Everyone is Wrong When It Comes to the VA

Obama has done a poor job of preparing to handle the influx of veterans coming into the VA system.  George Bush did a horrible job in preparing the VA with enough funds and personal to handle the massive increase from the two wars he initiated.  The Republicans, including Thune, have  blocked legislation to increase funding and support for our veterans.  The Democrats were asleep at the wheel and failed to use their majority to deal with the VA crises.  

I agree with Rick Weiland in his calls for President Obama to ask for Eric Shinseki resignation, but going beyond what the GOP seems to only care about, Risk is also right in pointing fingers at basically everyone in Congress:

This week Rick called on Secretary Shinseki to resign as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, but noted that one resignation is not nearly enough to solve the problems that our veterans face. 

Rick said: “Making changes at the top of the Department of Veterans Affairs is useless unless the culture of indifference that exists in the United States Congress is changed. Many in Congress are pointing fingers at Shinseki and the Department, but it’s not only mismanagement at the VA that has caused these outrages, it’s also the financial indifference of Congress that has caused the VA’s failure to provide care on a timely basis.

Many Senators and Representatives are faking outrage despite the fact that they knowingly have failed the needs of our veterans.  This is a fact that came out after Republican Richard Burr from North Carolina and a ranking member on the Veterans Affair Committee produced an open letter complaining that only the American Legion was willing to call for Shinseki's removal.  The other veteran services organization had something to say about the political posturing.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars pointed out:

“For years, the V.F.W. has come to Congress with hat in hand, and for years we’ve heard the same old story,” the heads of the veterans group wrote to Mr. Burr. “You can be assured, Senator, that you’ve done a superb job in showing us the error in our ways. You can also be assured that in the future, we will spend a substantial percentage of our time seeking to inform our members and our constituents of the repeated failure to act by our elected officials.”

A representative for Disable American Veterans stated:

To that sentiment, the national president and the executive director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America added, “Perhaps you should have shared with all veterans in your ‘open’ letter that you cared so much about their health care that you were not actually present during the testimony that the V.S.O. representatives provided, and you did not ask a single question.” V.S.O. stands for veterans service organizations.

Calls for a top-down review will mean nothing until you are willing to back them up.  Our country has asked a great deal from the young men and women.  It is the least we can do to say that we are willing to find the money to make sure that you get the care you need.