Bernie Sanders Terrifies Republicans By Pointing Out We Have a War, Not a VA Problem

[babylonsister]

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/05/27/bernie-sanders-terrifies-republicans-pointing-war-va-problem.html

Bernie Sanders Terrifies Republicans By Pointing Out We Have a War, Not a VA Problem
By: Jason Easley
Tuesday, May, 27th, 2014, 5:10 pm



Here is a statement that is sure to terrify Republicans. On MSNBC today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) discussed how the nation has a war problem, not a VA problem.

Video @ link:

Towards the end of the interview with Andrea Mitchell, Sen. Sanders said, “The bottom line here, I would hope that as a country, is that we fully understand the cost of war. And Andrea let me tell you, I think many people do not. We’re not just talking about the thousands of people who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. We’re talking about 200,000 men and women who came home with PTSD and TBI. We’re talking about people who came home without legs, without arms, without hearing, and without eyesight, and if this country stands for anything, what we have got to say is that we are going to provide adequate funding to make sure that every person who is entitled to those healthcare services gets the best healthcare they can and they get it in a timely manner.”

Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have built 27 new VA facilities and clinics in February. Sen. Sanders is working with the White House to bring the bill to improve care for our vets back, but Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) are already complaining about the $2.1 billion a year cost for ten years. In an exchange with Sen. Rubio on the Senate floor, Sen. Sanders said, “If you think it’s too expensive to take care of our veterans then don’t send them to war.”

Sen. Sanders has been talking about the one thing that Republicans do not want to discuss. Congressional Republicans want to act as if the issues at the VA are completely independent of the two wars that they started in the last decade. Our nation promises our military personnel medical care. Republicans are trying to break that promise by acting like the million plus American troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have nothing to do with the problems at the VA.

There wouldn’t be as much of a backlog if Republicans weren’t so intent on creating more wounded vets.

The long term solution to this problem is an adequately funded VA that handle the influx of patients. The common sense solution suggests that there wouldn’t be a backlog if the VA were adequately staffed and funded. The culture of the VA bureaucracy needs to be reformed, but the system also needs to be funded and expanded in order to keep up with increasing demand.

Republicans don’t want to hear this, but wars create veterans, and veterans need medical care. This is why the VA is symptom of America’s war problem.

[TBF]

1. Excellent OP -

Republicans need to be hammered on this repeatedly in ads. While they pretend to be patriotic they are always the first to vote against VA benefits.

[democrank]

2. Bless Bernie Sanders

Politicians ought to spend less time ordering flag pins for their lapels and more time visiting VA hospitals. It would be a better reality check than what they find at those corporate cocktail parties where all the tax break promises are made.

The VA we spend a lot of time at has vets that can`t see, vets that can`t hear, vets with no legs, vets suffering from Agent Orange, vets suffering with PTSD, vets with brain cancer, on and on and on. They hug one another, help one another, advocate for one another. Every time I go I learn something about courage. Every single time. These men and women deserve all the help they can get.

[shenmue]

4. Indeed

[hack89]

3. I don't think Bernie terrifies anyone in DC

He is, however, correct in his assessment.

[targetpractice]

5. Iraq was supposed to be a "cake walk" as I remember...

Making changes to the VA under Bush would be an admission that that something had gone wrong.

[flashbang]

6. The VA is still horrible

Little Rock, VA - cited for doing R&D on veterans WiTHOUT their knowledge or consent. That is just one of many, many VA's where laxity and arrogance persist.

hundreds of vets from NY to Florida infected with HIV due to improper sterilization, blah blah blah

The VA has failed vets of all wars. Veterans have been fighting with the VA and VBA for generations. Hell, some Korean war vets are still waiting on claims decisions. They'll spend a fortune on posters, flyers, propaganda et al about 'We care for veterans', but damn if a ton of it isn't just useless PR. And with all the vets suffering PTSD, I've never understood why the walls in the hospitals are tons of images of war. A lot of vets avoid the VA because the atmosphere itself 'triggers'! Would it kill them to pit up art work by vets and their families instead? Something even, god forbid, PRETTY?

Tons of vets from the first gulf war came home and died of 'undiagnosed illness that the DOD and VBA did and, in part, still do deny having happened. Vets are forced to fill out forms that demand they relive their experiences. It's disgusting.

It could all be so simple where claims are concerned. How about,"Were you in theater?" If the answer is yes, and records clearly indicate it derp, then just green light the claim. Boom. Done.' Then prioritize 'peace time' vets or tjkse who did not serve 'in theater'. Instead, it's a terrible disection of veterans. The dog and pony show, CYA, C&P exams - OUT for vets in theater. Let it be a given. No, they choose to humiliate the veterans and undermine their credibility. It's a damn shame.

