Vetshouse, Inc.

By J.R. | March 26, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized |

As a conservative, my firm belief is that government cannot do nearly as good a job taking care of people as the people can. However, with that belief comes responsibility. If government is not the answer, then we as citizens must take a proactive and persistent role in our community and in the helping of others.

That being said, one particular charity I’d like to mention here in Virginia Beach is Vetshouse.

With this past week marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, many of us have thought about the sacrifices of those who currently serve and have served in the past. Unfortunately, in Hampton Roads, nearly one in three who are homeless is a veteran. Homelessness is certainly unacceptable to begin with, but for men and women who have worn this nation’s cloth to be on the streets is a tragedy.

Through the programs and shelter that Vetshouse provides, veterans are given a chance to get on their feet. And for that alone, they are beacon of light here in this community and certainly a cause worth supporting.

For more information on Vetshouse and how you can help, visit their Web site.

Comments

12 Responses to “Vetshouse, Inc.”

Brian Kirwin on March 26th, 2008 1:20 pm

This is fantastic, Jim. It’s a wonderful charity that does really good things in our region.
Ragnar on March 26th, 2008 7:58 pm

Good stuff. FYI, the website states that 70% of the budget goes to providing services.

Which is better than some, maybe most Veteran’s charities. Check out this Washington Post article on the problems with many Veteran’s charities (and why I stopped donating to the USO). Including one that only 1% went to help vets. (Perhaps that is the worst example of the free market at work).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121202657.html?sid=ST2007121300732
J.R. on March 26th, 2008 10:59 pm

One of the most important elements for a free market to work is for there to be perfect information — or, at least, the pursuit of it.

When donors are made aware of the issues regarding this charity you use as an example, hopefully they won’t donate and the charity will fade away.

So, with perfect information, this charity will die and the free market will still work.

Only you, Ragnar, could take a post that says we should give more and often; that we should volunteer and provide more of our time to our community; and turn it into a political argument against the free market.
Ragnar on March 26th, 2008 11:36 pm

Sigh, just like you my friend to miss my point completely. My argument was in favor OF the free market. But, like all free markets, they ONLY work if we have information upon which to base our decisions. It’s the same problem anywhere, a decision based on imperfect informaiton is not the free-market working, it is marketing, or at worst con-artistry.

I work far to hard for my money to donate it to an organization (see the Washington Post article), where the director is paying himself over $400,000 and his wife makes more than $100,000. While that may not fall under the definition of con artistry, it smacks of it to me. At a minimum, we need to let the free market work, and let those organizations die. (Which is why I love those CFC booklets, and use them before deciding where do donate $$).

But, the bad organizations don’t die. Why? B/c the people running them know that the general population will give to anything with a catchy title and a good purpose. They rely on the principle that Americans are good people - and uninformed.

Thus, I believe that if we are going to make informed decisions and let the free market work, we need to have the information - and this is where we need the government to monitor, provide guidelines and create statutes with criminal penalties.
J.R. on March 27th, 2008 7:10 am

Ragnar,
“Just like you to miss my point completely”

Hogwash. Read my comment again…I made your point regarding the need for perfect information.

However, I wrote in the original post that to be a conservative, you had to participate in your community. Then, in your post, you give an example of how the free market doesn’t work.

How is that being in favor of the free market?
Ragnar on March 27th, 2008 8:14 am

The free market is imperfect - (see 1929-1939 America, and the current housing crisis). My point was that for the free market to work you need information and an educated population willing to use their $$ to support organizations, which apparently is what you are saying as well.

Which puts us on the same page, unless you are saying that there is no place for government oversight. Which I would disagree with.

Other than that, our major difference may be that you seem to be arguing that private individuals can do it all, whereas I believe that only the government has the money and the resources to do it efficiently. (Best example of that is the skyrocketing healthcare costs, but Medicare is more efficient, and is not increasing at the same high rate as private insurance costs are).
J.R. on March 27th, 2008 9:18 am

That’s right. Cuba, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Block, Venezuela, Canada, etc. All stellar examples of what nationalized programs can do for you.

People get hurt in the free market. It’s a fact of life. Bad decisions beget bad outcomes. Deal with it.

