Obama: ‘We can’t ever quit’ on veterans

The Washington Times reports that President Obama’s weekly message focused on veterans appropriately leading up to Veterans’ Day, but his message is just words and doesn’t match his actions;

“The end of a war is just the beginning of our obligations to those who serve in our name. These men and women will be proud veterans for decades to come, and our service to them has only just begun,” Mr. Obama said. “Let’s honor our veterans by making sure they get the care and benefits they’ve earned. That means health care that’s there for them when they need it. It means continuing to reduce the disability claims backlog. And it means giving our wounded warriors all the care and support they need to heal, including mental health care for those with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury.”

The Obama Administration threw billions of dollars at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for the treatment of veterans, but those billions were apparently squandered because nothing improved in regards to getting treatment to veterans who earned it. The money went to coddling the VA employees instead with high-priced conferences and new furnishings for their offices while thousands of veterans languished on secret and not-so-secret lists. President Obama threatens to veto the defense bill this year if Congress doesn’t shift health care costs to veterans. And just last year, Obama’s Defense Department raided the $770 million Tricare surplus that veterans paid for their own health care. That surplus was spent on pet projects in the DoD.

The president has also threatened to veto the defense bill if Congress gives the troops a pay raise that keeps pace with inflation.

Six years into the mismanagement of the Veterans Affairs Department, the Associated Press reports that a thousand employees of the VA are being scrutinized and looking at losing their jobs;

[VA Secretary Robert] McDonald’s comments represent a departure from his previous public remarks. At a news conference Thursday, he said the VA has proposed disciplinary action — up to an including firing — against more than 40 employees nationwide since June. Those cases are all related to a scandal over long patient wait times and manipulation of records to hide the delays.

At an appearance Friday at the National Press Club, McDonald said the VA has taken or is considering disciplinary action against 5,600 employees during the past year, although aides later clarified that most of those actions were not related to the health-care scandal.

Just as with everything else that this administration faces, they wait until the last minute to deal with problems – and then they have to “focus group” their reaction. If these employees are so terrible that they must be terminated, why is it only happening now when it could have been done last year or the year before?

The troops have never failed the President, not once, whenever he’s called on them. It’s unfortunate that veterans can’t say the same about the President.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Veterans Issues, Veterans' Affairs Department