VA Scapegoat Sacrificed, So Now Can We Fix The VA?

[unhappycamper]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/dave-johnson/56164/va-scapegoat-sacrificed-so-now-can-we-fix-the-va

VA Scapegoat Sacrificed, So Now Can We Fix The VA?
by Dave Johnson | May 31, 2014 - 8:30am

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has been forced out. A scapegoat has been found. Maybe now we can step back and look rationally at the real problems at the VA. These problems include:
* Inadequate funding.
* Not enough primary care doctors.
* Not enough clinics.
* Doctors and staff are underpaid.
* Lots of other problems resulting from chronic underfunding.

Republicans filibustered a VA funding bill in February. Next week Sen. Bernie Sanders is re-introducing his bill to fix these problems. Republicans have a second chance to fix things.

~snip~

In February Republicans blocked, killed, filibustered — whatever you want to call it, they obstructed Senator Bernie Sanders’ Comprehensive Veterans Health and Benefits and Military Pay Restoration Act that would boost VA funding and help fix these problems. The bill was supported by a majority of the Senate and would have passed except for the obstruction. Now they are blaming President Obama, Democrats and government generally for the damage resulting from their own obstruction. And they are even already running campaign ads against Democrats based on the scandal they caused.

Next week Senator Bernie Sanders is reintroducing his bill. The bill increases the VA budget by $21 billion, improves veterans’ health and dental care, authorizes 27 new veterans’ clinics and medical facilities, adds to veteran education programs and repeals a provision of the Murray-Ryan budget deal that slashed military pensions. And it does a number of other things to improve the situation for veterans. Again – Republicans blocked, killed, filibustered, obstructed, whatever this bill just 3 months ago!

[global1]

1. OK - So How Come In The Midst Of This VA Scandal - That We Didn't Hear The MSM Talk About This?....

Wouldn't you think that would be the story? VA has problems treating patients, long waiting lists, etc - and the Repubs obstructed a vote just three months ago that would have helped alleviate some of these problems. The Repubs are against funding for the Vets. They send people to war - yet they won't care for them appropriately when they come back injured and maimed - both physically and psychologically.

And why didn't the Dems - make an issue of this? Why did some start piling on Shinseki? Why didn't the President be more vocal about this? Why did he scapegoat Shinseki?

I'm sorry - I just don't understand this when it is clear that the Repubs are part and parcel to the problem that the blame always falls on the President.

Again - I think when Congress approves a war - automatically in the approval process - a percentage of the war spend - whatever it turns out to be - needs to be allotted to take care of the returning GI's that fought the war.

We should not have to deal after the fact with trying to get funding for this care. It should be right up front in any declaration of war.

BushCo kept their wars out of the formal budgeting process. Yet we spent billions on Iraq and Afghanistan. Some percentage of that spend should automatically go to paying for the medical problems incurred by GI's in those wars.

We should have learned this lesson from VietNam days - yet we continue to do the same stupid things over and over and expect different results.

I'm really thinking that this whole VA scandal broke - so that a movement can begin to privatize the VA. That would be sad. Maybe that's why the Dems were silent on the Repubs failures - because they will go along with privatization.

I hate to be that cynical. I'm hoping that maybe this scandal will lead to more of a movement toward a single payer health care system and that ACA will evolve into that.

[JayhawkSD]

2. Republicans are demanding veterans be sent to private providers.

Which is, of course, the real purpose of the whole exercise. Underfund an agency until it becomes so fucked up that it can be privatized.