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Update 2: I suppose I should amend my remarks once more, Mr. Speaker.  I am aware of all the wonderful good that the Veterans Administration does for the veteran servicemen and women of our country and I thank them for it.

Having said that, however, my main beef is with the absurd amount of effort that has to go into getting a simple answer to a simple question – or to not getting a simple answer to a simple question, as was my case here.  I sent them an email, after much hunting for someone or something to write to, commenting that I could not find the answer, simple or otherwise, anywhere on their web page.  Their answer? Check the web page.  That is government bureaucracy in a nutshell.  Its no different from seeing an advertisement for illiteracy saying “Write to this address for help!” or Comcast saying  “Having problems with your Internet? Send us an email!”  It is the quintessential, stereotypical bureaucratic answer to a question from the common man.  There was nobody on the other end of that email I sent who a) understood my problem or b) gave a damn about my question.

My snake-eater buddy Jake asked in the comments of the first post “You work with “the government”. What were you expecting?”.  Nothing, I suppose, but the thing that bugs me more than anything is that we *have* to deal with this mentality.  There’s no way around it, no alternative.  It highlights, it underscores, it emphasizes what is wrong with “Government Programs” and what we can expect with this absurd “Health Care” bill that is oozing its way through congress like a giant blob of brain-addling offal, promising to suck the life-force out of every living human being in this nation by the very nature of its bureaucracy.

Thanks to everyone who submitted their own experiences and advice, both here and on Facebook.  It will make the next foray into the world of the VA a tad easier…I hope.