Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Retired general calls for new VA system
By ALDO NAHED
Published June 14, 2006
A retired Army general blasted the handling of VA hospitals by the Bush administration and called for a business-like operation. Retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, who co-chairs the Democratic National Veterans and Military Families Council and is the first woman to serve as a three-star general in the U.S. Army, discussed veteran's issues Tuesday with District 9 congressional candidate Phyllis Busansky. "We need a business approach to funding and operating VA hospitals," Kennedy said. "What we need is good leadership and someone who understands how to run a business in a systematic way." Kennedy, who stopped by to support Busansky's election campaign as part of a nationwide tour for Democratic candidates, discussed several issues with about 15 veteran representatives. In May, Kennedy, 58, was appointed to on Wal-Mart's Employment Practices Advisory Panel. She said she's impressed with how the chain runs its operation. "It's amazing what you can do if your priority is to treat people right," Kennedy said at the Veterans Memorial Museum, south of Temple Terrace. Kennedy, who lives in South Carolina, served as deputy chief of staff for Army intelligence from 1997 to 2000. Dave Braun, president of the Hillsborough County veterans council, said he agrees that vets need more support, but doubts Wal-Mart can lead the way. "I'm up there a lot," he said. "Their finances are a disaster, but I don't necessarily agree that running the VA as a business is the answer." Veterans complained to Kennedy about what they say is a waste of money in Iraq and Afghanistan. Responding to one comment, she said veterans and troops deserved more financial support and better equipment to fight. "It's all well and good to say we need more money, but this is not about money," Kennedy said. "It's about our country's priority." Busansky, a former Hillsborough County commissioner, urged veterans to begin a letter writing campaign to elected officials about their concerns. She seeks to represent north Pinellas, west Pasco and suburban Hillsborough counties in a race that is drawing national attention from both parties.
[Last modified June 14, 2006, 05:33:37]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
