The VA has been plagued by problems for decades, so why isn't it dissolved?

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   RJ Schwartzposted 9 years ago

   The VA has been plagued by problems for decades, so why isn't it dissolved?
   
   A free-choice program implemented to get veterans crucial medical care is under siege because the Department of Veterans Affairs has not paid millions of dollars owed to the doctors providing it. Now, the VA employee union, which opposes letting veterans get care outside their system in the first place, is citing VA employees’ failure as the reason to abort the fix.  Is the union the problem?   When did a government employee’s job become more important than the lives of the veterans they are supposed to be serving?
   
   

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 9 years ago

   Is the VA any different than the other government agencies?
   With the continual wars decades after decades why isn't the VA problem a major presidential campaign issue.
   The politicians play with the lives of the military as if they were expendable. From what I can see, congress doesn't spend the  money on the military that they send into combat. This costs lives, and injuries. The least that congress can do is take care of the families of those that died doing their dumb work, and help those that get injured, and even those that need to rejoin civilian life.
   
   You have to question why public employees need a union in the first place. The reason that you have unions in the private sector is because the employer is taking advantage of the workers, and the workers need the leverage of the mass.
   
   But, is the government that bad that their workers need a union. It is ironic that the government that makes the laws and the rules doesn't apply it to themselves.
   They are the ones saying that the private sector needs to raise the minimum wage, so in essence they are the unions for the private sector???

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      Old Poolmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      When the bill I mentioned passed the senate, every Democrat and one Republican voted against the bill.  http://federalnewsradio.com/legislation … -advances/
      Darn good question as to why federal employees need a union.

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      RJ Schwartzposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Seems like it would be hard to shrink government with unionized employees - also the cost of their Cadillac benefit plans is unsustainable

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   Old Poolmanposted 9 years ago

   There is a bill before congress that would allow the VA to fire any employees who can't or won't do their job.  The bill has actually passed the Senate but is now buried somewhere in a stack in the House.
   
   The one and only way to ever clean up the VA would be to make the VA the only source of Medical Care for all federal employees to include members of Congress and the President.  Of course that will never happen because they would be scared to death to rely on the VA for their personal healthcare.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Mike
      It is amazing that we need a new law to fire government employees for not doing their job. I like your suggestion about VA medical care for all federal employees.
      Take away FEHS and replace it with only VA.

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      RJ Schwartzposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I'd rather see all Gov't unions abolished and then every agency could be cleaned up

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Ralph
      How bad must the US gov be as an employer to have to have its employees be protected by a union????

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      RJ Schwartzposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Makes me wonder why they even need one?  Oh wait, I forgot, its a way to force them to funnel money into the Democratic party's coffers and keep them from whistle blowing on corruption they witness.

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      Old Poolmanposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Brad - I was in management for many years.  I can't even imagine trying to run a business where employees who can't or wont do their jobs can't be fired.  Is it any wonder the VA is a disaster?  But there are some good employees at the VA.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Mike
      I know what you mean. With the PC, it is getting harder in the private sector to get rid of people that don't perform. And it is not just the VA, it is any federal employee because they are protected by their union.

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      MizBejabbersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Guys, it's the same for state employees, too. Some are hardworking and  work overtime to pull slack for the leeches. I was literally told that "more was expected of me 'because I was capable of doing it" and that XXX couldn't be expected to perform.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      MizBeJabbers
      I didn't mean to not includes government workers at any level, state, local. In LA they have a problem with crews that are supposed to do road work and the news people find them not doing anything.

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