Ya'll are being distracted by the Bergdahl controversy. What about the VA scandal?

a reply to: kruphix

Are you honestly suggesting that the VA thing is a manufactured scandal? That there really wasn't a secret waiting list that caused many veterans to die while waiting for assistance? What about this new scandal of patients dying due to uncleanliness of the hospitals? That originated from the WSJ not fox news.

I usually hate fox news, but for this I applaud them. They aren't letting this scandal slip away from the public's consciousness (though, seeing the reaction to this thread, I imagine that it will anyways...)

originally posted by: Bassago
a reply to: Krazysh0t

This seems to be business as usual for the MSM. I was astonished at the absolute hypocrisy of the Obama administration claiming they had to act fast getting Bowe Bergdahl back because of his "health issues" while the VA is killing off our veterans at the same time. Pathetic doesn't begin to cover it.

Going by how no one seems anxious to get to the bottom of the VA thing anymore, if we want to take care of Bergdahl, just let him ETS. The VA will do an adequate job getting rid of him.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: marg6043

So answer me this, what do you think will be more likely to have changes implemented due to public discontent, the VA scandals or the Bergdahl controversy?

You already answer that, the VA occurs, many changes will be made and hopefully for the better, we can not have our veterans angry at the government.

I mean I can tell you EXACTLY what will happen with the Bergdahl controversy. Everyone will yell and scream for a while. None of the Democrats will jump on board and no one will be held responsible for this. A few months later, we'll have moved onto whatever new blunder Obama and his administration gets themselves into

.

Once again you are correct, it will eventually fade away like a splash of bad water stain.

But it will add to the tarnished administration list of scandals, making the next Democratic candidate to president very hard to trust.

The VA scandals on the other hand have bipartisan support already. This is BIG!

I agree, once again, I even dare to say that is bigger than Benghazi scandal, I know is hard to put both scandals together but we are talking about our veterans.

When was the last time you heard our government having bipartisan support on, well,

In the last 20 years, no often, but sadly the real incompetence behind the VA scandal will never get to face justice, they already chose the fall guy.

If we keep pushing, we can get some real changes implemented. But how it stands, we are letting this Bergdahl thing wash the VA scandal out of the news. We need to speak up and voice that this is unacceptable.

It will be changes regardless Krazysh0t, as we speak, remember it is national elections coming soon and both parties wants the veterans and families votes, also the Veterans affairs is all over it.

a reply to: marg6043

This year being an election year is exactly WHY we need to keep the pressure on with this VA thing. Congress members are trying to get reelected and they ALL want to distance themselves from this scandal since looking like you don't care about veterans is political suicide. This is a small window of opportunity for us to act and have our voices heard. Once the elections pass, the Democrats will be able to slide back on their bipartisan support, we will lose ground, and nothing will be done.

a reply to: marg6043

Funny you mention the VA being all over it. This past week I got a notice from the VA that my 100% service rated disability (Agent Orange man cancer) was being reduced to 60% since the cancer is "inactive". I pointed out that the PSA has been rising even after removal of the offending organ, part of my bladder, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemo. Their reply was, nothing.

a reply to: rockflier

Worst if you are under Tricare like many veterans including my husband and me, Obama feels that we don't need Tricare so in the next two years if we don't fight we will be food for the corrupted insurance companies.

And as for you case, I am very sorry to hear that, my neighbor was denied any treatment from related agent orange health problems for decades, as a direct problem, until both his kidneys succumbed to blood circulation diseases, finally three years ago, the government granted him his request, it was too late, he died soon after

But you know what he fought to the end.

Still I made a mistake is not the veterans affairs but the lobbying groups for vets.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

We will krazysh0t, nobody mess around with our veterans you can take that to the voting pools and the politicians knows that.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I think they are two very different things for events, and while I agree that some may be thinking one will distract from the other? It's wishful thinking to an extreme.

This prisoner swap deal is a short term rage incident at the incompetence, corruption or both. The VA situation took a long time to create and it'll take a good time to get through. We don't know the scope of it yet. We know where it has been bad..but how many MORE are like those?

The prisoner swap will fade when media grows tired of it. The VA scandal will sit like the gift to keep on giving, always there and tossing new things out every so often as the whole sorry mess is investigated. That's my take.

Here are some of the political parties efforts to fix the VA problem and scandal.

Republicans offer alternative VA health care bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - A bill proposed by four Senate Republicans would give veterans more flexibility to see a private doctor if they are forced to wait too long for an appointment at a Veterans Affairs hospital or clinic.

Arizona Sen. John McCain and three other GOP senators introduced the bill Tuesday, the latest response in Congress to a furor over patient delays and reports of falsified records at VA health facilities nationwide.

A federal investigation into the troubled Phoenix VA Health Care System found that about 1,700 veterans in need of care were "at risk of being lost or forgotten" after being kept off an electronic waiting list. The investigation also found broad and deep-seated problems throughout the sprawling health care system, which provides medical care to about 6.5 million veterans annually.

