The Chief administrator of EVERY VA facility that cooked the books should be fired

[PaintMyHouse]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

That's fine but it won't change the facts on the ground, and the root of the problem is too many vets and not enough money. Even the whistle-blowers say that much. Time to pay up boys. The bill has come due.

I block all emoticons and there's nothing about it. Too many vets and not enough staff, meaning MONEY, is what created this problem.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Absolutely. With those that ordered the cooking of the books as well.

But Obama was going to take care of it...he ran on it in 2008...but languished until it festered...NOW he's "mad about it"...because he now has to DO his fucking job.

Actually it is better than it was, but it's not enough and when the boys came home those needing care just added to the mess.

 

[occupied]

Why do you libs excuse incompetence? Why is holding people accountable looked at as a bad thing?

No it's not, but arbitrary wholesale firings fixes nothing, the system is screwed because no one has really bothered to expand the system to accommodate the mass of terribly broken people coming back from our wars. When that increased funding bill comes around we will see just how committed to the veterans republicans are.

 

[eagle1462010]

I suppose so but I can't see where that would fix a thing in the short term, I would rather see them fix the systemic problem with all the funding it takes to do so rather than doing a witch hunt for culprits. It feels good to punish people for wrongs but I feel the veterans and their families should be first in all decisions, doing a bunch of immediate firings will probably add more chaos to the mix. Fix this shit and them worry about who needs to go away.

The people of this country pay them to do a job. A Federal Job, to take care of our Veterans. At a minimum, if they failed at their job, THEY SHOULD BE FIRED............

At a maximum, they should be tried and imprisoned if they Falsified U.S. Gov't Documents to personal gain.

I do believe Falsifying Gov't Documents is a crime, and if you do the crime, you do the time.

That isn't a Witch Hunt. That is JUSTICE.

Perhaps but how does it immediately fix the problem? Massive firing at the VA just means more shit that the new people will not even get a handle on for 6 months, a year or ever. Like I said it' feels good to be out for justice but it does not really fix a thing at the VA that truthfully has been a mess for a very long time. We are dealing with a systemic problem, the focus needs to be on fixing it rather than politically motivated vengeance. For many we could just fire a bunch of people, have some hearings and everything would be good, the real problem is far more complex than that.

Addressed in my question on another post. Those who did this can't be trusted, and therefore are insignificant to the solution.

Emergency measures to fill the gap are needed immediately. PERIOD. Which means authorizing emergency funds to have Vets seen outside the VA until they get their shit together.

 

[blackhawk]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

No doubt but the sad thing is now that Shinseki is gone this scandal will probably just fade away.

 

[eagle1462010]

Absolutely. With those that ordered the cooking of the books as well.

But Obama was going to take care of it...he ran on it in 2008...but languished until it festered...NOW he's "mad about it"...because he now has to DO his fucking job.

My main concern is for the vets, and to Fire and prosecute those accountable. My stance on Obama is he's a blithering idiot anyway.........

But right now, while we BS, other vets may die............

 

[The T]

The people of this country pay them to do a job. A Federal Job, to take care of our Veterans. At a minimum, if they failed at their job, THEY SHOULD BE FIRED............

At a maximum, they should be tried and imprisoned if they Falsified U.S. Gov't Documents to personal gain.

I do believe Falsifying Gov't Documents is a crime, and if you do the crime, you do the time.

That isn't a Witch Hunt. That is JUSTICE.

Perhaps but how does it immediately fix the problem? Massive firing at the VA just means more shit that the new people will not even get a handle on for 6 months, a year or ever. Like I said it' feels good to be out for justice but it does not really fix a thing at the VA that truthfully has been a mess for a very long time. We are dealing with a systemic problem, the focus needs to be on fixing it rather than politically motivated vengeance. For many we could just fire a bunch of people, have some hearings and everything would be good, the real problem is far more complex than that.

Addressed in my question on another post. Those who did this can't be trusted, and therefore are insignificant to the solution.

Emergency measures to fill the gap are needed immediately. PERIOD. Which means authorizing emergency funds to have Vets seen outside the VA until they get their shit together.

Indeed. Vouchers should immediately be issued to VETS to get treatment OUTSIDE the VA system. WE ALL owe them that much and so do those that are playing politics with their lives. I hold the people that are playing politics with this for their gain in utter distain.

 

[The T]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

No doubt but the sad thing is now that Shinseki is gone this scandal will probably just fade away.

No. WE need to keep hammering on this. Haunt the entire DC establishment at every turn.

 

[peach174]

The Director of the L.A. VA Hospital should also be fired for not doing her job in bury-ing our veterans that has sat in the morgues for more than a year and a half.

 

[Silhouette]

My main concern is for the vets, and to Fire and prosecute those accountable. My stance on Obama is he's a blithering idiot anyway.........

But right now, while we BS, other vets may die............

Didn't this story break in Arizona in the worst way discovered as yet? How accountable is John McCain, Senator and federal go-between of that state? Did anyone complain to his office? If so, why did he not respond?

I'd like to see a full inquiry on what McCain knew and when.

 

[eagle1462010]

My main concern is for the vets, and to Fire and prosecute those accountable. My stance on Obama is he's a blithering idiot anyway.........

But right now, while we BS, other vets may die............

Didn't this story break in Arizona in the worst way discovered as yet? How accountable is John McCain, Senator and federal go-between of that state? Did anyone complain to his office? If so, why did he not respond?

I'd like to see a full inquiry on what McCain knew and when.

I don't care who gets their asses handed to them if they are guilty. McLame is a a Rhino anyway...........But this is an Executive Dept., and under the food chain of that Chain of Command.

