Why I No Longer Write Elected Officials-

Montgomery Regl Office

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It has been a long while since I posted anything here. So thought I would post this as- quite a few folks have asked me, recently and oddly, why I no longer write US Elected Officials about the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), etc… So, here is my personal explanation/observations/experiences: (Note: I am by no means at all discourging others from writing their Elected Officals as it sometimes pays off and informs them as well!)

I have dealt with VA etc… now for 10(+) years and nothing tangible has in fact changed despite writing just about everyone humanly possible, countless times! The only way I have really achieved anything is in fact through attorneys at considerable cost and time and effort…. very sadly….

As I have been told by numerous attorney’s, Senators and Congressmen cannot, by themselves direct any Federal Agency, what to do! They can only suggest/inquire! A law, must in fact be passed by Congress to get a Federal Agency to do anything- and is a law going to be passed for any one individual? Odds are not, and getting any bill through congress is a nightmare in and of itself- with all the competing interests of the parties involved, constituents, businesses etc…

Also, there are supposedly Congressional “Liaison’s” at these Federal Agencies- I have seen them myself at VA-in action- and they simply bought the VA’s “Party Line” and affected no change what so ever… I do not know if these Liaisons are part of a different branch of government or work for individual Senators and Congressmen, and/or are full- time job- if so they too are part of what is termed as “Deep State”- which I will address next….

Since our elected officials cannot direct a Federal Agency what to do, these agencies, such as the VA, simply pay tacit compliance, and then resume business as usual…. this is because there is little to no follow up by Congressional staff, liaisons, etc… as Congressional staff, individually, are not equipped/manned for this…..

Then there are all the rules and laws for terminating federal employees… which are well above and beyond ridiculous- one only must look to former head Gulf Coast VA, and other senior VA leadership around country that have been in news-papers/media for various wrong-doings to clearly see this…. So they remain ultimately in place and empowered to influence a whole host of thing via “networks” they have either created or become part of….

Gulf Coast VA/VISN-17 is a simple microcosm of this in totality… as over the last decade numerous folks from Washington DC VA HQ have been down here to supposedly “FIX” things and simply everything remains largely as it was since my entry in this heinous system since over 10-years ago…

Thus, part of the overall “Deep State” - life-long senior Federal employees- have been able to exploit a “seam” in the “system,” that is our Federal Government, without impunity for an exceedingly long time!!!! Also, if retired or simply fired… they can in fact become even more influential as “Grey Beards,” so to speak, through the networks and contacts they just left- as are no longer largely bound/constrained by the rules and regulations they were employed under! Also, as they become members of extra-former-employment networks or new networks, thereby further linking networks and systems!
Therefore, nothing really changes, - nor probably- ever will- as this system is most likely well beyond any level of reigning in by those in power, unless “laws” are radically changed…. But that as we all know is a very lengthy, time-consuming process and Senator’s and Congressman must be re-elected- which is two years for Congressmen- so with that turn-over in Congress what “collective working memory” is there to “prosecute” any lasting change in this system……???????

Then you have “special interest- “in case of the VA a whole host of $BIG Dollar$ interests like big Pharma, medical equipment, office suppliers, etc.… to name a few! This is not to mention the VA is the Second Largest Federal Employer behind DOD. So, if simply Congress or anyone wanted to change this system radically, it would be worse than the US military’s BRAC- as endless argument would ensue about what was or was not going to remain in whose “District” or “State”- HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC!!!!!!!!!

I, very painfully, got a VA OIG Investigation initiated (still never heard if closed out or not), and a person from one of the Vet Service Organizations told me they were trying to “crack” the Gulf Coast VA System for a long time to no-avail- which brings up a bigger question…! Why of all the numerous VA System’s- are only a handful- supposedly darn good, and others simply beyond atrocious like the Gulf Coast VA System - which is 1-Star System now- and should have never been the Five Star System it was to begin with… able to obviously withstand this type of, dare I say, “INFILTRATION?????, by the “Deep State?”

That is for others to ponder and beyond me to figure out…. But the “Deep State” is in fact alive and well, one only must look as far as the Gulf Coast VA/VISN-16 to get a glimpse of it at work…… and a huge seam in our beloved Democracy Exploited…as every system has its weak-spot’s… just a people do….

GEN/President Eisenhower, allegedly, feared the “military/Industrial complex” as, and he would have personally known, is it is exactly what helped bring Nazi Germany to power… so if “life-long” VA “Deep-State” employees have in fact been compromised by “special-interest” or other interest’s does this not in fact compound the issues to Infinity “∞” in the VA alone for example???????? What if they transfer to another Federal Agency- which they can do???

There is also another issue at work- “education”- Thomas Jefferson supposedly stated the best defense against any tyranny is an “highly-educated” populace… sadly most regular VA employees are not this, in my experience… and there is no system of “IQ/Job Competency Testing” etc. in place before they are in fact hired (as I have asked numerous folks about this) further compounding the VA’s numerous issue’s… or is it simply by design?????? Questions for others to ponder…but from extensive personal experience, any employee I have known at the VA to ask hard questions or “buck” the system (so to speak) has paid dearly for it, personally and professionally…….

Finally, myself and other veterans I know, have been cautioned by VA employees, themselves, from writing Senators and Congressmen or even hiring attorney’s- now why would this be? Do they know something other’s simply do not??????

Thanks….. and hopes this in fact helps someone else, and once again, I am by no means at all discouraging others from writing their Elected Officials as it sometimes, not quite often as in my case, pays off and informs them as well! But I have simply had more effect with attorney's than anything else..... hope folks at least think about this??????
 
For more accuracy on a comment "Then there are all the rules and laws for terminating federal employees..." I would, if anyone so inclined, highly recommend "The Complete Guide To Hiring and Firing Government Employees" by Stewart Liff- as I gave this as a gift to several very good VA employees who were in fact, as I stated above, "any employee I have known at the VA to ask hard questions or “buck” the system (so to speak) has paid dearly for it, personally and professionally……." to utilize as kind of a "reverse playbook" to protect themselves and careers, etc....., but even then some-supposedly had to retain attorney's..... Just something for folks to think about as very coin has how many sides?
 
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