Random Politics & Religion #19

White House officials held their first listening session on problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday, but without inviting prominent members of the veterans community to the event.

Officials from the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars said they were not invited to the morning event and did not know about it until it was announced late Monday night, as part of the White House’s routine schedule outline.

Other prominent veterans groups were surprised Tuesday morning by news of the event, and unsure who was invited to take part in the discussion.

White House officials initially did not release any other details of the event, other than the meeting followed a similar listening session with President Trump and county sheriffs discussing local law enforcement issues. A press pool event to take pictures of the meeting was cancelled shortly before the veterans meeting began.

As news spread of the meeting, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said White House officials told him the meeting was with health care executives, and that veterans groups would be invited for a similar session later.

In the afternoon, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer released a statement saying the meeting included Tiffany Smiley, the wife of a veteran who was blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Isaac Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment, and "health care experts" discussing "actions are necessary to improve health care access and quality for our heroic veterans."

In early January, at the same news conference where he announced Dr. David Shulkin as his pick to take over as the new VA secretary, Trump said he would set up an advisory panel to discuss department reforms, particularly in health care offerings.

“We have some of the great hospitals of the world going to align themselves with us on the Veterans Administration, like the Cleveland Clinic, like the Mayo Clinic,” he said.

“We're gonna set up a group. These are hospitals that have been the top of the line, the absolute top of the line. And they're going to get together with their great doctors … and we're gonna straighten out the VA for our veterans.”

That's why you need to fight to improve the public system if it is broken and not just go "sucks to be those who can only go to public".

Quite simply education does not have to be a market, same for health. They are the two principles that should be considered universal rights in any nation. If citizens aren't guaranteed those two things and protection then they might as well not be part of a nation, it's just being guests in a corporate resort.

Actually, if it's like the federal government, I believe I have you beat on seeing first hand the absurdity of bureaucracy.

It is needed, but damn, I can't seem to find a smart, intelligent, or even tolerable federal government employee. Practically every single one of them is a complete waste of space.

No wonder the hiring guidelines are so lenient for them.

Then change the rules about administrators. Instead of crying like a *** that boohoo humans are meanies, use the law to your advantage.

Give it 5 years...

I mean we already know you believe the evil capitalist corporations buy Republican politicians

There's a middle fourth way. Which is to challenge the system and do what you can to try to change it as you care about your life. Sure, only few people actually get the rare chance to make a dent in it, but if your small efforts can improve the life of even one more person then it was worth it. You can't give in just because something is hard.

I refuse to surrender and refuse those who surrender. You can rest a little tired man, but then we're going back to the mosh pit!!

Just say "I am american." it's shorter.

god that avatar is trashy, I want to see a picture of RL you smashing a beer can on your forehead by friday.

She has apparently gone missing probably kidnapped by ISIS...that is what I believe anyways. She hasn't done a new video for a long time.

...
Sehe, one question. Where the *** do you think the Democrat party gets it's support and financing? I mean we already know you believe the evil capitalist corporations buy Republican politicians, but who do you think is funding the other team? ...

He was talkng about Fone.

Why would you block Fone? He's easy 40% of the fun quotient here, and even adds relevant comments sometimes. Not as often as he adds Simpsons clips, true, but still...

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 10 hours ago

My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!

You really don't get it ....

It's the administrators that make the rules. Why on earth would they change them? They are card carrying Democrats and always in favor of bigger government with zero accountability to the voters.

What do you think Common Core was? It was an attempt to create a federal mandated standardized testing system to generate metrics to judge and measure school performance. Aka it was an attempt to form competition between schools and it failed miserably because the same people who benefit from the current situation would never allow their position to be jeopardized. We're long past the point where a policy change can "fix" anything. The teachers union, and their paid Democrat supporters, would nullify practically any attempt at administrative change that would topple their kingdoms.

Sehe, one question. Where the *** do you think the Democrat party gets it's support and financing? I mean we already know you believe the evil capitalist corporations buy Republican politicians, but who do you think is funding the other team?

There will never be change as long as senior administrators are involved, and nothing in the current system can change without them being involved. Thus the only solution is to create an alternate system to force competition into the market. If parents start sending their kids to private schools, then those same senior administrators start suffering funding problems and loss of power, which is something they'll never tolerate.

It's almost like senior government executives function the exact same as senior corporate executives... except you can't really fire them.