That's about one of every 10 Americans.

And not Americans who did anything risky with their personal data. What they risked was their lives in the service of their nation. And the thanks they get is that the VA was sloppy with their information and it was stolen, and now they're left twisting in the wind.

And it shouldn't have happened. It was completely unnecessary.

Everyone knows the story from news reports by now: A VA employee, who was authorized to access the data only at the office, took it home. His computer was stolen in a burglary. The computer contained names, birth dates and Social Security numbers for everyone discharged from the U.S. military since 1975.

Now politicians are screaming for investigations and firings at the VA. That's the sort of feel-good blame-mongering that plays well in an election year.