The VA hospitals, though a Federally funded institution, are allowed to be creative state by state on how they operate. This means, if a vet is diagnosed, treated, and under care for something and they move to a different state, the new VA will make them go through redundant testing and totally change the vets care, wether they agree or not. I know one vet whose new doc directly said,"I don't have time to review your medical history!". If vets complain, they 'mark' their file so all other dr's become biased AND the vet has no recourse. There should be continuity of care between VA's, but their isn't and there's no oversight with any 'teeth' to change that.

The way vets are treated alone will keep me a card carrying Dem!

Now, what will Gen.Shenseki do about all this?

Whatever the hell he wants to probably. Honestly, inside VA's there's a lot of pamphlets laying around indirectly kind of pushing vets to forfeit their promised and EARNED care in favor of the new health care programs. Many veterans simply can't afford to switch and resent the suggestion. Anyway, there is a tri state congressional investigation going on of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee I think. The Administrators of a VA in Florida, when a congressman requested files from them for review, basically told the congressman to suck it.
If VA admins aren't even slightly intimidated by Congressional requests for review, what does that tell you about the internal 'culture' of VA's nationwide? That they can and do what they want to?

Yep.

[dwilso40641]

7. Which branch did you serve in?

Where were you deployed to.

[Fred Sanders]

24. He served in the Low Information Bridgade armed by Fox it seems.

[Fred Sanders]

9. The VA is not the thing you say it is, it is consistently ranked by vets as top notch, the problem

Is warmonger America wants to make war and pay for them on the credit card, no expense spared, damn the budget, but wants to treat medical costs for the vets these wars create as an unacceptable economic burden unrelated to war.

Crazy. Illogical. Evil. Obvious.

[flashbang]

21. oh really?

and i wonder, based on your clear and deep concern for the vets and VA, how you think the ~200 vets who now have HIV think about the VA's consistent highness? lol! yer funny

look up some of the torte lawsuits against the VA when you have thousands of hours lol

[Fred Sanders]

23. Lots of "lols" are tools not used by a good debater. Individual bad apples do not make the bushel.

Perfection in the private market health care system is similar to the perfection of the VA health system.

I suggest you look at the polls on customer satisfaction at the VA....facts are important.

[daleanime]

8. K&R....

[Volaris]

10. another part of the long term solution is

To get the GOP (and some Dems) to admit that these vets exist entirley because Congress, as well as the American people were lied to. If that takes a warcrimes tribunal, then so be it. Its the only way back for them, and i think their leadership knows it. Until they admit it, they will keep losing the White House to us. The problem for us is, in the meantime, the Democratic Party could run MickeyMouse for that office and win, so reverting to our Liberal roots becomes kind of unnecessary...

[rhett o rick]

11. I love Sen Sanders. Why arent Democrats stating this? At least those that didnt vote

to give the REpublicans the power to wage war.

Some of the conservatives that post here are quick to vilify the "extreme left". But the "extreme left" sees eye to eye with Sen Sanders. These same conservatives are afraid to be critical of Sen Sanders.

[Scootaloo]

14. Answered your own question

Democrats pretending to be anti-war, after what's been going on for the last 13 years? After the Syria near-miss? Yeah, that would be awkward.

[rhett o rick]

15. Our first battle is to kick the bastards out of our party. Our party is for the people.

Anyone that supports the 1% needs to go. That especially includes H. Clinton-Carlyle Group.

[Scootaloo]

16. Shit, we can't even seem to get the Klan off DU

What chance do we have to get assholes out of party leadership?

[rhett o rick]

17. The truth is we dont have much of a chance. We have to fight those here that claim

to be politically liberal but support the oligarchy.

[flashbang]

22. Divide and conquer their party

in return?

oh gawd what dreary duty...any volunteers?




(crickets)

[white cloud]

12. K&R

Republicans that blocked bill need to resign

[erronis]

13. How about we require a 1000% deposit before launching

Last edited Wed May 28, 2014, 06:42 AM - Edit history (1)

Any foreign attacks?

This deposit will be based on our fine DoD/CyA estimates (that have never been worth shite). Renewable every year - no "black" budgets to pad the friends-of-gov. If they bring home the bacon under budget, then give them some shiny new medals.

If you over-extend your budget, then live with it. Generals/Admirals/Profiteers will need to downsize. Maybe even send their spawn off to fight in their dirty wars.

There isn't a grand mansion lining the shores of the Potomac River that is built with honest wages. Everything is stolen from someone else (mostly the taxpayers) - consultants, contractors, lawyers, accountants - all to pad the wealth (mostly untaxed) of those few.

[Uncle Joe]

18. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.

[Enthusiast]

19. The chickenhawks would have us in another war tomorrow if they could.

They manipulated the intelligence to justify the Iraq War, a war which was entirely unnecessary.

Now they don't want to pay the bill.

They want to cut every social program coming and going to avoid raising taxes. But, taxes must go up on the wealthiest Americans to pay for these two counterproductive wars of choice.

Hey rich people, the next time you elect a spoiled brat of a President maybe you should think twice when he wants to take you to war on fabricated evidence.

[malaise]

20. Freaking perfect

Well said Bernie Sanders