A New Va Beginning - We Shall See?

[HARDCORE]

?Mass Shakeup? are the only two words that I can put together to describe this particular changing of the guard! Nine (so far) resignations (?) out of fifteen Presidential Cabinet Members have, as we say out west, bitten the dust!!

Of course, some would have us believe that this is a matter of natural attrition, and well it might be, but the last time that this many swollen heads rolled this quickly, it was at the business end of Madam Guillotine!

Some of the names on this ?Cabinet Hit List? have come as real shockers - others not so shocking! The latest, however, Secretary Tony Principi (Numero Nuevo), left many of us with questions unanswered?

The operations of the Veterans Administration, through many administrations, has left eyebrows raised for decades! ?COUNTLESS BILLION$? have been spent attempting to improve health care and other benefits for this nation?s finest (Her military and her veterans), but alas, there never seems to be enough to go around! Of course, with the VA?s lofty Administrative expenses, including an army of lawyers that would over satiate even the largest of corporations, is it any wonder that service to the veteran has become an also ran in the minds and hearts of management? ?Hell, and as a matter of fact, the VA spends more money attempting to deny veterans than in treating them (opinion)!!?

As a matter of fact, over the years, many have complained about the quality and availability of services at the many VA facilities nationwide! And stories about unnecessary deaths, poor services, and even an infestations of maggot flies in at least one facility, hardly gives one cause for joy!!

Hell, years ago (Central San Joaquin Valley), I raised no end of questions myself, over an aged trooper who was suffering a heart attack while waiting hours to be seen. And when I called this the attention of staff personnel ( a nurse), I was promptly told to mind my own business.

After complaining about the incident to (then) Secretary of the VA, Max Clelland, a medico at said facility advised me that if I were ever to spend the night at that hospital, I would end up in the basement. After inquiring about the basement accommodations, I was advised by a VA volunteer that therein lies the morgue - ?SWEET & CARING PEOPLE THESE!??

So here we go again (and again, and again)! Yet another eager go-getter will soon be at the helm of the Veterans Administration Empire! Bright hopes, shinny promises, great expectations and all! ?WILL, HOWEVER, ANYTHING REALLY BE DIFFERENT - WE SHALL SEE WHAT WE SHALL SEE?!?

VERITAS

[reconeil]

Better yet,...if the very large VA Beaurocracy ALSO got rid of all the MANY not very Veteran-friendly or power abusing yokels and/or mini-lords that you've had the great misfortune speaking/writing to or appealing to as if some criminal,...FOR ABOUT A 16 YEAR PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE (absolutely AMAZING & DISGUSTING!!!,...even chronologically). Couldn't hurt,...Buddy. Vas thinks du?

Yeah,...I know. But, a firing squad or a guillotine,...does seem a bit harsh.

Neil

[HARDCORE]

Friend Neil

"Harsh Hell, I thought I was being extremely placid!!!!"

The acceptance of a double standard, although common place in today's society (political and/or social alike), has never been my cup of poison!! And it genuinely appalls me that to some, the wellbeing and very survival of their brothers and sisters does not even enter the moral picture! But let one of those bureaucratic bums develop a hangnail or a cold sore, and a national day of mourning is immediately declared!

Now tell me again - "How do you spell equality, shared responsibility and fair play?" And should the new VA Secretary ever forget his sacred mandate, or worse yet - not learn these facts at all, then by God, the door that he entered can revolve in both directions for him too!

If, however, he is genuine and functional, then might I humbly suggest that he heat VA Central in D.C. (and elsewhere) by burning the deadwood that is packed high around him - the arrogant vestiges of past regimes! These were the good little yes men that have grown as complacent as a fat Cheshire cat, living off of the fat of tax dollars, the blood of veterans, and the anticipation of more of the same yet to come!

VERITAS

[Boats]

Reminds me of the movie I have at home called "Article 99" covered may of the issues you've discussed. If you haven't seen rent it - I liked it so I bought it.

[HARDCORE]

BOATS -

Got the movie too - love the movie!! "Watch it often!!"

And for the record, an arrogant cuss, highly placed (for now) in a local RO, once took great exception at my comparing the real VA with the one portrayed in that Keifer Sutherland flick!

Hell, I personally see little difference in the movie Article 99 and the every day dealings at a few VAs!! (opinion)

VERITAS