More than 300,000 veterans died waiting on VA health care

originally posted by: johnwick

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: DavDave

the Presidential Candidates Aren’t talking about Vet issues

I don't want to derail your thread but, Bernie Sanders is talking about vet issues.

Socialism destroys nations, Bernie can keep walking.

I would rather never be able to use my supposed benefits than watch socialism destroy the country I served to defend...

You're right it does, reference what Corporatism (corporate socialism) has done to America. The many absorb all risks (war or financial) as those are socialize BUT any/all gains remain privatized.

You realize that, right?

Derek

a reply to: AboveBoard

The President can propose legislation, or veto legislation, but Congress must create it and approve it AND fund it.

As the Commander in Chief, a case could be made that it is really an issue of national security. The horrible example of what is going on can certainly effect the moral and performance of existing and potential servicemen. As such, I wonder if you could step over a non-performing Congress with an Executive Order.

a reply to: charlyv

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think Congress would scream that the POTUS was overreaching and should not be granted that power. They are in charge of the purse strings and they derive much of their power from that. If he could do it by Executive a Order, I think he would. Someone needs to do something and fast.

In any case, it is a current abject failure of our country. We can and must correct this.

Peace,
AB

Brief background we live 35 miles from closest BDOC and over 2.5 hours from an actual VA hospital. Additionally, we live in a fairly small town (15K) but good representation from all income levels.

What really burns my wife's knickers (I'm the 80% disabled retired vet after 21.5 years of service), she works in retail and hears of all the, to use her terms, baby-mommas (the ones that work the system, just enough reportable income to continue receiving their food stamps and medical card) using the ER for the sniffles etc... with no financial repercussions to them.

She believes that you should just be able to show your DAV or retiree card at any hospital in the nation and get at least the same level of service as 'those parasites'.

And before anyone makes an assumption flame, most of the baby mommas here are the white ladies that got knocked up in high school and continue to 'pop' one out every few years to continue milking the system.

Just my .02

Nothing will change until the military can`t meet their recruitment goals.then they`ll go crying to the politicians who will make lots of promises to a new generation of potential recruits about how they are going to raise military pay,more funding for the VA,and other promises.When recruitment is back up to goals, the politicians will go back to business as usual, cut military pay, cut veteran benefits, cut, cut,cut.
When they are figuring the cost of all these wars they keep starting they never figure in the cost of treating the vets that their wars are creating.

originally posted by: makemap
Terrible report. Would be more accurate if they told us how US vets are dying?

300k is way too much.

Are they dying by losing an arm or part of their head?
Are they dying by cancer or gased after the war?
Are they dying as guinea pigs after an experiment like after WW2?

How are so many Vets dying? Give us a god dam list. The article did say Iraq.

Quote: "As many Americans paused last week to reflect on the events that took place 14 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001."

So now I have to assume these guys are Iraqi war vets.

I swear, if this was the medieval age you won't see people coming back dying like crazy because there is no radiation/chemical warfare going on. Even the ones losing their limbs. Now we have technology to even keep soldiers alive for awhile after losing half their head. A big list on the causes would help the research a lot.

A lot of it is suicide. People get home and just can't settle back into civilian life. They think about what happened over there, and have no qualified people to talk to, and they just can't live with it anymore. I remember around 2007 I was in school with a guy who just got back from Iraq, he had PTSD. He would have problems if people moved suddenly, when he was outdoors he would roll up his collar to hide his neck, and constantly scan the rooftops of buildings, and so on. He just couldn't readjust. I lost track with him over the years, but I remember hearing a couple years later that he killed himself. The whole thing is very tragic.

The mental scars are real for these people, but we don't have a mental health facility to treat them, and even if we did there's stigma attached for doing so. Getting treatment for physical issues is a problem too.

In the mid 90's I had a crossroads in my life, my parents gave me the option of a catholic HS or a military HS. With the military, we had some connections at the time and there's a very good chance it would have turned into a West Point slot for me post graduation. I thought about it a bit and took the catholic HS because I saw what was happening to those who came back from Iraq in GW1, and even the treatment of those in Vietnam. I've always wondered how the other route would have gone, it would have made me career military most likely. Just a couple slightly different life decisions and I would be there struggling with the VA now. I realize that doesn't hit as close to home as it does for those living the reality but it still makes it personal enough.

