What Do You Think About Secretary Eric K. Shinseki?
The Republicans have been busy as hell lately: Repeated IRS and Benghazi and Obamacare hearings have produced nothing to date EXCEPT we learned the IRS targeted liberals more than conservatives.
The latest issue the Rs have jumped on is the Veterans Administration. Various VA units around the country have been cooking the books to make their VA 'numbers', aka their individual measurements. It's wrong and those who instigated this should be punished.
So naturally Rs are going to try and pin this on Shinseki.
My take on the VA:
1. Your VA experience depends on where you reside. Boston's teaching universities and hospitals provide some of the best doctors in the world. VA doctors regularly train with these guys (and these gifted doctors sometimes teach their craft in VA hospitals) which is why the West Roxbury VA has the best Spinal Unit in the entire VA system. I had my first first appointment with the Cataract Unit on May 8 and I had cataract surgery on May 14. Many (if not most) of the veterans I speak with in New England love the care they get. The service we receive is second to none.
2. The VA took a serious hit after Max Cleland left the Agency. Shinseki is and has been an honorable man. He does not sweep problems under the carpet like many Republican-appointed secretaries tend to favor; and he takes shit from no one.. When assholes in the VA system do crap like 'cook the appointment books' or fuck up with contaminated instruments or procedures, Shinseki is one to be feared.
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I'm going to something I rarely do: Rec this post.
| 6 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
| Keep him. | |
6 (100%) |
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| Lose him. | |
0 (0%) |
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| Other (please explain) | |
0 (0%) |
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| 0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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= new reply since forum marked as read
Shinseki has been a shot in the arm for the VA. Under his tenure he has modernized the system, new and better equipment has been purchased, the staff is much more reliable and younger, dedicated to what they do.
When I worked for the VA, soldier suicide, MST, women's issues and treatment became priorities. The VA is the largest health care system in the world, (fwiw, it's "socialized medicine"
, and there are going to be problems. Shinseki has made the right moves in Phoenix and one must remember, this is a localized problem at this point. The calls for Shinseki to step down are ridiculous and unfounded, this man cares about vets and has addressed every vet problem that has arisen.
Shoot from the hip people want someone to blame, they have them in the people that Shinseki relieved of duties, and in damn near record time. We'll see how much further this goes, but to me, it's an isolated case. I'm in the Boston Area VA system and have nothing but the highest praise for them. Even in civilian hospitals, thr are problems, especially with insurance claims; before the monkey's start tossing wrenches, they need to know the facts...one incident with a system does not a make a breakdown inevitable.
If you are a vet, please get involved w/the VA, it takes a bit to get into the system and timing might be a bit long between the time you sign up and see your Primary Care professional, but it is worth it. I'm going in for a thyroidectomy on 2Jun14; I've had other medical issues that have been taken care of as well, all of them positive.
Keep Shinseki!
