Oh the Misery...aka Hot and Yucky

Several times a week I walk the three plus miles (5 km) to my local library in Hurlock, Maryland. Usually it is a nice walk and the library itself, while being somewhat inadequate as a library, is fairly comfortable. This does not apply on hot and humid days such as today. I write this from Computer #5 at the library. It is my preferred computer there. It has a temperament that I don't get frustrated with. Eleven computers and they all have different personalities. All of the library regulars have their preferred computers for just this reason. It is hot and muggy outside. It feels worse than the 79 degrees that the thermostat claims at 10:36 am. The humidity alone must be close to 90%. I really do miss Utah and the Intermountain West on days like this. When I arrived at the library this morning there was a sign on the door stating that the library was closing 4 hours early today (at 2 pm) because of an air conditioning system that is not working. If the air conditioning had been working and broke down either yesterday or today that would be fine. the fact is that this building's air conditioning has been intermittent at best for at least the past year. Library management has known about it and yet seems to do nothing more than patch the problem. Yes, I know that air conditioning systems cost money, but wouldn't the wise investment have been to invest in a new or upgraded system during the winter so patrons and staff would not have to suffer during the summer? Wouldn't it have cost less to have had the system maintained during the off season? You may ask what about the Town of Hurlock? Good question. The library is not actually a part of the town nor is it a part of Dorchester County. It is something of a step-child they all claim when convenient and deny having responsibility for when something goes wrong. The library, much like the US Postal Service, is a non-governmental service that is required to be there.

Scandals, scandals, scandals...

Where do I begin? There are multiple scandals being investigated while others are being pushed under the rug. Benghazi,the media, and the IRS scandals are all fairly well documented. One that is not so well known is the incompetence at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Maybe I am not looking in the right places, but, as usual, if it wasn't for Fox News very little would be known about the VA's inability to adequately process applications for benefits our veterans so richly deserve. The VA's backlog is currently close to 600,000 applications. I am sorry, but for the backlog to quadruple in just four years is unconscionable. Yes, I know that the Obama Administration made it easier for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to apply for benefits but what there is no excuse for is for the VA to still be processing applications as if it was in the post-World War II era. The fist thing VA Secretary Eric Shinseki should have done was to implement a technological upgrade of the department. President Obama, who may be an abuser of the Executive Order (I have not investigated this), could easily have issued one directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to upgrade all VA computers in less than 180 days. Another excuse given for the delay in processing veteran applications is that the Department of Defense and the VA do not communicate well with each other. Apparently it takes a very long time for medical records to travel between the two departments. Why can't veterans' records be stored in a central location so that both the DoD and VA can access them as needed? DoD needs to have effective procedures in place so that upon discharge the records are readily available to the VA. If need be the Secretary Shinseki of the VA and Defense Secretary Hagel should lock themselves in a room, with no aides, until they have a way to fix the problems. These two Cabinet members need to be working closely together. It should never take two years for our veterans to receive the benefits due them.

An Introduction

Welcome to my blog, Contemporary Musings. This is where I will attempt to comment on things that are going on in the world that interest me. My tastes are varied and broad. They will sometimes upset conservative, liberals, libertarians, independents and just about anyone else, but these are my feelings of which I make no apology for. Over the course of my blogs I may comment on such things and politics, foreign affairs, religion, society, and just about anything else that crosses my mind that I want to make a comment on. Sometimes my blogs will be short and pithy. Sometimes they may seem to be extremely long winded. I hope that my readers will freely comment and spread the word about this blog. I will start blogging regularly after the Memorial Day holiday. I am certain that I will have things to say about the current scandals in Washington, about the partisan bickering that prevents things from being accomplished as well as many other topics. In my blogs you will learn things about me that may help you understand where I am coming from or where I am not coming from. I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts. Please do not be shy in sharing my blog with others. I am a believer in the free flow of ideas, both liberal and conservative. Only by actively listening to the other side can you even begin to seek the common ground.