Since the onset of operation of the administration of President Donald Trump, there are various public servants that have been fired or pressured to resign. Just to mention a few, James Comey (Director of The Federal Bureau of Information), Sally Yates (The acting US Attorney General), Michael Flynn (The National Security Advisor), Preet Bharara (Leading Government Prosecutor), Walter Shaub (The Head of US Office of Government Ethics), Michael Dubke (Director of White House Communication), Rience Priebus (Chairman of the Republican National Committee), Sean Spicer (press Secretary of the White House), and Anthony Scaramucci (White House Communication Director) (Graham). Although the long list of these individuals whose public service work contracts have been terminated portray President Donald Trump as a tyrant and practicing the authoritarian form of leadership, I beg to differ. Please, let us not confuse intolerance of mediocrity with tyranny.
This article was probed by the article written by Donovan Slack of the USA Today on 29th March 2018 who reports that once again President Donald Trump has sucked a high-ranked official in the government. This time, it is David Shulkin, the secretary of Veteran Affairs. I say “It was about time”, we cannot let the soldiers take care of us by making the most sacrificial decisions yet we approach their welfare needs with mediocrity. I agree with the President on this decision and many other that have involved uprooting government officials with lackluster performance and wanting passion for their jobs. The sweat with which the American citizens have contributed to the government revenue should be given utmost respect through hard and smart work for everyone who expects their salaries from the government.
So far David Shulkin has not given priority to the needs of the veterans. The ex-militaries have the highest suicide rates in the United States of America. As at 2014, the veterans encapsulated 20% of the national suicides with around 22 of them killing themselves on a daily basis. Moreover, the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practice (NREPP) report that the veterans have the most traumatic experiences. Furthermore, the judiciary sentences the veteran like any other citizens without considering the psychological triggers that might have probed them to commit the offenses. More embarrassing, 10% of the homeless people in the United States of American are the veterans (SAMHSA). Seriously, what has David Shulkin been doing? We need someone who is passionate about the welfare of the veterans. Some who is able to develop strategies that ensure the veterans are secured in terms of finances and shelter once they cease from rendering their services to the good people of the United States of America. The next secretary of Veteran Affairs needs to be someone who is passionate enough to feel embarrassed that there are veterans who are sleeping on the streets. One who understands the strategies that would help reduce the rate of veterans’ suicides and curb the traumatic effects that they encounter on a daily basis.
President Donald Trump has proposed the current White House physician and Navy Rear Adm, Ronny Jackson, to take the mantle and fill the gap. Although I do not know him or have an adequate set of his perfomance information to analyze his capacity to deliver the new mandates, his credentials bring hope to the veterans and other Americans who have been perturbed by how the veterans have been neglected.
- Graham, C. You’re Dire!; Who Donald Trump has Sacked and Who Has Resigned During His Time as President. The Telegraph, 28th March 2018.
- SAMHSA. Critical Issues Facing Veterans and Military Families. SAMHSA, 20th January 2017.
- Stack, D. Donald Trump says David Shulkin out of Sync with Agenda on Private Sector Veteran. USA Today, 29th March 2018.