{This blog is not affiliated with the VA. Though a Veteran, four yrs. all shore in Navy last year In-Country Vietnam, I don't work for the VA}
**USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 - Independent**

In 2003 some 72% of Americans fully supported the Abandoning of the Missions and those Sent to Accomplish so extremely Quickly after 9/11!!
At least some 95%, if not more as less then 1% serve them, not only still support the, just below, total lack of Sacrifice, they ran from any and all Accountability and left everything still on the table to be continually used if the political/military want was still in play in future executive/legislative wants!!
DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11", Decades and War From, All Over Again!!
Especially for the Corporate and Wealthy Community, investors in Defense Industries, and for these, Afghanistan and Iraq, came Two Huge Tax Cuts, with more sweetheart deals to same from states and the fed!!


Thousands of people across America don’t just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades

On this Executive Administration, it's Cabinet and those directly around same, "Best - Ever": "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White House—ever." Joyce Raezer National Military Family Association - Dec. 30, 2011, and plenty more of similar since Joyce, others, spoke and continues!

Ask yourself: If the Veterans Administration is so corrupt and mismanaged, as the conservative ideology, under which the seeds of are planted when they control, wants everyone to buy into as they obstruct the budgets and do extremely little after they charge same, then why does the Private sector, many problems within rarely heard about, adopt so many practices and advanced technologies developed within the VA, for free?! The VA, DoD, and in partnership with Universities and Colleges, not just Health Care are constantly in R&D and that developed that works is quickly moved into the private, for profit, sector, even as the VA is long under funded, decades, and especially during and after our wars that the few are sent into!

* * * * *
President Obama 26 August 2014
Fact: "This is not just a job of government. It’s not just a job of the veterans’ organizations. Every American needs to join us in taking care of those who've taken care of us. Because only 1 percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but 100 percent of Americans benefit from that 1 percent. A hundred percent need to be supporting our troops. A hundred percent need to be supporting our veterans. A hundred percent need to be supporting our military families."

Fact: "We’ve been able to accomplish historic increases to veterans funding. We’ve protected veterans health care from Washington politics with advanced appropriations. We’ve been able to make VA benefits available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have them before, including more Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange. We’ve dedicated major new resources for mental health care. We’ve helped more than 1 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill."

August 26, 2014 - Secretary Robert A. McDonald's Remarks for the American Legion's 96th Annual Convention, Charlotte, NC
Fact: "Unlike, P&G, VA may not be concerned about quarterly profit and loss statements or shareholder value, but it does have a bottom line—Veterans. "
{which is why No Government agency should be turned into a private corporate entity feeding for profit off the Countries duty and responsibility, especially the VA}
* * * * *

Fact: “We are dealing with veterans, not procedures—with their problems, not ours.” —General Omar Bradley, First Administrator of the Veterans Administration

Facts: Matthew Hoh {former Marine and foreign service officer in Afghanistan}: "We spend a trillion dollars a year on national security in this country."
"And when you add up to the Department of Defense, Department of State, CIA, Veterans Affairs, interest on debt, the number that strikes me the most about how much we're committed financially to these wars and to our current policies is we have spent $250 billion already just on interest payments on the debt we've incurred for the Iraq and Afghan wars." 26 September 2014

Fact: "If military action is worth our troops’ blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013

Fact: "12 years also is a long time. We now have a lifetime responsibility to a generation of service members, veterans and their families." Dr. Jonathan Woodson 11 Sep. 2013: With 9/11 Came Lifetime Responsibility
 {two tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, came with these two recent unpaid for wars, nor the results of, DeJa-Vu all over again from the previous decades and wars from! Ignore the many issues, by those served, no need to fund!}

Fact: Sen. Bernie Sanders told Republicans: “If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, than don’t go war. These people are bearing the brunt of what war is about, We have a moral obligation to support them.” February, 26th, 2014

Fact: 25 June 2014 U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller: Veterans' Affairs issue an 'all too similar' scene

Fact: How We Could Do More For Our Vets: "We need to go into debt to pay our debt to U.S. veterans to make sure they get the care and services we owe them."

