VA: Agency seems to have money to waste

Re: “Veterans Affairs has spent $6.3 million on art, fountains” (TNT, 10-10).

As a taxpayer, I was appalled to read that our tax dollars budgeted to Veterans Affairs would be used for anything other than the health care of our veterans. As a Vietnam-era vet myself, one eligible for VA health care, I have chosen instead to pay for and use my employer-provided insurance simply because there are so many veterans who do not have that option.

My needs were small relative to many with more serious issues: missing limbs, PTSD, etc. In short, I was trying to “do my part.”. How foolish I am.

It seems there is an abundance of resources in the VA system, otherwise why would educated administrators choose to spend $6.3 million on aesthetic enhancements and oil-painted monuments to themselves? While $6.3 million is a pittance of the annual budget, it’s seems hard to imagine explaining to a veteran missing a leg that the reason he or she will have to wait for a prostheses is because there are limited funds.

“Maybe, instead, you could take a trip to Palo Alto and gaze at the beautiful garden and artwork.” I don’t think those administrators would have a leg to stand on.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 3:12 PM with the headline "VA: Agency seems to have money to waste."