But people also succeed beyond their wildest imaginations and dreams in the free market…and, generally, wealth and prosperity is distributed based on economic forces.
ragnar on March 27th, 2008 12:41 pm

Ironically, Canada (which has a higher per capita and standard of living than us, btw - see this year’s CIA factbook), UK, Sweden, etc. ARE great examples of what government programs can do for you. They have LOWER over-all healthcare costs than we do and HIGHER over-all population health. Gee, looks to me like they made the best decision for their population - in order to allow people to participate in the free market. (Tough to do so if you’re dead, or sick).

Generally, I’m on YOUR side. I believe in capitalism, I accept that people get hurt - but there are times that the government has to step in to prevent greater clamity, government does serve a purpose. Why do you think that President Bush and the GOP-appointed leadership at the Fed stepped in to save Bear Stearns? While I’m sure folks on the left will scream about the GOP protecting their own (rich American investors), the simple fact is that if Bear had collapsed it very well may have taken the economy down with it. We needed government $$ and government action to preserve our economy.

What I’m trying to convey is that there is no black and white. We neither live in a truly capitalist nor socialist state. We live in the gray area in between - and there’s good reason for this. Pure capitalism and pure socialism are both disasters, pure capitalism is a state of anacrchy and pure socialism is a state of totalitarianism.

As Cicero wrote:

We are slaves to the law, in order that we may live free.

Thus, the point is, is that we need a government to provide and protect us, and allow for an environment within which capitalism may flourish.
Brian Kirwin on March 27th, 2008 12:54 pm

Ragnar, Canada has lower health-care costs because they have poor health care. Look at the numbers of Canadians who come here for major surgeries. Look at the rationing of care, which is how they keep their costs low. You want that?

The Ragnar health care plan - Need surgery? Get ready to fly out of the country.(Tough to do so if you’re dead, or sick).
ragnar on March 27th, 2008 5:54 pm

BK - Canada has lower health care costs b/c they focus on primary and preventive care, which is also why they are healthier than we are. Part of our problem is that we don’t do any preventive care on the un and under insured leaving them to use the ER as health care, which is THE most expensive health care AND by the time someone goes to the ER, often significant damage is done leading to higher health care costs in the future. For saving our national budget, it’s all about preventive/ primary care, which is something we do terribly.

Their primary care docs actually get their bonuses based on the overall health of their patients. That’s applying the free market to health in a way that makes sense - give folks $$ for keeping patients healthy, not for denying care.

Now, you are partially correct (there really aren’t too many folks who come here for surgery), for those that have the $$, we have some of the best specialty care in the world. We have Mayo and the Cleveland Clinic, two of the world’s finest medical institutions. But, what does that matter when 40,000,000 - 50,000,000 Americans have no health care, and for millions upon millions more who do have insurance, a trip to either instution will leave them bankrupt? Or for others, who have their cancer, and other disqualifying treatments cured - and then can’t get ANY insurance? What about them?

Our system is a disaster. Unfortunately, too many folks don’t realize it until they are caught up in it.
Brian Kirwin on March 27th, 2008 6:46 pm

(March 2, 2004 Canadian Medical Association Journal) “Saskatchewan is under fire for having the longest waiting time in the country for a diagnostic MRI — a whopping 22 months.”

(Feb. 28, 2006 The New York Times)”This is a country in which dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week and in which humans can wait two to three years.”

Fraser Institute - Canadian treatment time averaged 17.7 weeks in 2005

In 2007, Canada sent scores of pregnant women to the US to give birth. “There was no room at any other Canadian neonatal intensive care unit.”

Champion figure skater Audrey Williams needed a hip replacement. Even though she waited two years and suffered in pain, she still did not get the surgery, because the waiting list was so long. So she went to the US and spent her own money to get the surgery.

(Jan. 19, 2008 The Globe And Mail) “More than 150 critically ill Canadians – many with life-threatening cerebral hemorrhages – have been rushed to the United States since the spring of 2006 because they could not obtain intensive-care beds here.”

Hey, Ragnar…where do I sign up?
Ragnar on March 27th, 2008 8:16 pm

50,000,000 Americans don’t have health insurance.

You’ve found some nice bumper stickers, so have I. Neither is ideal, we need to find something in between.