Fact: “Why in 2009 were we still using paper?” VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers “When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we’ve been operating on a six month wait for over a decade.” 27 March 2013

WHY? GOOD QUESTION THOSE SERVED SHOULD ANSWER!


Bob Herbert Losing Our Way : "And then the staggering costs of these wars, which are borne by the taxpayers. I mean, one of the things that was insane was that, as we're at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration cut taxes. This has never been done in American history. The idea of cutting taxes while you're going to war is just crazy. I mean, it's madness." Bill 'Moyers and Company': Restoring an America That Has Lost its Way 10 Oct. 2014

Presidential Proclamation -- Veterans Day, 2013: "As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt." read more>>>


Under two previous Executive administrations and wars from, father and son. With son and conservative congresses leading the extremely quick abandoning of the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11:

ProPublica and The Seattle Times Nov. 9, 2012 - Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
"DeLara's case is part of a much larger problem that has plagued the U.S. military since the 1990 Gulf War: a failure to create and maintain the types of field records that have documented American conflicts since the Revolutionary War."

Part Two: A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?

Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort

3/27/15 - U.S. Nerve Gas Hit Our Own Troops in Iraq
"During and immediately after the first Gulf War, more than 200,000 of 700,000 U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Kuwait in January 1991 were exposed to nerve gas and other chemical agents. Though aware of this, the Department of Defense and CIA launched a campaign of lies and concocted a cover-up that continues today."
"When Brown and others tried to obtain their medical records to prove their illnesses were service-related, they learned that the records had disappeared."



Add in the issues of finally recognizing in War Theater and more Veterans, by the Shinseki Veterans Administration and the Executive Administrations Cabinet, what the Country choose to ignore from our previous decades and wars of: The devastating effects on Test Vets and from PTS, Agent Orange, Homelessness, more recent the Desert Storm troops Gulf War Illnesses, Gulf War Exposures with the very recent affects from In-Theater Burn Pits and oh so so much more! Tens of Thousands of Veterans' that have been long ignored and maligned by previous VA's and the whole Country and through their representatives!

How does a Country HONOR It's Fallen, by Their Own 'Sacrifice' in Taking Care of the Brothers and Sisters They Served With!!


"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan" - President Lincoln

She wrote that she's proud of her service but added this: "That doesn't change the fact that I contributed - however indirectly - to human beings vanishing from the earth in a moment of sheer agony."



Homeless Veterans/Stand Downs

Are You Concerned About a Veteran? The Veterans Crisis Line Can Help>>>

For our sisters: National Women Veterans Hotline, call 1-855-VA-WOMEN1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-66361-855-829-6636) New Hotline now up and running

Thursday, August 12, 2010

So The Stimulus Did Nothing, Huh!

This, directly below, as well as the continuing political? propaganda speak from a certain group that still wear the banner of a once political party, their media mouth and sponsor on 24/7 TV, their so called think tanks and those that want to leave the previous administration in the dust, after agreeing with everything it did, In Our Names, but now don't want anyone to think they're associated with that eight years plus so they formed the so called TEA party or as many did even before that started calling themselves libertarians, Has Been Eating At My Craw!!

Summertime Blues: Senator Tom Coburn, M.D., Senator John McCain A u g u s t 2 0 1 0

100 stimulus projects that give taxpayers the blues 74 page PDF, but there's plenty of articles, by reliable sources, to read all about without downloading.

Shows exactly how Not To Do Propaganda if trying to win others minds that they, all listed above, obviously don't have! If you go through it, and many have broken it down, you see just how narrow any thought exists {and they're hired to represent as they also hire their staffs to do}. While some may meet their so called muster of condemnation to a certain extent, the rest don't if one bothered to not only think but do quick searches to see what they might do for many and pay off in the near to far future with the results of doing. While they not only saved jobs many probably created jobs. By doing so they helped save, at least, local community jobs as those wages were spent in the small to large businesses within, who's employee's also spent. They also helped, in an extremely tight borrowing atmosphere, many small businesses from folding for lack of business loans and more. These businesses also helped maintain other businesses by purchasing their needs from thus keeping those supplying with jobs as well as those, if done in this country, producing the products needed or sold. A little of thought and mind expansion and one can keep on going as to what Every Dollar Of Stimulus Created Or Maintained.

