Lots of ingredients make up recipe of VA hospital failure

Regarding The Arizona Republic editorial “After all that, Phoenix VA hospital still fails review (Opinions, Thursday):

Recipe for failure at the VA: Start with a government that spent all of its money on unfunded wars. Add to that a do-nothing Congress. Stir in unrealistic expectations to “do more with less.”

Generously heap in thousands of veterans from recent wars. Blend in the retirement of aging employees in the old “golden handcuffs” retirement system. Mix in the departure of stressed and unhappy employees.

Pour all of the orphaned veterans into the clinics of the remaining exhausted employees. Salt the mixture with unfilled positions due to non-competitive salaries. Pepper the employees who dare to speak up with retaliation. Dump in criticism from politicians trying to get re-elected. Let mixture sit for four years. The result: A VA that goes from a top-rated hospital in 2010 to what we have today.

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Dr. Rebecca L. Hawkins,

Paradise Valley

Anti-gun knee-jerk reaction will follow high-school shooting

Regarding “We don’t need a CEO governor; state isn’t a for-profit enterprise” (Opinions, Friday):

Really? Economics 101 tells you everything has to show a profit to survive.

Not-for-profit organizations show a “profit” but the rules tell them where those profits have to go. Churches have to show a “profit.” “Profit” — have something left over or eventually you die.

Every organization — except government it seems — is accountable for how it spends its money. Profit — an excess of income over expense — is what allows the organization to grow and thrive.

Perhaps the letter writer shares the real philosophy of Democrats. Don’t have any money left over. Just overspend and then raise taxes — again and again and again!

—

Doug Ross,

Sun Lakes

Teachers self-fund pensions with salaries from taxpayers’ money