Tim Philpott on the VA Scandal

http://www.stripes.com/opinion/vets-should-be-wary-of-cva-pitchforks-and-torches-1.284769

"...But in my 37 years covering veterans’ issues, I have never seen veteran issues used more cynically or politicized more thoroughly than during the past several years.  At times the intent seems to be to shake trust in government generally rather than to address veterans' needs..."

"...What should upset vets is the use of select facts about VA and its programs to reinforce fears rather than give reliable information..."

Philpott says there is a witch-hunt to get Shinseki, who is really an honorable man who had a stellar career in the Army. He names Congressman Jeff Miller as one of the fear-mongers who is trying to stir this up politically.

"...It is no coincidence only Republicans, including Rep. Jeff Miller (Fla.) and Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), participate in CVA events.  They should reconsider.  Though CVA sponsors an occasional informative forum in Washington D.C., it produces no careful analyses of what ails VA.  The goal seems to be to attack, relentlessly, while a Democrat holds the White House..."

The group Philpott mentions (CVA) is funded by the Koch Brothers, he said.

SPIN SPIN SPIN, but Obama knew of these issues when campaigning in 2007 for POTUS. Now, we are seven years past that time and he ensured nothing was done. He was too busy making sure that the admirals and generals were going along with repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell for a more alternative lifestyle military. Yep, that sure was more Important than making sure vets, who earned services from the VA, got the help they needed...

ZVUGKTUBM wrote:http://www.stripes.com/opinion/vets-should-be-wary-of-cva-pitchforks-and-torches-1.284769

"...But in my 37 years covering veterans’ issues, I have never seen veteran issues used more cynically or politicized more thoroughly than during the past several years.  At times the intent seems to be to shake trust in government generally rather than to address veterans' needs..."

"...What should upset vets is the use of select facts about VA and its programs to reinforce fears rather than give reliable information..."

Philpott says there is a witch-hunt to get Shinseki, who is really an honorable man who had a stellar career in the Army. He names Congressman Jeff Miller as one of the fear-mongers who is trying to stir this up politically.

"...It is no coincidence only Republicans, including Rep. Jeff Miller (Fla.) and Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), participate in CVA events.  They should reconsider.  Though CVA sponsors an occasional informative forum in Washington D.C., it produces no careful analyses of what ails VA.  The goal seems to be to attack, relentlessly, while a Democrat holds the White House..."

The group Philpott mentions (CVA) is funded by the Koch Brothers, he said.

This has what to do with the massive VA scandal?

George Soros

Selective facts...fearmongering...anti-VA and anti-government...sound familiar? It should.

Floridatexan wrote:
Selective facts...fearmongering...anti-VA and anti-government...sound familiar?  It should.  

FACTS period Obama worshipper and your House of Cards is now in full fall.

You see when you govern and you live in a democracy, it will need hard work on the part of your elected officials to make things work well. Certainly politicizing poor performance should be part of the process if everybody is working to make government work better for the citizens of this country. The VA is in need of a great many improvements, but in the end, the buck stops on the President's desk, and he has two years to fix it. If everyone is putting the well being of the veterans first, and politics second, improvements will be seen. If some people are simply trying to attack government and its functions, and use this for political capital, shame on them. This is the first legitimate failure of the Obama presidency where he is fair game for criticism. Most of the hype and pretend scandals are just that.....political hot air. This is the real deal where responsibility is entirely on the President, and with his constant campaigns for improving veteran benefits, he has failed on providing top notch care to the very veterans which were a pillar of his campaigns.....huge fail on the President, but rather than politics as usual, let us fix the problems.

The sad truth is, unlike Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and the dozens of other major military equipment manufacturers, our vets really have no lobbiest power.

Just like the rest of us common folk.

So guess who's wheels get the grease!

As for those in that wonderful Washington DC feeding trough called "congress," none of them apparently give two shits for our GIs after they've been used.

If our government was peopled by characters who actually gave a damn about our men and women in uniform, would they have wasted their lives, limbs, and zillions of our bucks on misbegotten, wasteful, losing efforts in Vietnam, Panama, Greneda, Somalia, Beirut, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now in almost every poor country in Africa?