By the way, that is what is supposed to be happening all by it's lonesomes as to the so called 'free market' economics or even called 'reaganomics', for which he became a saint, or even easier understanding the 'trickle down' con that was sold and started changing some thirty years ago, without us using our own money as we've pushed even much of that, through our labors etc., directly to the top.

Before I go on I will say that much of the money that was given directly to the states wasn't used for needed infrastructure, long over due maintenance and repairs, to create job growth. But it was mostly used for items already in state budgets but not able to be funded because of state deficients, many in the red. So they helped keep many small businesses in business and maintained some job security for those already employed by them, with minimal new hires.

Here's a couple of articles about:

McCain-Coburn stimulus report gets it wrong

Sens. John McCain and Tom Coburn received some attention this week for their report on 100 stimulus projects around the U.S. that “give taxpayers the blues.” Their aides, presumably, gathered information on projects that are wasteful, mismanaged or destroying jobs instead of creating them.

Two Virginia projects were included in the report. One checks out and seems to have its facts straight. The other…well, I’m guessing someone wanted to go home early without making a few necessary phone calls. Continued

Stimulus-created jobs wasteful, Republican lawmakers say

"It's hard to believe that the Energy Department isn't creating a lesson in how to waste a lot of money in a hurry," Barton said. Energy Department officials at SRS and in Washington disputed Barton's claim — echoed by other Republicans — that each job created at the 17 nuclear complexes carries a taxpayer-funded price tag of $194,213.

Colin Jones, an Energy Department senior policy adviser on stimulus spending, said that assertion is misleading because, he said, some of the money spent at the nuclear facilities doesn't cover workers' wages.

"This (waste cleanup) is for the most part highly technical work," Jones said. "There are a number of costs associated with doing that work. Beyond the salaries we pay our workers, there are large capital costs. We have to buy equipment, concrete tools, protective clothing and many other related things."

The new report puts U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson and Gresham Barrett, two S.C. Republicans, in a bind: Along with all other GOP lawmakers, they voted against the $787 billion stimulus bill when the House passed it in February 2009.

Yet thousands of constituents of Wilson and Barrett work at Savannah River Site, among them hundreds hired with and paid by stimulus money.

Wilson and Barrett declined to say whether they agreed with the claims by Barton and other Republican colleagues that the SRS stimulus-funded jobs are too costly. Continued

Now you have one who apparently is arrogant enough to still use MD after his name {this will be related just below} as well as another who's a brother Vietnam Veteran and in his case a long time POW of {this to related directly below}.

All they needed do is take a look at the Care Needs of a very large group that each represents, one being a member of. Or remember that they never asked the Country to Sacrifice, think Walter Reed and "oh it's closing soon so no need to spend money on upkeep etc!", for a new Generation of folks as they sent them into two long running occupations both still support. Knowing how much of their obstruction, over the years by more their political party than the other, as they also still call themselves fiscal conservatives {tax cuts, tax cuts, taxcuts create jobs, taxcuts..............}, kept an agency of our Government from being All It Should Have Been and up to standards in caring for those who serve this Country and defend it's Constitution, not only in care but in research and even teaching!

Never once did I hear anyone of those, while they help all the power in DC nor from those listed at the very top, yell that they needed to Sacrifice as our Soldiers and their Families were and still are, Never Once! Nor have I heard any of the same way above list during these past some eighteen months, as they've been screaming a whole bunch of crap, mention They Want To Sacrifice For Our Soldiers and Veterans, many of the Veterans needs are going on decades as the citizens ignored!

I posted a cut of the following Veterans Administration Press Release, from a few days back {but now post the whole press release} and mentioned how others should just pick an agency and check where any stimulus monies they might have received went. And for every dollar we the tax payer had to spend, as those who were supposed to be 'trickling down' didn't and won't, to try and at least stabilize the falling economy, we will not only get back that investment but much much more as it at least kept jobs, which kept local community jobs, but as you see below will create jobs, some short term, construction, suppliers, manufacturing etc. etc. etc., but with the much needed investments many that will be very long term and much needed, that have been for a long time. Many of these jobs will be under the Government umbrella but many many also will be private contractors as well as supply and manufacturing and on and on.

