Ex-Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin Says White House Muzzled Him. But, do most Americans care?

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… then there’s the great drive to Privatize our government’s duties, prisons, military, security, veteran services, and so on.

LAUREL WAMSLEY, SCOTT NEUMAN https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/29/597866101/fired-va-secretary-says-white-house-muzzled-him ... "There are many political appointees in the VA that believe that we are moving in the wrong direction or weren't moving fast enough towards privatizing the VA," he said. "I think that it's essential for national security and for the country that we honor our commitment by having a strong VA. I was not against reforming VA, but I was against privatization." Those political forces may be responsible for why Shulkin says he wasn't allowed to speak out to defend himself against an ethics controversy that he says was overhyped and intended to weaken him. ... Shulkin told NPR that all expenses were approved in advance by an internal ethics committee, and that when the Inspector General later didn't like the expenditures, Shulkin wrote a check to the government. "No one's ever mentioned what the purpose of this trip was," he argued. "This was the five allies conference, a trip that the VA secretary has participated in for 43 years with major allies. We had over 40 hours of direct meetings. I gave three separate lectures. This is our one forum where we share how to care for our veterans among all of our allies. ...
The fire hose seems to be working. image source: https://www.sierracollege.edu/ejournals/jsnhb/v2n1/monitors.html

I mean beyond the usual suspects who cares about such things among the general public, were’s the concern or interest.
There’s a disconnect.
We’re all doing kinda okay, don’t rock the boat, hope we can run out the clock, what we don’t know won’t upset us and all that stuff.
And as the politicians say, I Get It.
But we do have but one life and there are fundamental physical realities out here -
meaning there are fundamental TRUTHs,
provisional of course,
but our certainties far, far outweigh the diminishing uncertainties that are freely admitted to and continually studied by scientists.
Seems to me people rather feel more engaged in Hollyworld/advertising fantasy living, than in engaging in the harsh realities that surround us.
Me I’m an Earth Centrist to the core so it does matter to me.
It means a lot that we have given our government over to a den of thieves, and accept it with such general apathy.
I dare say seems to me like the masses are like deer frozen by the headlight beam.

I mean beyond the usual suspects who cares about such things among the general public, were's the concern or interest. There's a disconnect. We're all doing kinda okay, don't rock the boat, hope we can run out the clock, what we don't know won't upset us and all that stuff. And as the politicians say, I Get It. But we do have but one life and there are fundamental physical realities out here - meaning there are fundamental TRUTHs, provisional of course, but our certainties far, far outweigh the diminishing uncertainties that are freely admitted to and continually studied by scientists. Seems to me people rather feel more engaged in Hollyworld/advertising fantasy living, than in engaging in the harsh realities that surround us. Me I'm an Earth Centrist to the core so it does matter to me. It means a lot that we have given our government over to a den of thieves, and accept it with such general apathy. I dare say seems to me like the masses are like deer frozen by the headlight beam.
I think W Bush accidently let the cat out of the bag when after 911 he told everyone the best thing to do was keep shopping (or words to that effect). As long as people are continually dazzled by buying the next "in thing", movies, fashion, etc and consume consume consume, then that's all that's needed to keep them distracted while the likes of the Kochs rob us blind.

The White House strategy has been chaos. For any presidency, a resignation like this would be big news, but they have so many controversies already ongoing, this one is just not newsworthy in comparison. I’m sure we are going to be unraveling their mess for years, and that’s if stop them soon, which is still in question.

Most Liberals seem to care — if only because everything the president does scares them. They don’t care much about veterans in general. Nor do they know anything about veteran/military matters.
Most Conservatives probably aren’t concerned because we are the ones who serve in the military, deal with the VA, and know how it works. We know there is zero evidence of a Trump plan to privatize the VA and the military. We know that isn’t even possible.

Beltane, your cartoonish reduction doesn’t do anything to honestly summarize the difference between “conservative” and “liberal”
Hell, does “conservative” even exist in today’s GOP Beltane? How would you define a conservative?
I don’t know about liberals, but my problem with the military is the HERO WORSHIP and the laughable conceit that our Military action (particularly the never ending nightmare CheneyBush started - has kept our nation safe, or that it helps to spread democracy and civility around the world - in fact quite the opposite - all the progress of the previous half-century got wiped out and its back to warlords and increasing misery - refuge crisis doesn’t come out of nowhere.
Our military has become a tool for profiteers, in a country who’s economic superiority has become dependent on producing machines of war and destruction. It’s simply a waste and distraction from humanity’s real enemy, the terror of an Earth slowly, but inexorable, turning inhospitable to our greedy notions. - oh but I digress.)
I have immense respect for the individuals who’ve gone through the training and created cohesive teams capable of amazing things. That awes the hell outta me, the fat politicians and the oligarch who’ve hired them, for their own avaricious desires, and the insane decisions they make - and the ease with which they destroy people, lives, communities, the future that’s where my stomach starts its cartwheels and my contempt stirs.
Beltane, a cursory search reveals much truth behind this story, although, here like with “conservative” to would be best to define “privatization” before spinning your wheels on the opining.