That comes later. For now we need immediate actions.

 

[blackhawk]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

No doubt but the sad thing is now that Shinseki is gone this scandal will probably just fade away.

No. WE need to keep hammering on this. Haunt the entire DC establishment at every turn.

Agreed but the public tends to have a very short attention span maybe this being about the piss poor treatment of veterans will keep them focused on this I hope so.

 

[The T]

My main concern is for the vets, and to Fire and prosecute those accountable. My stance on Obama is he's a blithering idiot anyway.........

But right now, while we BS, other vets may die............

Didn't this story break in Arizona in the worst way discovered as yet? How accountable is John McCain, Senator and federal go-between of that state? Did anyone complain to his office? If so, why did he not respond?

I'd like to see a full inquiry on what McCain knew and when.

And what happened in Arizona is widespread...and FUCK McLame...Nice try at a dodge.

This rests squarely with OBAMA.

 

[peach174]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

That's fine but it won't change the facts on the ground, and the root of the problem is too many vets and not enough money. Even the whistle-blowers say that much. Time to pay up boys. The bill has come due.

There has been plenty of money.
OMB historical data on budget outlays by department are easily available at the White House website, and the spreadsheet tells a very interesting story. Since 9/11, the VA budget has increased by 235%, from FY2001′s $45 billion annual budget to FY2014′s $150.7 billion. On a percentage basis, the only Cabinet agencies that had larger budget increases over that arc have been State (271%) and Homeland Security (245%), the latter of which barely existed at the start of that period. In the Bush era, comparing the final budget with his signature (FY08) to the final Clinton budget (FY01), VA spending rose 88.3% to $84.7 billion. Defense spending rose 104% in the same period.

Barack Obama ran in 2007-8 on failures at the VA, promising more resources and better management. In comparison to that final Bush budget — don’t forget that Obama signed the FY2009 budget in March 2009 with the omnibus spending bill after a Democrat-controlled Congress refused to deal with Bush — VA spending has risen dramatically as well. The annual budget rose 78% in six budget cycles, with double-digit increases in four of the six years — while Defense spending was flat. No other Cabinet agency had a larger budget increase by percentage during Obama’s tenure. The closest was Agriculture (64%), followed by State (59%, which tends to discredit the canard about the Benghazi failure being caused by a lack of resources). Only HHS had a larger annual budget increase in terms of dollars spent, but it amounts to a 37% increase in spending from the FY2008 baseline. The amount of increase in the VA’s budget in the Obama era, $65.9 billion, exceeds the entire VA budget in the FY2004 budget.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

No doubt but the sad thing is now that Shinseki is gone this scandal will probably just fade away.

No. WE need to keep hammering on this. Haunt the entire DC establishment at every turn.

Agreed but the public tends to have a very short attention span maybe this being about the piss poor treatment of veterans will keep them focused on this I hope so.

They have lives, they will go back to them shortly. They already have too much to deal with, and lots of them are also getting a raw deal these days.

 

[Lovebears65]

There was a Senator of Fox this morning stating that the reason the books were cooked like they were was so management could get bonuses. If that is true, that fits the definition of fraud. Yet Holder is not looking into this.

I will not be satisfied until I see massive firings at the VA.

You expect Holder do his job.. He is more interested in Zimmerman then is about stuff like this

 

[whitehall]

If it can be proved that VA administrators received bonuses for creating what amounted to death lists they should be indicted for manslaughter all the way up to the top of the agency.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Immediately. This is a no brainer.

That's fine but it won't change the facts on the ground, and the root of the problem is too many vets and not enough money. Even the whistle-blowers say that much. Time to pay up boys. The bill has come due.

There has been plenty of money.
OMB historical data on budget outlays by department are easily available at the White House website, and the spreadsheet tells a very interesting story. Since 9/11, the VA budget has increased by 235%, from FY2001′s $45 billion annual budget to FY2014′s $150.7 billion. On a percentage basis, the only Cabinet agencies that had larger budget increases over that arc have been State (271%) and Homeland Security (245%), the latter of which barely existed at the start of that period. In the Bush era, comparing the final budget with his signature (FY08) to the final Clinton budget (FY01), VA spending rose 88.3% to $84.7 billion. Defense spending rose 104% in the same period.

Barack Obama ran in 2007-8 on failures at the VA, promising more resources and better management. In comparison to that final Bush budget — don’t forget that Obama signed the FY2009 budget in March 2009 with the omnibus spending bill after a Democrat-controlled Congress refused to deal with Bush — VA spending has risen dramatically as well. The annual budget rose 78% in six budget cycles, with double-digit increases in four of the six years — while Defense spending was flat. No other Cabinet agency had a larger budget increase by percentage during Obama’s tenure. The closest was Agriculture (64%), followed by State (59%, which tends to discredit the canard about the Benghazi failure being caused by a lack of resources). Only HHS had a larger annual budget increase in terms of dollars spent, but it amounts to a 37% increase in spending from the FY2008 baseline. The amount of increase in the VA’s budget in the Obama era, $65.9 billion, exceeds the entire VA budget in the FY2004 budget.

No, there isn't enough money, Americans promising one thing and doing another. There are other issues as well but the VA being underfunded for decades is the very root of the problem, so pay up.

 

[JakeStarkey]

You folks who are not vets have no idea about what you are talking.

Really, you don't.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

If it can be proved that VA administrators received bonuses for creating what amounted to death lists they should be indicted for manslaughter all the way up to the top of the agency.

The lists were phoney, the wait-times were real. That's fraud not manslaughter.