As more details come out about the VA’s practices, the reality of what occurred there just gets worse. Now we’ve learned that people falsified records just to earn bonuses. This should be a lesson that whether it’s Wall Street investment bankers or government employees, greed is always a problem.
1 Peter 5:2 says:
“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly”
I think people who serve the public would do well to remember this verse. Public servants, like leaders in a church, are obligated to put the needs of the people first. In the case of the VA, people died because individuals cared about job security and money more than the health of veterans. The desire to make more money is not wrong per se, but at what cost should one be willing to do it?