Fear of a Rip-off

I just read and heard a number of pundits blaming the problems of the V.A. on government inefficiencies. They then extrapolated that to welfare, health care and Social Security fraud. The writers claimed that the lack of caring about doing your job efficiently inherent in a bureaucracy made these programs open for fraud. I know I'll annoy some people by saying this, but I'm willing to live with a little fraud. Most fraud in programs like this consists of an overpayment here, or a service not earned there. So what. I would be willing to see $12,000,000 worth of fraud go to individuals than see the same amount go to some corporate CEO overseeing the privatization of these services and then see him cut those services to the bone for everyone just to get a bonus for himself.
That's not to say it should be open season for fraudulent claims. No, just keep a certain amount of checks and balances and oversight in the system and carry on. Its a proven fact that Social Security already does its job for far less than some Wall Street smoothie will charge us if it is ever privatized. And I think it's the height of goofiness for the President to have offered the glory of Individual Savings Accounts, when the market is already doing a great job with IRA's. Heck the government already gives us a match in deposits with the tax break for an IRA.
My biggest problem with these privateers is their lack of fiscal responsibility. You could save 90 billion a year by combing 15% of the fat out of Bush's bloated war department budget. One less carrier group and one less nuke-q-ler submarine might go a long way toward fully funding the VA and making the G.I. Bill the true reward it was when my dad served in the 1950's. After two years he got money for education and a cheap home loan, the road to a comfortable middle class existence for my family of four, and for the people my dad employed in his small business.
My second biggest problem with them is how they can decry the welfare given to individuals, and yet be first in line for a tax break or no-bid contract from the same government. We could balance the budget if we just eliminated corporate welfare and truly used some fiscal responsibility in the war departments budget.