At this point, the Democrats have transformed the Koch Brothers into some devilish amalgamation of Emmanuel Goldstein, Keyser Söze, and Godzilla.
Which is handy, actually, since they can now be blamed for anything everything.
Why do I mention this? Well, as you’ve no doubt heard by now, VA Secretary Shinseki has (finally) resigned his post. The only surprise about this “entirely political soap opera” is that the resignation/firing/whatever didn’t happen already (via @Doc_0):
“…Contrary to Obama’s pitiful spin attempts, there is no question that these awful deeds took place at VA clinics. Reports about those doctored wait lists have been in the hands of top officials since last year.
Endangered Democrats in purple and red states only started yelling for Shinseki’s scalp when they performed a political calculation and realized the public was now fully engaged and furious…”
It’s a horrifying situation highlighting just some of the built-in (and entirely predictable) problems with government-run healthcare. Whether Shinseki was complicit with the problem, or utterly ignorant of it, doesn’t really matter. One is just as bad as the other if you’re the one in charge. Either way, he had to go.
But don’t tell that to Bernie Sanders. No, no, no, he’s got the REAL culprit in all of this nailed dead-to-rights:
The Koch Brothers.
Yes, that dastardly duo are at it again, apparently:
“…On MSNBC on Friday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blamed veterans groups and the Koch brothers for the increasing pressure leading Democrats to join Republicans in calling for Shinseki to step down.
“I do understand, you know, the Republican Party, and the Koch brothers, and others are putting the money into television ads where people are running for reelection or running for election, and it is hard to stand up to that pressure”…”
Actually, Bernie has sung this tune before, as he was blaming the Koch Brothers two weeks ago, too, which is simply hysterical.
President Obama has been in the White House for 5+ years, yet back when he was still a U.S. senator in 2007 he said: “No veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to get care or wait months, even years, to get an appointment at the VA.”. Which would seem to indicate that he knew there MIGHT be a problem.
Senator Obama warned us against letting people like President Obama be in charge of the VA.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) May 30, 2014
Plus, we even have PROOF that Obama was told about the issue from the Bush White House. But no, let’s blame (who else??) the Koch Brothers.
Granted, Harry Reid has been blaming the Kochs for everything from Climate Change to my grandmother’s gout. Taken in that context, Sanders’s blathering sounds almost sane.
Almost.
Honestly, I half expected Bernie to finish that off with a Scooby-Doo-type ending: “…and we’d have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids, …and the Koch Brothers, of course!”
—
Realistically, just because Shinseki is now gone doesn’t mean anything has, or will, change within the VA. At least, not by itself.
What this situation really needs is some folks who not only have a track record of success, but should almost be able to work miracles. Ideally, they’d have oodles of private sector experience, preferably as business owners. And they should be comfortable with being disliked, since cleaning up this mess won’t make them too popular inside the agency, guaranteed.
Hmmm: used to being vilified; lots and lots of private sector experience and tremendously successful; capable of seemingly near-miraculous business machinations, and all while working behind-the-scenes.
Come to think of it, a couple of guys DO spring to mind…
Two Heads are Better Than One 
EVERYONE in the country knows except president and congress how bad VA is since Vietnam War.
Agreed.
Although, I HAVE heard both sides: some folks have GREAT tales to tell, and just as many others have horror stories.
Seems to be a 50/50, coin-flip type of odds between the two.
And when you’re talking about healthcare, that’s pretty scary.
I as a vet, really don’t have any complaints about my treatment. But I think the VA was trying to get ahead of the curve on the high incidences of HepC infection in the ranks, unlike the dawddling they did for service members affected by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Yours is a typical story, MrG, where the VA is concerned.
Whenever the subject of the VA comes up, I always hear one of two opinions: it’s usually EITHER ‘yeah, things are good’ OR ‘oh, everything’s putrid’.
I rarely find a ‘tweener.
And you could be right about HepC: hard to know for sure, either way…
Why are we providing prostate cancer treatment for soldiers 40 years after they served? Their prostate cancer has nothing to do with their service. Why are we paying for a lot of health care that has nothing to do with their the results of military service? This seems to me like a money pit in addition to the huge unionization of VA employees whose salaries and benefits just keep going up and up and up. The VA should be abolished and replaced with vouchers. This does away with the perverse incentives built into the system and the sermonizing of Karl Marx II, AKA Bernie Sanders.
Yep, we could get rid of virtually the ENTIRE bureaucracy by issuing Vets a card, good for care anywhere.
You put in your time? Here’s your card; have a nice day.
I’m betting that would be TONS cheaper than the current method.
Vouchers or a card that could be used at any hospital or doctor’s office would be a good thing. Right now, vets are tied to one hospital system and sometimes have several hours drive just for a thirty minute appointment. For me personally, it’s an hour drive to the nearest VA clinic and at least a 2 1/2 hour drive to the nearest hospital.
I’d love to see you guys get a Free Pass/VIP card.
If anyone in the nation deserves one, it’s you.
Perhaps it’s time to make HUGE cuts in the obscene amount of welfare that goes to the able-bodied who are either too lazy to work, or who feel that a minimum wage job is somehow beneath them. Perhaps it’s time to stop rewarding those who, just to get more gubmint money, bring forth children like clowns out of a clown car at the circus. Or, how about we stop sending funding to terrorist groups in Northern Africa? Heck, I’d guess that even that $2 billion that Obama gave to the Brazilian oil company (which George Soros was a major stockholder in) for OFFSHORE drilling, no less, COULD HELP A SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED veteran’s program.
Politicians pay amazing “lip service” to our military and our veterans, and then cut their budgets. Worse, we have the great O’Bumbler leading the parade of ignorance.
Wonder how much THIS debacle, combined with the outting of the CIA operative led to Mr. Carney saying “NOPE! Can’t do it anymore”?
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