protesting outsourcing of federal work without competition." Privatize, No... The American Legion has also responded: "To VA: Outsourcing is Not the Answer. [R]eports are circulating that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to hire an outside company to implement the New GI Bill.... "Our newest generation of veterans deserves the benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, not outside contractors." "Patients, critics and most media all cite the outstanding job the VA is doing. Outsourcing is not the answer." In a resolution opposing outsourcing the new GI Bill, The American Legion argued that VA should hire the staff necessary to fulfill the law's requirements. The Legion, ...strongly opposes the movement toward outsourcing critical services that could be handled internally at VA. The American Legion family is urged to contact their members of Congress at (202) 224-3121 and insist that VA be persuaded not to use outside contractors for duties that should be performed by VA personnel. Privatize, Not! "Money money money money Money money money money Money money money..." I surely hope not! This Week's Almost Not Commented on Story -- We Always Support Our Military... Almost As Much As We Support Ourselves. SENATORS TOSS AMENDMENTS IMPORTANT TO SERVICE PERSONNEL TO SAVE EARMARKS -- About a third of the ignored amendments would have improved military quality of life or the management of service personnel programs. My Hicksville Trivia: Our Lady of the Surf Day Part III: The North Shore; Preston Hunt, We Are Still Sorry! It was a year or two after the 'fun' we had at Jones Beach; let's say it's '64 or '65. One of us was ingenious enough to get a day event-pass to use at Center Island Town Park (don't know if they called it that, then) in 'east' Bayville. There were tens of us, perhaps over a hundred, who showed up that day. At the time, there were still private homes on the north side of Bayville Avenue, and the bay-side was used by Hicksville's scullers for practice; a friend, Carl Wieberg was one of them. After 'opening' the closed kiosk to use the facilities and generally making ourselves at home, the local police came by to let us know permit or not, we had to leave. About that time Preston Hunt drove by and three of us got into his car for a ride back to Hicksville. We didn't leave right away and a police officer told us to pull-over. The officer told Preston to turn off the engine -- Preston initially said no, we argued he should, for whatever the reason Preston eventually did, and the officer preceded to give Preston a parking ticket! You see, Preston had pulled the car over at a 'no parking' zone, and by turning off the engine he had 'parked' the car. Why do I say we're still sorry? As I recall, even though Preston asked us to pay for part of the ticket... we refused. Sorry guy. Lest We Forget: Currently there are (at least) 5,164 (51 more since last month) Veterans of Modern Warfare who no longer will be "asking" our government for a dime . . . Till next month be well... and remember, "Let No Veteran Ever
Stand Alone!"
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