Using Recovery Act Funds!!

And the Country 'Sacrifices', even though it didn't Clamor For nor Want To! Especially the so called tea party types, not a peep while yelling about everything, nor their media sponsors and the think tank funders as well as their leaders, though they say they don't have any, wink wink, as they use the single line meme's of their support for the soldiers and veterans which hit the wind like that which blew off their magnetic ribbons long ago, never to be replaced!!

VA Obligates Last of its Recovery Act Funds to Help Veterans

August 5, 2010 $1.8 Billion Investment Improves Care and Services for Veterans

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) committed the last of its $1.8 billion in Recovery Act funds July 31, one of the first federal agencies to achieve that milestone. Projects at more than 1,200 sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will increase access to health care and services to Veterans, while creating jobs and stimulating the economy.

“Veterans across the Nation are benefiting from these Recovery Act funds,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Recovery Act projects are improving medical care, speeding claims processing, enhancing our national cemeteries, advancing our energy efficiency, and generating jobs for Americans.”

VA rapidly put American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funding to work to improve its medical facilities, revitalize its national cemeteries, hire claims processors, upgrade technology systems and assist states in acquiring, building or remodeling state nursing homes and domiciliary facilities for Veterans.

The funding received by VA is part of President Obama’s economic recovery plan to improve services to America’s Veterans. By obligating these funds quickly, VA is revitalizing its infrastructure and moving needed money into the economy.

Using Recovery Act funds, VA entered into 1,521 contracts with 696 contractors. Three-quarters of the contractors are Veterans owned businesses, either service disabled Veteran owned businesses or Veteran owned small businesses.

Health Care Services Enhanced

VA obligated $1 billion to improve VA medical care facilities across the country through building renovations, roadway and walkway repairs, high cost equipment replacement, security improvements, new construction, replacement of steam lines and boiler plants, upgrades in emergency power distribution, and purchases of additional emergency generators among others.

To help Veterans access care, Recovery Act projects in VA medical facilities will add or improve more than 26,000 parking spaces and 39 elevator banks are being built or upgraded. VA will upgrade nearly 14,000 inpatient bed spaces, while 16 pharmacy renovation projects will help Veterans get medicines quicker and more efficiently. More than 14,400 clinical improvement projects, some with multiple exam rooms, will be undertaken.

Funds are also helping ensure VA health care facilities function more efficiently (by reducing annual recurring maintenance and upkeep cost) and are equipped to provide world-class care to Veterans.

Specific projects include:

· Bedford, Mass., VA Medical Center (VAMC) mental health unit renovation, $7.165 million;

· Philadelphia VAMC emergency room renovations, $4.74 million;

· Cleveland VAMC surgical suite refurbishment, $8.5 million;

· New Haven, Conn., VAMC private and semi-private inpatient units, $7.743 million;

· Hines, Ill., VAMC electrical distribution infrastructure upgrade, $8 million.

VA serves 5.5 million Veterans annually in its hospitals, outpatient clinics and rural health programs.

Energy Conservation

VA is promoting energy conservation and reducing its environmental footprint by investing $200 million in Recovery Act funds for renewable energy generation technologies, metering systems, and energy conservation and water-saving measures. In total, the renewable energy systems awarded represent more than 9 megawatts of planned power generating capacity from solar, wind, and cogeneration technologies.

Two national cemeteries, in Bourne, Mass., and San Joaquin, Calif., anticipate producing enough electricity to supply nearly all of their energy needs.

VA is installing solar photovoltaic systems at facilities in Albuquerque, N.M.; Tucson, Ariz.; Dublin, Ga.; Calverton, N.Y.; San Joaquin, Calif., and Riverside, Calif.

VA is erecting a wind turbine in Bourne, Mass., and is constructing a geothermal system at its medical center in St. Cloud, Minn.

In addition, VA is building renewably fueled cogeneration systems at five medical facilities: Togus, Maine; White River Junction, Vt.; Chillicothe, Ohio; Loma Linda, Calif.; and Canandaigua, N.Y.

