Buying political patronage
I’m still on this Obama-Shinseki thing. It pisses me off to no end, and here’s the main reason; If you go back to the Stars and Stripes article I referenced last week, it touts the Administration’s plan to enroll a half-million Priority 8 veterans;
The plan allows the VA health care system to enroll up to 550,000 new Priority Group 8 veterans by 2013. These are veterans who have no service-connected ailments and have incomes deemed adequate based on family size and geographic location. The total for new enrollees includes 266,000 Group 8 veterans already slated to enroll in VA health system starting this summer under a funding initiative Congress passed last fall.
Now, when those 10 veterans groups met with Obama and Emanuel yesterday and they protested his plan to force third-party payers on service connected disabled veterans, the response was “Find the money for us” or words to that effect. Well, there’s the money. They plan on saving $554 million by inflicting this third-party payer plan on veterans, and they also want to enroll 550 million veterans who don’t need VA care – if it costs more than a dollar to enroll each of those priority 8 veterans and they don’t do it, they saved the money they need. Right?
Now, I’m no budget expert and I saw that right away. So, why does the Administration insist on doing the exactly wrong thing? Political patronage. They think that by giving VA care to people who don’t need it builds some loyalty among a half-million voters. Just like SCHIP gives health care to people who don’t need it buys political patronage in the civilian sector.
The decision to go ahead with this stupid proposal is purely political. It’s not about what is good for the country or what’s good for veterans. It’s about what’s best for the Democrat Party. And where is the media on this today. The story has been out there for more than 12 hours and the only mention of it is in a tiny McClatchy newswire piece.
Shinseki should see that he’s being used, as a disabled veteran, to inflict this plan on veterans.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Liberals suck, Politics
Apparently Shineski is deaf, dumb and blind. Could he be a COW supporter? As B5 said, there’s gonna be a war over this.
Many think it will be DOA, but the responses you mention are enough to take that arrogant fuck of a president out the wood shed with a can o’ whoop ass. Period.
I am wondering how much money would even be saved. How many service connected vets are also on Tricare, whether through active duty or Tricare for Life? So the VA would be billing Tricare for medical services?
If that is the case, then the VA is taking money from the DOD budget by means of an accounting trick.
Divert the money O’Dumbo’s democrats are giving the terrorists to kill Israeli civilians. Have a few dollars left over.
Someone is assuming that he will let Tri-Care remain in force. It’s probably already out of the budget. Gotta watch them crooked democrats.
It seems to me that the President has, himself, become a clear and present danger to the nation. When can we get articles of impeachment rolling?
As I’ve read elsewhere:
“beware the fury of the legions”.
Tim, check your email.
Heck with impeachment, Heat up the tar and break out the feathers
I say it’s time for another Million Veteran March on DC if this thing even sees the light of day much less comes up for a vote.
April 15th…Tea Party on the mall. JUST.DO.IT!!!
[…] This Ain’t Hell: Go for the excellent selection of Irish music…stay for the education on Vets being shafted by Lefty’s and a plea for the resignation of General Shinseki. […]
Hate to tell you, but your math is wrong. 550,000 new members would have to cost $1,000 each to match the $554 million number.
My Friend: When I enlisted in the Navy in April 1970, signing on for four years, I signed on for the whole package, which included being a Veteran when I got out, not half-a-veteran, or a used-to-be-a-veteran. When a financial test is used to drive a wedge between veterans – ie: Jeez, you used to be a veteran, but by God you make more than $30K now, and you don’t NEED the benefits you EARNED – well, the hell with them all. I say MARCH on DC like our WWI brothers did to get their bonuses! We earned it, we want it, give it back now.
Jonn wrote: Category 8 veterans not only make enough to buy their own health insurance, they also have no service-connected disability. This isn’t about a “financial test”, it’s about need. Why should the benefits of others be cut so you can get something you really didn’t earn or don’t need?
No one is saying any benefits should be cut, except the folks who have singled out Priority 8 veterans, keeping them from the benefits they earned and deserve (initially that was Rep. Steve Buyer, who famously said, “Veterans benefits are not welfare.”) When the United States Congress and the president send troops to war, the cost of that war is the responsibility of Congress and the president. Part of the cost of war is taking care of veterans, as promised, and that means all veterans. Congress should immediately, and fully, fund the VA so all veterans can participate. And until that is done members of Congress and the executive branch should be barred from stating they fully support veterans. If need be, take the money from the $1.2 Billion we will be sending to Pakistan every year for the next five years to build schools (or end up in some tribal leader’s dirt hut.) And as to need, I’ll accept that argument when John Kerry and John McCain do the same. As they are both multimillionaires they should cut out the visits to Bethesda on the peoples’ dime.