Of course our Presidents and congresses don't give a shit for all the uniformed victims of their insane, misdirected political power exercises. What kind of rational leaders engage our "volunteer" military troops in wars we have had absolutely zero intention of ever winning.

The game our government used to play was winning foreign wars.

No longer. Now the game is to keep those expenses going as long as possible, and who gives a shit for those demented kids who join up believing they will actually be used to defend America's freedom?

The answer, unfortunately is: nobody in Washington DC.

Having served during the Korean "Peace Action," and having lived in this country longer than most, I'll be frank: I love Americans -- in service or out. But I absolutely loath our fucked-up, dysfunctional and wholly corporate-owned government -- and I'd be happy if every one of our elected representatives and senators had terminal chest pains the rest of the summer.

Screw Amerika Inc!!!

2seaoat wrote:You see when you govern and you live in a democracy, it will need hard work on the part of your elected officials to make things work well.  Certainly politicizing poor performance should be part of the process if everybody is working to make government work better for the citizens of this country.  The VA is in need of a great many improvements, but in the end, the buck stops on the President's desk, and he has two years to fix it.  If everyone is putting the well being of the veterans first, and politics second, improvements will be seen.  If some people are simply trying to attack government and its functions, and use this for political capital, shame on them.  This is the first legitimate failure of the Obama presidency where he is fair game for criticism.  Most of the hype and pretend scandals are just that.....political hot air.  This is the real deal where responsibility is entirely on the President, and with his constant campaigns for improving veteran benefits, he has failed on providing top notch care to the very veterans which were a pillar of his campaigns.....huge fail on the President, but rather than politics as usual, let us fix the problems.

It has been a campaign issue for him for SEVEN YEARS, he really doesn't give a rat's ass about our Veteran's or their needs. As demonstrated by his emergency trip to Afghanistan for the cameras. I wonder if he knew any of the generals he was meeting with or this was the first time he met them? Worse, it appears that Hamid Karzai refused to meet with President Barack Hussein Obama. Little wonder, our enemies laugh at us and our friends don't trust us.

How could he be "mad as hell" and then claim the issues he "read about" in the news were allegations. How do you get mad at allegations?

Markle wrote:

2seaoat wrote:You see when you govern and you live in a democracy, it will need hard work on the part of your elected officials to make things work well.  Certainly politicizing poor performance should be part of the process if everybody is working to make government work better for the citizens of this country.  The VA is in need of a great many improvements, but in the end, the buck stops on the President's desk, and he has two years to fix it.  If everyone is putting the well being of the veterans first, and politics second, improvements will be seen.  If some people are simply trying to attack government and its functions, and use this for political capital, shame on them.  This is the first legitimate failure of the Obama presidency where he is fair game for criticism.  Most of the hype and pretend scandals are just that.....political hot air.  This is the real deal where responsibility is entirely on the President, and with his constant campaigns for improving veteran benefits, he has failed on providing top notch care to the very veterans which were a pillar of his campaigns.....huge fail on the President, but rather than politics as usual, let us fix the problems.

It has been a campaign issue for him for SEVEN YEARS, he really doesn't give a rat's ass about our Veteran's or their needs.  As demonstrated by his emergency trip to Afghanistan for the cameras.  I wonder if he knew any of the generals he was meeting with or this was the first time he met them?  Worse, it appears that Hamid Karzai refused to meet with President Barack Hussein Obama.  Little wonder, our enemies laugh at us and our friends don't trust us.

How could he be "mad as hell" and then claim the issues he "read about" in the news were allegations.  How do you get mad at allegations?

Yeah! Obama cares so much about vets that he had the vets from Iowa that were at his inauguration put up in a school that had been abandoned for years for their stay there instead of at a suitable hotel. So they had to get the generator on line just to get heat and clean it themselves while preparing for the event.

Then they weren't even supplied with proper weather gear for the event and had to buy the gear themselves at a army surplus store. Then the SOB's in charge of the event wanted the gear until they were shown receipts and told to FO.

Yep! Obama really knows how to treat the military well and gain points with them.

Not holding my breath on Obama doing much of anything for the vets except take away more benefits. That way I can be at the rear of the new vets should be on Universal Health Care... That's after the progressives convince everyone that's the health care system we should be on instead of having the VA.

*****SMILE*****

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmNKspKUaTQ