TRICARE Fee Increase
Leaving blood on the battlefield is not enough…DOD wants more.
Mr. David Chu,
Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
Washington, D.C.
You and others in DOD, the bureaucratic leeches, and anti-America shrill, continue to screw around with TRICARE fee increases which are a betrayal of American warriors and military retirees…..
Mr. Chu, do you have any idea of the disdain the military community has for you and others that take every opportunity to rob earned military benefits?
It is a sad reality that political appointees will do whatever it takes to secure their position even if it means taking advantage of military retirees, widows, and spouses….even as our warriors are being killed, disabled, families left without a parent, great sacrifice. You and others have no shame in wanting to secure funds from medical care of these patriots and families, adding to their misery…….
The bull-crap you spew about the world caving in if TRICARE fees are not increased is pure political fantasy. You know and all military retirees know, the federal government and DOD waste untold billions of dollars each year on pork, earmarks, greed, administrative incompetence…but you want all that paid from the pockets of our warriors…this is despicable at best.
DOD doesn’t have the guts or backbone to go to Congress and sell the message that warriors who give their lives, are disabled, families decimated, sacrifice untold, deserve the healthcare that America promised them and they earned……..Why not get some courage and ask Congress to increase the DOD budget if you need more funds??
American warriors have lost hope that any civil discussion to bring reality, integrity, and common decency to the power brokers in Washington, D.C., is impossible.
Mr. Chu, you are one of the American warriors worst nightmares…with politicians like you in DOD and the federal government, I can only say, God help us, and have mercy on your soul.
This is a harsh letter but what you and others have been doing over the last few years, particularly when men and women are on the battlefield, is disgraceful………I regret it is necessary to be sent.
Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret
January 22nd, 2007 at 4:51 pm
FAXED to Dr. David Chu DoD
This is to advise you that I concur and agree with the word’s said below. I cannot express my disgust of the disdain that you and others within the DoD have for the very people that you are sworn to support and work for. As Col. Riley said, “This letter is harsh but it must be said.”
Earl Warmath
January 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Posted for Charles Northingham
Dear Harry Riley:
Although a little too crusty, your recommendations are what is needed, in that the answer to the problem is, as you say, more funds in the budget.
Also I think what you accuse Chu and others of is basically correct. However, based on 16 years of involvement in the budget process, I believe Chu and others would not get more funding if they should try your recommendations. Following orders is not only in military culture, it is also a similar culture in the executive branch in all grades of management. One must go along to get along.
When new employees come in, they progress up the line if they adhere to the prevailing culture. If an employee doesn’t go along, he doesn’t get along. Think about the number of star grade officers have lost a star or retired earlier than they wanted to. At the first opportunity an officer or appointee who doesn’t go along is replaced with one who will go along. What I am saying is that if Chu, Abel or even Rumsfeld doesn’t go along they are replaced, and we are no better off with the replacements.
I submit that our retiree problem stems from the prevailing culture in the OMB. Few people recognize or know where all the many concepts in management and budgeting come from. Most come from the culture in the OMB. They never give up. If they lose a fight, they put that idea on the back burner until they see another opportunity, then here it comes again.
I believe that what is happening to us with the retiree programs is, that the management structure in DOD knows they can not win against OMB with a frontal assault. But, they figure that if they can get retirees and their supporters mad enough we can and will go to the Congress in a frontal assault and keep firing away until we get some changes in programs and the budget.
Thus, DOD uses us to try to get the budgets they need. This is not a new approach. Throughout history all levels of government use the same tactics when they are told that they must cut their budget request. The time proven tactic is to cut the most visible and sensitive programs, such as, swimming pools and parks, fire departments and police departments. This way they squeeze more money out of the legislators/ or in some instances more taxes out of the voters.
I believe that DOD would be perfectly happy for retirees to get what we are entitled to, if it did not come out of their budget which is restrained by OMB.
So, Harry Chu will quite likely will receive your letter with a smile, because it evidences the fact that the retirees are going after Congress to get our entitlements(I hate that word, but it is better than the word welfare).
Just keep up the barrage until you get enough of us fire-up to move Congress in the right direction.
Respectively,
Charles Northington
Captain USPHS, Ret.
Cwn1@tx.rr.com