Your Money Down the Toilet
My dad is a physician at the VA hospital. He has been working there for about 3 years or so. This past week, he just received his fourth brand new pc. Yep! You read that right...his FOURTH new computer for his office.
Can you believe it? What the heck does a doctor need with a brand new computer every year? I realize that computers are virtually obsolete the day you purchase them (probably the day they hit the shelves), but I can't see that my dad needs the most up to date system when all he's using is his MS Outlook for e-mail, and the occasional powerpoint presentation. It's not like he's doing graphic design in some huge privately owned firm....which brings me to my next point. Recall he is working at the VA hospital. Where do these hospitals get their funding? You guessed it... And where does good ole Uncle Sam get his big bucks? (Three chances and the first two don't count) Right again! We lowly taxpayers are funding the purchase of a new computer for our VA physicians and staff every year.
So my dad and I did a quick calculation and came up with some interesting numbers. There are approximately (and this is on the conservative side) 2000 computers in the hospital where my dad works. Each year these computers get replaced. Figure on approximately $1000 average per computer (again on the conservative side). This equates to approximately $2,000,000.00 per year spent solely on the purchase of new computers.
But it doesn't just end there. There are approximately 50 VA hospitals in the state of California alone. If each hospital is under the same policy, quick multiplication gives us $100,000,000.00 dedicated to the purchase of new computer systems hospital-wide.
This is not to mention the labor involved in installing these systems and maintaining them. The IT department is responsible for this end of it all and they have employees working to get all the systems up and running. I can't even begin to estimate the cost of labor here.
There is absolutely no reason why computers need to be replaced every year. What I haven't mentioned yet, is that not only is it a brand new computer, the monitor is a brand new 19" flat panel monitor. Does the word overkill mean anything to anyone?
Is anyone else outraged that our tax dollars are going to such frivolous purposes? We continue to have overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, increased tuition costs at state schools, yet we continue to cut the education budgets in order to fund...what....computers? This is a ridiculous expense that needs to be evaluated and adressed. I don't even know where to begin.
Some people are wanting my dad to be appointed chief of staff. Those at the top are a little frightened of that prospect. Hmmm...makes sense. Money is going somewhere and it is obviously not in the hands of the right people. Besides, they may not get their new computer every year.
Can you believe it? What the heck does a doctor need with a brand new computer every year? I realize that computers are virtually obsolete the day you purchase them (probably the day they hit the shelves), but I can't see that my dad needs the most up to date system when all he's using is his MS Outlook for e-mail, and the occasional powerpoint presentation. It's not like he's doing graphic design in some huge privately owned firm....which brings me to my next point. Recall he is working at the VA hospital. Where do these hospitals get their funding? You guessed it... And where does good ole Uncle Sam get his big bucks? (Three chances and the first two don't count) Right again! We lowly taxpayers are funding the purchase of a new computer for our VA physicians and staff every year.
So my dad and I did a quick calculation and came up with some interesting numbers. There are approximately (and this is on the conservative side) 2000 computers in the hospital where my dad works. Each year these computers get replaced. Figure on approximately $1000 average per computer (again on the conservative side). This equates to approximately $2,000,000.00 per year spent solely on the purchase of new computers.
But it doesn't just end there. There are approximately 50 VA hospitals in the state of California alone. If each hospital is under the same policy, quick multiplication gives us $100,000,000.00 dedicated to the purchase of new computer systems hospital-wide.
This is not to mention the labor involved in installing these systems and maintaining them. The IT department is responsible for this end of it all and they have employees working to get all the systems up and running. I can't even begin to estimate the cost of labor here.
There is absolutely no reason why computers need to be replaced every year. What I haven't mentioned yet, is that not only is it a brand new computer, the monitor is a brand new 19" flat panel monitor. Does the word overkill mean anything to anyone?
Is anyone else outraged that our tax dollars are going to such frivolous purposes? We continue to have overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, increased tuition costs at state schools, yet we continue to cut the education budgets in order to fund...what....computers? This is a ridiculous expense that needs to be evaluated and adressed. I don't even know where to begin.
Some people are wanting my dad to be appointed chief of staff. Those at the top are a little frightened of that prospect. Hmmm...makes sense. Money is going somewhere and it is obviously not in the hands of the right people. Besides, they may not get their new computer every year.
posted by SingingCowgirl at
11:04 PM
4 Comments:
hmm... did you ever think that perhaps they give away those leftover computers to the poor and the needy...maybe the VA patients get to take one home for the holidays.
By
Anonymous, at 9:33 AM
as a matter of fact, I did wonder about that...but then I remembered...this IS our government. I don't think they're that organized.
My dad is actually looking into it to see if they are doing something with the pc's.
By
SingingCowgirl, at 8:15 PM
My work replaces our computers every five years or so (but we do so much work on them it really should be more often, since by the time they DO get replaced they are running at the speed of a lame turtle). They always donate the old computers to associates who don't have one or to schools.
AMG
By
Lara, at 11:16 AM
Anonymous,
I want to say hello first. But foremost I want to let you know what happens to those computers. If its anything like what they do in the army and I suspect it is those computers get DXed, that means that everyone is recorded as being destroyed due to the government thinking that there might be sensitive material on them. Well from someone that comes from a good computer tech background its nothing to dump a drive and start over. They say it can't be done but think for one second on how many times you have heard a friend or someone say "my computer crashed and I lost everything". I know you have a heart of gold and you want to believe in others when it comes to doing good but the simple fact is that the government does not care how much it cost to the people. But I have to say that it is not entirely the governments fault, people complain about these things ,including me, but it is "We" who let it happen. Not necessarily you and me but we as the people. Look at those who just throw something away because they don't want to deal with it or log it or carry it. Look at all those people who not just take advantage but abuse the welfare, unemployment or other government aids. I know I'm getting off the subject but that's just the hard truth. I know I have been there and seen it. Oh and as for giving those computers to VA patients well they don't give you anything let alone good treatment I also know this because I am a disabled veteran and they give me nothing but trouble. Oh and singingcowgirl think of the 168 military post with about 150 offices at each location that get new computers aswell, what a scary number to come up with.
By
Anonymous, at 5:52 AM
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