Privatization of the VA is part of the Process to Eliminate Democracy
Before I was sent to fight the people of Viet Nam I took the military oath to defend this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I never foresaw a domestic enemy. I didn’t imagine that our nation could be destroyed from within. But that is what I am witnessing now, and this stealth enemy is within point blank range of turning the suffering of veterans into another “privatization” scheme to get at billions of taxpayer dollars.
This enemy has a long history and to understand it we have to look at its roots. In 1956 James Buchanan, an economist at University of Virginia, joined forces with the university president to respond to the Brown vs. Board of Education. They saw the ruling as an attack on states’ rights and opening the door for Federal meddling. They saw themselves and their class being taxed to pay for the social good and they set out to defeat the “perverted form” of liberalism that they thought sought to destroy their way of life. Billionaire Charles Koch saw a broader opportunity and threw his massive wealth behind the effort in the 1970’s. They promoted a weak government that would not constrain the wealthy nor tax them for the social good. By the 1990’s, the Koch brothers were funding more than eleven think tanks and fellowships.
Those think tanks courted conservatives and the religious right. They took over vast swatches of the media. They use “freedom”, “liberty”, “choice” and “individualism” to hide their intent.They continue to work to redistribute wealth upward vs. generate wealth via good paying and secure jobs.
Their well-crafted plan has been devastatingly successful. Real wages for the vast majority of us are at 1970s levels, while wages for the top 10% have increased over 200%. Super PACs have been developed that funnel limitless money to politicians, and money is now called “free speech”.
These forces also establish bogus “astroturf” movements, like Concerned Veterans for America, which is flush with Koch Brothers cash. They have pumped more than $50 million into campaigns and policy work over the last seven years to push “choice” and move veterans from the VA into the private sector.
The enemy continues its advance. In January, the VA Secretary released proposed rules that, according to the New York Times, could increase the percentage of veterans getting private care from the current 8 percent to 30 percent. The proposed rules could draw so many veterans away from the VA that it will lead to less funding and eventually the VA would collapse. The new rules, no surprise, would also send billions of taxpayer dollars into the private sector. This is the privatization veterans have fought against for years, and this is what the enemy is trying to bring into fruition. It’s another step in the process of wealth accumulation for this stealth enemy that answers to no one.
We must draw together and defend the common good. We must bring this covert enemy into the light and observe the process that is taking place behind closed doors.
We must unite – as the Declaration of Independence tells us - to defend our country.
The military oath is clear and I intend to uphold it, in the name of all veterans.