VA is installing metering systems at all VA-owned facilities to monitor energy utilities, including electricity, water, chilled water, steam, and natural gas consumption.

VA is also investing $197 million in energy and water infrastructure improvements. VA facilities across the country are upgrading their facilities to reduce energy consumption and water usage and better manage related costs.

Claims Processing Improvements

VA is working to improve the systems for processing claims to more quickly and efficiently deliver benefits to Veterans. VA has obligated $150 million to hire, train and equip new employees to improve claims processing and speed the delivery of benefits to Veterans. VA has hired approximately 2,700 temporary and permanent employees to assist with processing Veterans' claims for VA benefits.

National Cemeteries Revitalized

Throughout VA’s system of 131 national cemeteries, 391 improvement projects are underway using $50 million in Recovery Act funding. VA is restoring and preserving 49 historic monuments and memorials, becoming more energy efficient by investing in renewable energy sources (solar and wind), moving forward on nine energy conservation projects, and improving access and visitor safety with 49 road, paving and grounds improvement projects.

Recovery Act funds are also being used to raise, realign, and clean approximately 200,000 headstones and markers, repair sunken graves, and renovate turf at 22 VA national cemeteries.

One-time Benefit Payments

The Recovery Act provided one-time $250 economic recovery payments to eligible Veterans, their survivors, and dependents to help mitigate the effects of the current economy. $7.1 million were intended for administrative support of the one-time benefit payments. VA was able to successfully administer the program with a savings of approximately $6.1 million, and may return the remaining funds to the US Treasury. To Read Press Release at Site

They got off cheap actually, there's decades to catchup for and two still ongoing occupations!!

Here's just a couple of recent articles.

Stimulus funds benefit cemetery, medical center

August 11, 2010 Fort Custer National Cemetery is getting $93,905 in federal stimulus money to help improve its grounds and burial operations.

The money is coming to Fort Custer from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is part of a nationwide effort to use stimulus money to improve national cemeteries.

The VA has directed about $50 million in Recovery Act funding for 391 projects at sites managed by the National Cemetery Administration.

"At many of our national cemeteries, we are making our facilities more energy-efficient and we're taking care of maintenance that has in many cases been deferred," Steve Muro, acting undersecretary of memorial affairs, said in a news release. Continued

Delaware VA hospital expands as US system grows

July 31, 2010 - Delaware vets gain from new federal emphasis

Snip

The Wilmington VA Medical Center is getting about $33 million in additional appropriation and stimulus funds, compared with the $3 million it typically gets. Though the project began last year, the infusion of extra cash will speed it up and allow work to be finished in 10 to 12 months. Continued

They have been updating the record keeping bringing it into the 21st century as well, there have been reports all these past months on all the new VA Administration has been finally doing that wasn't during the previous nor for many years before, many I've used and so many I started another site just so I could keep up with as well as adding other information as it's come out related to the VA or Veterans.

Here's another recent report on keeping a promise of transparency and dealing with what we saw an awful lot of coming out of the previous as to total incompetence especially by private contractors.

VA Data Breaches Go Live

08/11/10 - Today the Veterans Affairs Department started posting online its monthly data breach reports as part of its ongoing transparency thing, VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker told a press briefing this morning. He said the latest report (for July) might not make it to the Web until Thursday.

The reports include not only lost, misplaced or stolen computers and BlackBerries, but also misaddressed prescriptions sent out by the VA mail-order pharmacy operation, Baker said. Those packages contain sensitive veterans health information coupled with personal identifiers.

VA mailed out 5.6 million prescriptions last month, and a statically infinitesimal amount -- just 10 -- ended up in the wrong hands. If someone calls VA about receiving a misaddressed Rx, Baker said he or she is instructed to throw it away. Continued

What we need is Another Stimulus Package, for the wealthy, who've gotten extremely wealthy, certainly aren't going to pony up, even in their communities, as well as letting the bush tax cuts end

We've created hatreds and still are, that's affecting any and all economic growth, from around this planet and not just from the targeted hate speak at certain groups, in just one of the many blowbacks of our failures in policy etc. as the world watches.

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