To use soldiers, and then essentially tell them to go away and die quietly and stop causing problems is among the most despicable acts a country can do to it's people.

What bothers me more than anything is the rate of homelessness for our vets. A few years back a friend of mine learned of a homeless vet sleeping in the local park, and actually invited the guy to live in his apartment rent free until he could get on his feet, his name is Tim and that act of kindness completely turned his life around. That's the type of thing we need to be doing as a society, because the government sure isn't going to step in and take care of the people who bled for it. I'm trying something similar, when I get to start my business after college I want to give homeless vets the first shot at being employed in a few of the positions I'll have available.

Veterans should be given a free home and free healthcare for life once they return from deployment.

a reply to: DavDave

"Hi I'm from the govt" and I'm here to help" President Reagan's famous words depicting the failure of govt to fix problems. As got on trouble and so the ppl decided to try even more govt fixes with the ACA and we see ow that it isn't going to fix the problems it's just created more with a giant overhead taxpayers have to pay for and we wonder why our paychecks aren't enough to get by on and the socialists blame capitalism for it all. I've worked with some veterans the last year and saw for myself how long ppl have to wait for care.

a reply to: jimmyx

And at the start of the Obama administration the Democrats had a super majority and accomplished.... What?

These problems with the VA didn't just start it's a systemic problem that both parties ignore.

More than 300,000 veterans died waiting on VA health care

That right there is government ran healthcare in action.

Wait til people get a load of 'universal' healthcare.

People there is a REASON private healthcare runs circles around anything government does.

Think about it.

This can't be true Krugman, Democrats, media, and all my liberal friends told me that Obama had the VA healthcare running great, was a huge success story, and is proof socialized medicine works.

I was run over by an armored HMMVV several years ago. I hurt daily. Life has been miserable.

The Dallas Va has FINALLY set me up with a poly trauma/ TBI appointment and my accident was in 2008.


The time between 2008 till now is a long and enfuriating story that involves negligence, forgetting about me, mis disgnoses, and appointments scheduled minimum 6 months apart covering 1-2 issues at a time. Dr maybe apends 15 minutes with me at most.


Just throwing that out there......... These VA stories are real and to be honest, I was healthier 2 weeks after my accident, in a wheel chair and jaw wired shut, than I am now.

A nation indoctrinated with the lionisation of its military, yet blinkered to the realities of those who become swept up in this Military-Industrial Complex maelstrom and then spat out its rear end.

Celebrating an amputee veteran on a talk show once in a blue moon does not a nation who is conscious of the sacrifices of its military, make.

I personally think VA is a croc of $/-/!?. I sat and watched my friend who was like a father to me die because of VA and there lack of competence. Medical records stated and even had medical bracelet stating his high allergic history to penicillin. Ignoring his medical records and proper identification they have him a heavy dose and sent him on his way, shortly after went back complaining if nausea, then later died, paddled only to be treated like crap die in there hands three more times and finally after there forced oxygen and odd medicine given passed. When I confronted the doctor since I was the only one that he had told before he was put on a ventilator that he wanted his doctor fired that he was the one who dosed him the first time and was trying to kill him. Sad to say he was right and the VA did not even cover his cremation. It's hard to lose someone but to lose them over negligence and to cover there own self from legal problems just shows you where are gov feels over burdened by high patient they pledged to provide service for after they pledged there service to the country.

originally posted by: johnwick

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: DavDave

the Presidential Candidates Aren’t talking about Vet issues

I don't want to derail your thread but, Bernie Sanders is talking about vet issues.

Socialism destroys nations, Bernie can keep walking.

I would rather never be able to use my supposed benefits than watch socialism destroy the country I served to defend...

You are right, USA has been socialist for along long time and we see the results indeed.

And please soon realize that those in power have ZERO respect for most military, in fact it is an ORDER that they despise them, in general.

How many HINTS and CLUES does it take to realize these type of actions are indeed POLICY, and not mistakes or any other sugar coating people would like to put on it.

I know that it is hard for anyone to find a doctor. My husband who is Nam vet, gave up on the Vets and went strictly private. Maybe our system was not ready for decades of damages of war combined with the boomers aging. And not enough can afford the long years of education to keep the demand level. I wish congress would address the issues of our entire medical system instead of just womens issues.