A document released Tuesday by Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, both Kansas Republicans, showed that at least 108 veterans waited more than 90 days for appointments with a primary care doctor at nine hospitals and 51 outpatient clinics in Kansas, Missouri and parts of four other states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Arkansas.

www.waff.com...

Sen. Sanders pitches bill to help fix VA problems

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, proposed legislation this week that would allow veterans who can't get timely appointments with VA doctors to go to community health centers, military hospitals or private doctors. The bill also would authorize the VA to lease 27 new health facilities in 18 states and give the VA secretary authority to remove senior executives within 30 days of being fired for poor job performance, eliminating lengthy appeals.

Rep. Steve Israel proposes new bill for veterans benefits

NORTHPORT - A Long Island congressman is proposing a new bill that aims to cut down on the backlog of VA claims as the scandal widens nationwide.

As News 12 Long Island reported, 26 VA hospitals are being investigated for allegations of delayed treatments and related deaths. On Long Island, Vietnam veteran James Zaffiro says the Northport VA failed to get him the treatment he needed, keeping him waiting for knee replacement surgery.

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) says Congress needs to fix the problem, calling it "outrageous."

longisland.news12.com...

Krazysh0t as you can see Representatives for both political parties are doing something, because now the whole VA complains and problems are becoming wide spread.

The House passed a similar bill last month, but Sanders said he worried that version would allow "wholesale political firings" and even dismissal of whistleblowers.

Sanders and McCain are scheduled to meet privately Wednesday to try to reach agreement on legislative language related to veterans health.

From the same source.

The prisoner swap is an intrigue story-- the kind you can open with a clip from Homeland and the lede "It may seem like something out of a television series..." The VA scandal is just... ugly. The VA has a been a bloated, inefficient bureaucracy for decades. After Vietnam and the Gulf War, we all sat back and let two more wars add to the stress of the mechanism. While electing people who held back funding and put stricter guidelines on moving vets through the pipeline.

There's a reason the recidivism rate for felons is so high-- after you've got the black mark on your record you have little ability to get a good job and support yourself legitimately. Management at the VA is criminal, no doubt about it, but how many of the midlevel managers would have actually committed to a secret waiting list if they could've gone to their higher ups without fear of reprisal? How many of the working stiffs with mortgages and families of their own were going to take a stand, knowing they would only get fired for their trouble? How many of us would have done differently?

But you can't say that in a news story. You need a clear villain (IE, Shinseki) and a clear good guy, or guys in the case of the veterans. Now that the villain has been banished there's no reason to talk about the story anymore. We are absolutely being distracted. But not by Congress or Obama or even the news media. We're being willfully distracted by our own guilt.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Not one person has forgot about anything!! This new story just adds to the list of Obama screw ups. This new story takes the cake because it shows Obama's true colors for the whole U.S. to see.

Obama just could not wait to send those fellow Muslims back into the fight and get the traitor back to praise. It was suppose to be a good distraction for Obama but he did not expect to have the news come out that the guy was a deserter so fast and I would bet he tried to hide the fact the five Terrorist at Gitmo were allowed to be freed. He was probably going to give a speech on how he negotiated his release just on his promise of future peace lol.

Obama's spin was busted! Can someone please for the love of God arrest him?

originally posted by: rockflier
a reply to: marg6043

Funny you mention the VA being all over it. This past week I got a notice from the VA that my 100% service rated disability (Agent Orange man cancer) was being reduced to 60% since the cancer is "inactive". I pointed out that the PSA has been rising even after removal of the offending organ, part of my bladder, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemo. Their reply was, nothing.

I first thank you for your service and I am pissed they are pulling that crap with you. My uncle died of brain cancer from that crap about ten years ago. I wish you the best.

Obama put his cronies in charge of everything with one intention, to ruin everything.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

I actually called a radio show yesterday and said the exact same thing about Obamacare. I told them that Bergdahl is important, but I hope we don't lose focus on other issues, like Obamacare.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
Both stories deserve front burner attention.

- Veterans dying and not getting care.
- Obama breaking the law and thumbing his nose at America.

Both ... front burner.

lol, i think we need a bigger stove.

a nice 10 burner wolf.

i'm all for the firing of screw ups and dead weight.
and yeah, all they have are distractions.

a reply to: marg6043

Yes. I know about these bills. But just because the bills are there doesn't mean that they will pass. Sometimes politicians kill a bill by not bringing it to a vote and letting everyone forget it exists. And this is what I'm getting at. If we lose focus, these politicians WILL try to weasel out of this. You can count on it.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

We need to impeach the president before anything will be done about the VA. This administration doesn't care about this countries veterans - and nothing will be done until we can get rid of this administration who is putting every man woman and child in this country in danger.