The Veterans Healthcare System is the most important one we have in the USA.

One thing that all of the cable news networks and newspapers agree on is that issues of veterans’ health are ones on which all members of Congress seek to achieve a consensus. An interpretation of this that I have heard from the TV pundits is that all members of Congress, whether veterans or not themselves, respect those who risked their lives to protect the United States and police the world. Another interpretation I have heard is that all members of Congress need to face constituents who value service in the military and would not vote for a potential member of Congress who does not protect those rights. I prefer the first interpretation, although I would also accept the second. Veterans have earned lifetime healthcare services and those services should be the very best that the medical and social services can provide.

I was very happy to see the strong reaction of Congress to the poor candidate nominated recently to head the Veteran’s Administration. A doctor who has managed a staff of 70 healthcare providers is probably inadequately prepared to run a large federal agency with hundreds of thousands of employees, 9 million patients, facilities across the US, and many political entanglements. Just because you are the personal physician of the US presidents and praise the current president’s health in spite of his all-fast-food diet, borderline obesity, and behavior that indicates high levels of stress does not mean that you should be rewarded with a job in charge of the quality of the healthcare of 9 million veterans. And no doctor who hands out medications on airplanes without prescriptions or having personally met with the recipient (patient) and is accused of inappropriate interpersonal behaviors is deserving of being trusted with the health of our veterans.

For once, Republicans and Democrats agree that the candidate was not qualified to head the Veterans Administration. And they achieved this conclusion by consensus.

So the nominee did the right thing and withdrew from his candidacy after a lot of pressure from the White House.

Wouldn’t you like to see our elected representatives act with similar wisdom and common sense every time they make a decision? CONSENSUS!

Tinkerbell thinks so.

And I am wishing upon a star.