Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waits as he is introduced during a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, on July 26 in Charlotte, N.C.
(Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outlined his 10-point plan during a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Charlotte, N.C. The plan, which includes asking Congress to approve new powers allowing the secretary to fire the untouchables, was widely praised and the candidate enjoyed far more enthusiastic support among the nation’s veterans than his Democratic rival, who spoke to the group on Monday.
“Our debt to [veterans] is eternal,” Mr. Trump told a widely supportive crowd. “Yet our politicians have totally failed you. Our most basic commitment, to provide health and medical care to veterans, has been violated completely.”
The 10-point plan also includes installing a live-caller hotline in the White House to field veterans’ complaints, eliminating waste and abuse in the VA budget and significantly increasing health care options for all patients.
“The VA scandals that have occurred are widespread and totally inexcusable. Many have died waiting for care that never came, a permanent stain on our government,” Mr. Trump said. “Government is going to start working for the people again.”
Trump’s speech to the VFW convention comes less than 24 hours after Mrs. Clinton spoke at the same event and less than a hour after VA Secretary Bob McDonald addressed the crowd, both of whom offered veterans a very different view of the state of the VA and veteran care across the nation. They characterized the Veterans Administration as a troubled agency in the past that is now being reformed.
Mrs. Clinton’s message built upon her prior statements that the VA isn’t as bad as the media and inspector general reports indicate. But veterans didn’t believe their lying eyes and praised Mr. Trump when he called it a disaster.
“When I get in the White House, you’ll see a change in VA and the whole of the government system, which is a mess,” he said. “A change in attitude and a change in results will absolutely take place so fast.”
Mr. Trump, unlike Mrs. Clinton, also spent most of his speech on Tuesday talking about the veterans, not his rival. In her speech on Monday, Mrs. Clinton repeatedly attacked Mr. Trump in front of a crowd rolling their eyes, while the Republican nominee attacked the “rigged system” and the nay-sayers in the media and political establishments.
“We can’t fix a rigged system by electing the people who rigged it in the first place,” Mr. Trump added. “Let’s reject the doubters and cynics, and choose again to believe in ourselves.”
Trump’s Ten-Point Plan to Fix the Veterans Administration (VA)
One: I will appoint a Secretary of Veterans Affairs who will make it their personal mission to clean up the VA.
Two: I am going to use every lawful authority to remove and discipline federal employees or managers who breach the public trust.
Three: I will ask Congress to pass a bill giving the VA Secretary full authority to remove or discipline any employee who risks the health, safety, or well-being of a veteran.
Four: I will appoint a commission to investigate all the wrongdoing at the VA, and then present those findings to Congress as the basis for reforming the entire system.
Five: I am going to make sure that honest and dedicated people in the VA have their jobs protected, and are put in line for promotions.
Six: I will create a private White House Hotline – that is answered by a real person 24 hours a day – to make sure that no valid complaint about the VA ever falls through the cracks. I will instruct my staff that if a valid complaint is not acted upon, then the issue be brought directly to me, and I will pick up the phone and fix it myself, if need be.
Seven: 4 Instead of giving bonuses to employees for wasting money, we are going to create a new incentives program that rewards employees for saving money and improving the quality of care.
Eight: Our visa programs will be reformed to ensure that veterans are put in the front of the line for jobs in the country they fought to protect.
Nine: We are going to increase the number of mental health care professionals, and increase mental health outreach to veterans outside of the system.
Ten: We are going to ensure every veteran in America gets timely access to top-quality care, including the best care in the world for our female veterans.
jim starowicz / July 27, 2016
Most of the people served, especially wealthy and all conservatives, the trump speaks: 2 Aug 2015 – ‘I fight like hell to pay as little as possible’: Donald Trump says he avoids all the tax he can.
The VA is the people served Responsibility, not another corporate profit seeking entity off of war as now much of the privatized military has become! Just look how fast and big the corporate merc army/intelligence was built, off government no bid contracts, above all laws and caused more lasting deadly damage to the American, once proud in leadership and moral, brand on the world stage!
Not socialized anything but their Responsibility to Actually Sacrifice, as it’s been since it was established but promises never upheld, issues ignored or out right denied existing, with congressional fixes coming mostly unfunded and piece-meal causing more problems! The way those served seem to really like it as they, follow conservatives, lay blame on the VA personal!
* DeJa-Vu: “With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11″, Decades and War From, All Over Again!! *
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jim starowicz / July 27, 2016
* * Every Generation, ‘Veterans’, is Having to Come Back and Fight * *
And why:
>The conservative ideology: Like our long time Veterans Conservative Nemesis, one of their experts(?), used to shape their policies, and very highly compensated: * * Sally Satel Still Selling Care for PTSD Veterans is Waste of Money * * http://tinyurl.com/hg37c3r There are plenty of others, they’ve got a ready stable full of go to {experts?}, and plenty of unfunded ignored and denied issues!!<
“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
Most of the people served, especially wealthy and all conservatives, the trump speaks: 2 Aug 2015 – 'I fight like hell to pay as little as possible': Donald Trump says he avoids all the tax he can.
* 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!!
And that covers much more in the Deficits, like even paying for war policies and the results from and much more, then just the, grossly under funded thus not properly built nor properly maintained, and not conservative obstructionists pols concern, VA budgets!!
The VA is the people served Responsibility, not another corporate profit seeking entity off of war as now much of the privatized military has become, just look how fast and big the corporate merc army/intelligence was built above all laws and caused more lasting deadly damage to the American, once proud in leadership and moral, brand on the world stage! Not socialized anything but their Responsibility to Actually Sacrifice, as it's been since it was established but promises never upheld with congressional fixes coming mostly unfunded and piece-meal causing more problems, the way those served seem to really like it that way as they lay blame on the VA personal!!
Keeping My Oath: USN All Shore '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In Country '70-'71 – Independent**
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