VA Scandal...this is what OdumbaCare will be like for your kids

[Uncle Mxy]

We the people, in order to form a more perfect corporate entity, too big to fail...

But seriously, what I *think* Tahoe is going off about is "official time", which is where the guv'mint (by law) pays for the union to exist because Federal unions (by law) can't negotiate salaries/benefits. "Official time" stops the government from cutting wages to prevent employees from being able to unionize.

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-overs...time/#url=2011

Some Senator was going on about how "official time" is killing the VA, or some such nonsense.

IMO, the VA ought to be doing stuff that's more focused on the specific needs of veterans as distinct from what everyone needs. There's some veteran-specific medical issues, but most of the issues are issues that everyone has. Likewise for homelessness. The reason it's not is because defense appropriations get rubber stamped, so stuff gets counted as "defense spending" that really ought not to be, simply to maintain a constant money stream.

FWIW, I dated a VA medical worker for a couple years. My veteran dad is at the epicenter of where the VA scandal's hit the hardest, and I've been directly involved (unfortunately). This is hitting me where I live.

[Uncle Mxy]

http://time.com/2822909/veterans-aff...ehabilitation/

Unlike the military, almost every function performed by the VA (healthcare, home loans, scholarships, cemeteries) has a clear private sector counterpart. Innovative leaders have to look to public/private partnerships and market competition and ask, “What works best?” We should rethink what services we want the VA only to pay for, and which ones we want it to provide.

[Uncle Mxy]

Show me the money!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...comm_ref=false