SUPPORT THE TROOPS?

[kpete]

Show Some Damn Leadership

Maybe it’s time for Mr. Obama to put rank partisan concerns about quality care for veterans and fairness toward caregivers and administrators aside and just fire some people and shutter some clinics already.

links and more:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/05/21/show-some-damn-leadership/

[haele]

1. Shuttering clinics will cause more harm than good. Firing and replacing people will do good.

Fully funding existing IG and regulatory/watchdog programs will do good. Doing an accurate analysis of what is feasible for the location and having flexibility in rules so that reporting/performance metrics requirements aren't fudged just because a manager feels threatened reporting actual conditions beyond his or her control and will lie to save their job or clinic status because of the results of Congressional cuts and the increasing stress on what few resources are left.

A lot of this sounds like Benghazi. Republicans are great for patting themselves over "cutting waste" and "savings to the Taxpayer" and then screaming bloody murder when they find out Americans are being hurt because of bone-deep cost-cutting measures.

There are many VA clinics and hospitals that are better than most medical facilities in regions; not all of them are run by entrenched Rumsfeld-era management or cost-cutting bean counters.

Time for a staff change. Time to enforce the actual rules for job performance.

Haele

[bigtree]

2. misdirected outrage

Senate Republicans Betray U.S. Vets By Blocking Veterans Benefits Bill http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/27/senate-republicans-betray-u-s-vets-blocking-veterans-benefits-bill.html …

Alec MacGillis ?@AlecMacGillis 3h
Just three months ago, Senate was poised to pass a big bill expanding VA funding. It was blocked by a GOP filibuster: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/27/us-usa-veterans-congress-idUSBREA1Q26O20140227 …