Our Sacred Trust

I had the privilege of hearing Beau Biden, Delaware Attorney General and son of Joe Biden, at the Orange County Democrats JJ dinner on Friday. When Biden's reserve company was called up a few years ago, he took a leave from his position as AG and deployed to Iraq with his company. Biden was especially passionate in speaking about our obligations to our returning troops. I want to share some of his comments.

Did you know that Paul Ryan's budget calls for a 17% reduction in funding for the Veterans Administration in year one? This is from a leader of the Republican Party that claims to be better on defense than the Democrats. Of course, the Republicans are happy to fund big weapons systems development. (I know, the Democrats do the same thing.) But what about our veterans? Earlier, Ryan had proposed privatizing the VA by giving veterans vouchers to buy health care services from private insurance companies and providers. Even the Republicans balked at that insensitive proposal.

You should keep in mind that the VA is widely recognized for success in improving the quality of care and managing costs. For example, the VA negotiates with the drug companies to get discounts on bulk purchases. The ability to negotiate discounts with drug companies was specifically excluded from the Part D Medicare drug benefit passed during W. Bush's administration with strong Republican support. The high costs of drugs is one reason Medicare is under financial pressure. Senior citizens have to cope with the dreaded donut hole, which is being closed under President Obama's health care reform act.

This is a longer post that usual, and my avatar is no where in sight. This is serious stuff, people. We have a sacred trust to take care of our veterans forever. President Obama understands this. Four more years!