We know there is zero evidence of a Trump plan to privatize the VA and the military. We know that isn’t even possible.
Does Donald Trump want to privatize the VA? By Linda Qiu on Monday, July 25th, 2016 at 4:35 p.m. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jul/25/tim-kaine/does-donald-trump-want-privatize-va/ This one sort of underscores, how our Russian Obligate says whatever's convenient and comes to mind.
Donald Trump speaking to veterans at Drake University on Jan. 28, 2016, in Des Moines, I.A. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-12-29/trump-floats-va-privatization-despite-opposition-of-veterans-groups PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD Trump appears to be moving towards privatizing the health care for veterans, meeting with hospital executives, including a top contender for secretary of Veterans Affairs, at his estate in Florida on Wednesday. "I've been saying we have to take care of our vets," Trump told reporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago late Wednesday. "We are working on something to make it great for our veterans because they are treated very, very unfairly." Previous efforts to privatize the VA have been broadly opposed by veterans groups, and Trump's hints that he planned to support a public-private option, seen as a major step towards privatization, have set off alarm bells for advocates. ...
Will the Trump Administration Forge Ahead With a Plan to Privatize the VA? by Nancy LeTourneau, March 29, 2018 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/03/29/will-the-trump-administration-forge-ahead-with-a-plan-to-privatize-the-va/ The Washington Monthly has been at the forefront of reporting on attempts to privatize the VA, as was captured in an article by Alicia Mundy titled “The VA Isn’t Broken, Yet" published in the spring 2016 edition of the magazine. Running contrary to what most of the mainstream media had done with the so-called “scandals" at the VA, Mundy documented that they were all the creation of a group that was relatively new to veterans issues, Concerned Veterans of America (CVA).
Nearly the whole of the Republican Party has become more radically antigovernment in recent years. And since the spring of 2014, when headlines started appearing about long wait times and cover-ups at some VA hospitals, a strong narrative has built up, including in the mainstream media, that the system is fundamentally broken… Yet beneath the surface of events, a far different, deeper, and more consequential story is unfolding. The CVA, it turns out, is the creation of David and Charles Koch’s network. The Koch family has famously poured hundreds of millions of dollars into think tanks, candidates, and advocacy groups to advance their libertarian views about the virtues of free markets and the evils of governments and unions. Seldom, however, has one of their investments paid off so spectacularly well as it has on the issue of veterans’ health care. Working through the CVA, and in partnership with key Republicans and corporate medical interests, the Koch brothers’ web of affiliates has succeeded in manufacturing or vastly exaggerating “scandals" at the VA as part of a larger campaign to delegitimize publicly provided health care.
...
More ugly crap leading back to the Koch's, f'n scary as hell. Too bad I don't have the time to add this tidbit to my collection. It's amazing, and Americans have become such easy marks. like stealing candy from babies :down: http://americansforkochsprosperity.blogspot.com
Most Liberals seem to care — if only because everything the president does scares them. They don’t care much about veterans in general. Nor do they know anything about veteran/military matters. Most Conservatives probably aren’t concerned because we are the ones who serve in the military, deal with the VA, and know how it works. We know there is zero evidence of a Trump plan to privatize the VA and the military. We know that isn’t even possible.
Show us the stats that say conservatives serve more in the military. And in any event based on what I've seen over the years, admittedly not scientific, it's usually the liberals that actually do the real work and are awarded appropriately. Versus the conservative chickenhawks who are cowards, know it, but hide behind tough talk. Cheney and Bush come to mind.
Beltane, your cartoonish reduction doesn't do anything to honestly summarize the difference between "conservative" and "liberal" Hell, does "conservative" even exist in today's GOP Beltane? How would you define a conservative? I don't know about liberals, but my problem with the military is the HERO WORSHIP and the laughable conceit that our Military action (particularly the never ending nightmare CheneyBush started - has kept our nation safe, or that it helps to spread democracy and civility around the world - in fact quite the opposite - all the progress of the previous half-century got wiped out and its back to warlords and increasing misery - refuge crisis doesn't come out of nowhere. Our military has become a tool for profiteers, in a country who's economic superiority has become dependent on producing machines of war and destruction. It's simply a waste and distraction from humanity's real enemy, the terror of an Earth slowly, but inexorable, turning inhospitable to our greedy notions. - oh but I digress.) I have immense respect for the individuals who've gone through the training and created cohesive teams capable of amazing things. That awes the hell outta me, the fat politicians and the oligarch who've hired them, for their own avaricious desires, and the insane decisions they make - and the ease with which they destroy people, lives, communities, the future that's where my stomach starts its cartwheels and my contempt stirs. Beltane, a cursory search reveals much truth behind this story, although, here like with "conservative" to would be best to define "privatization" before spinning your wheels on the opining.
