When I was a young boy, I liked the television show Gomer Pyle, USMC. (Yes, I know I am dating myself.) The main character, played by Jim Nabors, was a caricatured Southerner who spoke with a ridiculous exaggerated accent. Gomer’s profession of shock was to say “shazam shazam.” Well, seeing this article about the VA now releasing its quality data sort of brought that expression to mind. For years the agency hid the data. Then it is outed and much noise was made about how this was a bad thing.
The VA Secretary even said something to the effect that this data might “discourage” veterans from seeking healthcare at certain facilities. You hear that and you want to just say: Duh. Now, the VA declares it will share all this data and even seems to imply that it meant to do so all along and/or this is no big deal. Even old Gomer Pyle would see this for what it is, a bad joke that is not at all funny. Shazam shazam.