In petition, veterans call for Obama to fire VA secretary

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

A petition signed by a reported 26,000 veterans and sent to the White House on Tuesday calls for President Obama to fire Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, saying a change of leadership is needed to eliminate the lengthy backlog of veterans awaiting action on their disability claims.

In advance of the petition, the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday released figures reporting that the backlog of claims pending more than 125 days is down by almost 20 percent from its highest point more than four months ago.

The VA progress continues a trend first reported in June, when department officials said they had reached “a tipping point,” with the number of cases awaiting action declining.

The claims backlog — those cases pending 125 days or longer — stands at 490,000, which is down from the 530,000 reported June 15, figures show. VA says its total claims inventory of 773,000 is the lowest since April 2011, and down from 808,000 on June 15.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-petition-veterans-call-for-obama-to-fire-va-secretary/2013/08/20/75b29cd4-09d7-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html

[MADem]

1. I'm sorry--not only NO but HELL NO.

Rick Shinseki has done more to FIX the VA than anyone in the past decade or more.

You can't push paper without people, and the GOP House, where appropriations are authorized, won't hand over any cash for more people to deal with the backlog.

FWIW, the way they handled the backlog during the Bush Administration was thusly: DENY THE DAMN CLAIM.

And if you have any doubt of the REAL AGENDA behind this "push" that purports to "support Veterans," consider the mendacious source:

The group that submitted the petition, Concerned Veterans for America, which is a conservative nonprofit organization, said the progress is not enough.

Let's not fool ourselves, here.

[alp227]

2. Concerned Veterans for America, Concerned Women for America...

Related?

[MADem]

3. I dunno, but every time I see "Concerned" I smell "conservative" and I become "convinced" that these

"con" artists are trying to bullshit people!!!!

[Wilms]

12. And you would be right.

Here's the CEO's (and former Fox News Channel military analyst) wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hegseth

[MADem]

25. HA! Great research, there!!! Well done!

Thanks!

[freshwest]

7. Concern trolls in real life, more likely. They don't give a damn or they'd be going GOTV and kick

out the guys working to rip the social safety to shreds for the LULZ.

Instead, they're more likely to a Koch/AFN/TPP or libertarian republican front group. They've got the money.

And some of the petitions being made to Obama are ignorant bullshit.

The Sequester is holding up claims and all sorts of things all year long to make government look bad and it has worked.

Thanks, baggers!

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Well, I'm a vet who won't be signing that petition...

I use the VA as my primary health care provider and I've noticed a remarkable improvement in service since Shinsecki took over.

I haven't had any disability claims, so I can't talk to that, but the sheer load of such claims without an increase in personnel won't be helped by petitions.

Or a new boss.

[warrant46]

15. Absolutely !!

I also use the VA and the improvement is remarkable over the past almost 6 years.

The Conservative RePukes and their ilk don't like Shinseki because he told the truth about Iraq.

Shinseki publicly clashed with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the planning of the war in Iraq over how many troops the United States would need to keep in Iraq for the postwar occupation of that country. As Army Chief of Staff, General Shinseki testified to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that "something in the order of several hundred thousand soldiers" would probably be required for postwar Iraq. This was an estimate far higher than the figure being proposed by Secretary Rumsfeld in his invasion plan, and it was rejected in strong language by both Rumsfeld and his Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, who was another chief planner of the invasion and occupation.

They want him out of there for other reasons



Received 2 Purple Hearts in Viet-Nam

Paul Dundes Wolfowitz and his Mentor Darth Cheney and other chicken Hawk NeoCons dodged the Viet-Nam Draft and let the children of the poor fight and die for amerikan corporate interests.

[tabasco]

23. Me too!

I have zero complaints and the VA has made BIG improvements. The electronic medical records are state-of-the-art.

[MADem]

24. As I said elsewhere, I have a relative (Vietnam era, 2 purple hearts, heavily decorated)

who uses them in the same fashion, and they've made an enormous difference in his quality of life. I'll take the word of people like you and him before I'll buy off on any "Concerned Asshole" conservative group.

After all, conservatives don't go to war--they hide in the rear with the gear, ask Chimpy!

[freshwest]

6. Trying to shovel the effects of the Sequester onto Shinseki, blaming Obama for the Sequester. SSDD.

Wonder any of the crew that Swiftboated Kerry is in that group?

[MADem]

11. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest! nt

[John2]

16. Listen, I'm a vet.

The problem is the Republican Congress. Shinseki is a General, that fights for his soldiers. He is doing a lot to help veterans, especially Homeless veterans. It has nothing to do with him, but the politicians. They have been screwing us ever since the end of the Vietnam War. They want to cut benefits for veterans just like they want to cut programs for civilians. Don't bite the hand that is trying to help you.

[MADem]

18. Let me tell you about Rick--he's the guy who told Chimpy that he'd need 350K pairs of boots on the

ground--to START--to fulfill his Democracy in Iraq dream.

For that, he was, as the senior military leader of the United States Army, a Vietnam veteran with warfighting experience, in essence, FIRED, and no one from the White House attended his small retirement ceremony.

He was put out in the cold for daring to speak the truth, because the truth was expensive, and Bush wanted to do it on the cheap. So instead, he took the advice of asswipes who never spent a day in uniform.

The improvements to the VA during his--and Tammy Duckworth's (she was one of his deputies before she went to Congress)--tenure are nothing short of staggering.

They could do more, sure, but they can't do more without money to make infrastructure improvements and hire additional staff.

Oftentimes, they put guys who have only piloted a desk in charge of VA. Rick and Tammy had both seen the ugly side of war. They took the job seriously and personally.

Not every VA facility is up to snuff, but MANY more are now than when he started. It's a thankless job.

[MADem]

21. Huh? I am not "jumping on you".....??????

You said you didn't know him, I thought I was being helpful and filling you in.

Why do people so often take things the wrong way here? It really gets tiresome.


If I was "mad" at you, I'd call you names and rant along the lines of "how dare you insult...blah blah blah."

Instead, I took the time to give you the history of this man you didn't know, as well as give you information about one of his most visible former assistant secretaries...

And for that, you give me noise....???

Sheesh. You're welcome.....!!!!

[tabasco]

22. Exactly right. Shinseki is doing a great job.

and Obama has funded the VA better than any President in history.

This is a political effort, NOT a veterans effort. Freepers and pukes don't give a shit about veterans.

[MADem]

26. I am happy that most here are seeing through the BS. I suspect anyone who has actually USED

the services of the VA get what these clowns are trying to do, too.

is it with Republicans?

They don't want ANYONE to be able to have health care!!!

[4bucksagallon]

4. I'm a vet and I didn't sign it.........Probably a lot of those phony veterans

that Limbaugh encouraged to sign it. Since when are Cons serving in the military except in the rear, where they get their PTSD for paper cuts.

[MADem]

9. +1!!! nt

[Rebellious Republican]

8. I am a vet and will not sign it. The VA needs staffing to fix the problems, its that simple.

I use the VA, the people that work there are just plain overworked. They give 200%, and do their best with what they have to work with.

[MADem]

10. I have an in-law who has been helped profoundly by the VA. I can't say enough good things about

them either.

[phone]!!!!!

[John2]

17. They can hire

and train more people also, including vets. That sorry Congress is the problem.

[mountain grammy]

13. None of the vets in my family signed it..

because we've been paying attention and see what's really going on. The warmongering GOP knows how to make vets, but have not idea what to do with vets, except maybe putting a yellow ribbon or bumper sticker on their Lexus.