PAT BUCHANAN News & Opinion the state. But, rest assured, this scandal of deceit, dishonor and betrayal is not going to go away soon. For unlike Benghazi and the IRS scandals, the major media are looking into how widespread was this practice of denying care to vets and doctoring waiting lists to lie about what was done, and not done, at the VA hospitals. And as this is both an easily understood and deeply emotional issue, the public is fully engaged. Our commander in chief wisely used his weekend to visit our troops in Afghanistan. But between Memorial Day and June 6, when the president speaks at Normandy on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, this metastasizing scandal is going to bleed his administration. And this crisis gripping the second largest Cabinet department underscores a larger truth. The core belief of liberalism, the political philosophy that has guided the Democratic Party since FDR’s New Deal—that competent, caring, compassionate government is the instrument best suited to addressing America’s social disorders—is being fatally undermined. The VA hospitals are supposed to represent the best in quality care for those we owe the most. They are America’s example to the world of government-run health care and a single-payer system that liberals have championed for decades. Does anyone still believe that universal health care modeled on the VA is what we want for America? Looking around, America’s public sector appears to be everywhere in crisis. Before the VA scandal we had the rollout of Obamacare, the disastrous results of which were so unanticipated and adverse they could cost the Democratic Party control of the Senate in November. Democrats point to Social Security and Medicare as the ideal of what a caring, compassionate and competent government can do. But what has Big Government accomplished lately? In the new century, we have fought our two longest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Are the results worth the lost blood and treasure? Or are the results of our interventions the reasons why Americans want to stay out of Syria and Ukraine? Perhaps the largest of all government programs is education. Yet despite the trillions of dollars plunged into public education at the local, state and federal levels from the Great Society to No Child Left Behind to Race to the Top, U.S. test scores continue to plummet in international competition and the gap between black and Hispanic and TIMES, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014 • 4 COPYRIGHT 2013 RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING CO., INC. Since 1908 Published Every Thursday By RIDGEWOOD TIMES PRINTING & PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. General Publication Office: P.O. Box 863299 Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. 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Elmhurst, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst, And Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg And Williamsburg. COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement. Democracy: Another God That Failed? On Memorial Day weekend, scores of thousands of bikers arrived here for their annual Rolling Thunder tribute to America’s veterans, especially those lost in our wars or left behind. But this year the tribute has been sullied by a squalid scandal in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sick vets seeking medical care at the Phoenix VA hospital were put on waiting lists, but never got to see a doctor. Dozens died. Then waiting lists were altered to make it appear that VA staffers had not failed in their duty to provide the vets access to care in the required 14 days. Some vets suffered for months before dying. There is truly something rotten in -SEE BUCHANAN ON PG. 30- EDITORIAL It’s graduation time across the U.S., and that means college seniors will wrap up their education with the sounds of “Pomp and Circumstance” and commencement speeches from a variety of orators. Some of the speakers chosen by universities create friction, while others are as dull as dish water. A few capture the imagination and leave a lasting impression upon those entering the “real world.” So it was with this year’s commencement address given at the University of Texas, the alma mater of speaker Admiral William H. McRaven last weekend. The admiral’s credentials are impressive. He was a former commander of SEAL Team 3 and current commander of US Special Operations Command and the man who led the mission to get Osama bin Laden. McRaven’s theme was “If you want to change the world,” and his advice to accomplish that goal was very simple but very effective. His first counsel to graduates was “if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day,” he told graduates. “It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.” “By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed,” the admiral continued. “Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.” Using his experience as a SEAL, he explained how boat crews during training are important and the crew must learn to paddle through rough waters and if you want to reach your destination, everyone must paddle. McRaven added that “you can’t do it alone, to truly get from your starting point to your destination it takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers, someone to guide you—so, if you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.” The admiral continued with basic pearls of knowledge learned the hard way during SEAL training. He explained that many times during training in shark infested waters you may find yourself the potential midnight snack for a hungry shark. His advise is to “summons all your strength and punch the shark in the nose and he will turn and swim away. “So, if you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks,” McRaven stated. If his career and credentials alone weren’t enough to inspire graduates, certainly McRaven’s speech could light the flame in any graduate—and even those whose formal education ended long ago. Accomplish the basic tasks first, and they will enable you to tackle the harder challenges yet to come. Don’t try to do it all on your own; find capable, good people to assist you. And never back down in the face of adversity. We congratulate our local graduates and hope they follow McRaven’s advice as they continue their life’s journey— starting, of course, by making their bed each morning. News From The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association de Blasio Should Tackle Local Abandoned Homes by Alexander Blenkinsopp A hot topic in Queens is Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 10-year plan to promote and create affordable housing across New York City. The last two town halls of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) have included spirited discussion about one aspect of the mayor’s plan: considering the possibility of legalizing basement apartments and housing in garages. The WRBA’s leadership is actively considering this proposal and the arguments for and against it. This column will support a less controversial step City Hall can take to create affordable housing in Queens and across the boroughs: aggressively address the problem of abandoned homes. This problem has been very apparent in Woodhaven. In March 2011, 18-year-old Anthony Collao attended a party in an abandoned Woodhaven residence. Several thugs crashed the party and created an altercation. Collao left the party and was pursued by the thugs, who beat him to death. And in February 2011, a fire started in an abandoned residence in Woodhaven and eventually spread to the neighboring property. -SEE WRBA ON PG. 34- Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Assn. Join Us at RIDGPROP 2014- -Newsweekly Times ©The Ridgewood Presbyterian Church 59-14 70th Avenue Between Forest and 60th Street Parking Lot Entrance 1st floor- no steps! On Thursday, June 5th, 2014 7:00 PM ATTENTION 2,982 Ridgewood Proper ty Owner’s whose homes are on the National Register Historic Places New York Landmarks Conser vancy Will inform us of low interest loans to cover interior and exterior improvements ALSO DEP’s Toilet Replacement Program for homeowner’s of five families and above. Cof fee and Cookies wil l be served All Homeowners are Welcome
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