We know there is zero evidence of a Trump plan to privatize the VA and the military. We know that isn’t even possible.
Does Donald Trump want to privatize the VA? By Linda Qiu on Monday, July 25th, 2016 at 4:35 p.m. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jul/25/tim-kaine/does-donald-trump-want-privatize-va/ This one sort of underscores, how our Russian Obligate says whatever's convenient and comes to mind.
Donald Trump speaking to veterans at Drake University on Jan. 28, 2016, in Des Moines, I.A. https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-12-29/trump-floats-va-privatization-despite-opposition-of-veterans-groups PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD Trump appears to be moving towards privatizing the health care for veterans, meeting with hospital executives, including a top contender for secretary of Veterans Affairs, at his estate in Florida on Wednesday. "I've been saying we have to take care of our vets," Trump told reporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago late Wednesday. "We are working on something to make it great for our veterans because they are treated very, very unfairly." Previous efforts to privatize the VA have been broadly opposed by veterans groups, and Trump's hints that he planned to support a public-private option, seen as a major step towards privatization, have set off alarm bells for advocates. ...
Will the Trump Administration Forge Ahead With a Plan to Privatize the VA? by Nancy LeTourneau, March 29, 2018 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/03/29/will-the-trump-administration-forge-ahead-with-a-plan-to-privatize-the-va/ The Washington Monthly has been at the forefront of reporting on attempts to privatize the VA, as was captured in an article by Alicia Mundy titled “The VA Isn’t Broken, Yet" published in the spring 2016 edition of the magazine. Running contrary to what most of the mainstream media had done with the so-called “scandals" at the VA, Mundy documented that they were all the creation of a group that was relatively new to veterans issues, Concerned Veterans of America (CVA).
Nearly the whole of the Republican Party has become more radically antigovernment in recent years. And since the spring of 2014, when headlines started appearing about long wait times and cover-ups at some VA hospitals, a strong narrative has built up, including in the mainstream media, that the system is fundamentally broken… Yet beneath the surface of events, a far different, deeper, and more consequential story is unfolding. The CVA, it turns out, is the creation of David and Charles Koch’s network. The Koch family has famously poured hundreds of millions of dollars into think tanks, candidates, and advocacy groups to advance their libertarian views about the virtues of free markets and the evils of governments and unions. Seldom, however, has one of their investments paid off so spectacularly well as it has on the issue of veterans’ health care. Working through the CVA, and in partnership with key Republicans and corporate medical interests, the Koch brothers’ web of affiliates has succeeded in manufacturing or vastly exaggerating “scandals" at the VA as part of a larger campaign to delegitimize publicly provided health care.
...
More ugly crap leading back to the Koch's, f'n scary as hell. Too bad I don't have the time to add this tidbit to my collection. It's amazing, and Americans have become such easy marks. like stealing candy from babies :down: http://americansforkochsprosperity.blogspot.com
You must not read these links before posting them. The politifact link states the accusations of Trump’s supposed privatization plans are false.
Most Liberals seem to care — if only because everything the president does scares them. They don’t care much about veterans in general. Nor do they know anything about veteran/military matters. Most Conservatives probably aren’t concerned because we are the ones who serve in the military, deal with the VA, and know how it works. We know there is zero evidence of a Trump plan to privatize the VA and the military. We know that isn’t even possible.
Show us the stats that say conservatives serve more in the military. And in any event based on what I've seen over the years, admittedly not scientific, it's usually the liberals that actually do the real work and are awarded appropriately. Versus the conservative chickenhawks who are cowards, know it, but hide behind tough talk. Cheney and Bush come to mind.Well I won't call you a liar, but I was in the military for 8 years and the vast majority I served with were either conservative or apolitical. There weren't any straight up liberals. The closest comparison to that would be something like moderate libertarians -- by that I mean people who are social darwinists yet believe strongly in personal freedom and democracy. At any rate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/11/recent-veterans-are-more-republican-than-older-ones-why/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/the-few-republicans-join-military-2-to-1-over-democrats http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/05/does-the-military-vote-really-lean-republican/