But that’s not the end of it, in this case either. Delegating only works when the tasks get done. I imagined somebody in the Senior Executive Service, responsible for a brand new multi-billion-dollar hospital, might have learned that by now. Response to my little malpractice expose’ was disappointing, to say the least. This particular bureaucrat didn’t have the integrity to respond himself, assigning it to an underling. Paraphrased from govspeak: “Privacy concerns prevent sharing information, and if you want anything done about it, do it yourself.” That is what we may expect in terms of administrative response to criminally-negligent VA healthcare.
When I write a letter to a government official, I expect a response from the person addressed. Delegate the writing to an underling, but at least have the integrity to put your own name on it. Does seem consistent with contemporary governance attitudes these days, tho. Ivory towers only go so far. Good luck, Mr. Kilmer. You had you’re chance.