Monday, March 12, 2007

WWC: No Time to Waste

So now we are looking at the Army's decision to privatize building maintenance and support at Walter Reed with IAP, a contractor with connections to Bush and Halliburton. This after Army auditors, in 2004, refused estimates by the Army that said it would have been more cost-effective to keep the service in-house. They were directed to come back with a more appropriate bid which called for 23 additional staff and another $16 million to their cost. As a result, the White House's Office of Management and Budget pressured the Army to privatize. What the heck is with that? So here we are. Who loses? Our veterans.

In the mean time, Bush has ordered a "comprehensive review" of government hospitals which are now overwhelmed with injured troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The commission will be led by Bob Dole and Donna Shalala. Shalala said yesterday that "(Soldiers) don't have time to waste while we debate who's responsible here. They want that care now, and they want it to be of the highest quality."

I agree. Kind of.
I want quality care for our troops, now.
Then I want to know who is responsible this mess.

Courtesy of Odd Mix, the words are Steadfast and Gracious.

Our government has not been very gracious
in their care of those who have remained steadfast.

13 Comments:

Blogger Jay said...

The thing at Walter Reed just pisses me off. These are the people who preach to us how much they support the troops. What a load of bull!

Great pics!

9:51 PM  
Blogger Cazzie!!! said...

I love those memorial statues!!

2:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a big fuss going on here in the UK about the poor treatmnet of our wounded troops, but I was surprised when I read about what was happening in the USA, as I always thought that US veterans were well looked after.

10:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

just wanted to say hi and pop by your blog will catch up with all the goss very soon.

10:17 AM  
Blogger daddy d said...

Yes all people should have proper health care PERIOD It is only right on so many levels. It is good for the needed and it is good for business. Lets do the right thing, now!

6:50 PM  
Blogger lennarcares@lennar.com said...

President Bush’s recent appointment of Dr. Donna Shalala to the commission investigating problems with our military and veteran hospitals is a poor decision, and will result in more pain and trouble for the system.

Dr. Shalala sits on the Board of Directors of Lennar Corporation, the nation's third largest home builder. In this position, she has influence over the actions of Lennar Corporation. As noted on our website www.DefectiveHomes.org Lennar Corporation has grave issues with building and delivery of defective homes nationwide. In fact, here in Florida a man was electrocuted in a new Lennar home that had just received an inspection. Dr. Shalala refuses to address these issues, as Lennar Corporation turns the American Dream into the American Nightmare for thousands of American. Clear evidence of Lennar's defective homes is documented at www.DefectiveHomes.org and many other websites.

As a Board Member, Shalala is compensated by Lennar Corporation, and the University of Miami received a $100 million donation from the Miller family to rename the medical school to the Leonard Miller School of Medicine. Stuart Miller is the CEO of Lennar Corporation. It becomes clear that Shalala puts personal financial gain and recognition over the interests of American homeowners. She will do the same in her position on the President's commission to investigate our nation's military and veteran hospitals.

It is interesting to note that Shalala is teamed up with Senator Bob Dole on this project. Senator Dole's wife, when she was on the Federal Trade Commission, made the following comments in a speech: " . . . for too many Americans, the dream home has turned into a nightmare. You know as well as I do that as families move into their own little Garden of Eden, more and more are finding the apple full of worms. As a result, some homebuyers believe they are being bilked for thousands of dollars, and they are expressing not only anguish but outrage. Shoddy building practices can be concealed from many purchasers who cannot be expected to have the technical expertise to evaluate the structural soundness of a home or the quality of electrical, plumbing, or air conditioning systems…The patience of the American consumer is rapidly running out. . . . Consumers are demanding more protection from the government, not LESS. The consumer movement is no longer made up of small bands of activists with no troops standing behind them; the consumer movement is now part of our culture – it embraces every one of us. And it will not be denied over an issue so fundamental as decent housing . . ."

This statement was made in 1979, but nothing has changed, and Shalala's position on the Board of Lennar has demonstrated her lack of empathy and respect for the American public. President Bush should clearly remove her from her current appointment on the commission to address problems in our military and veteran hospitals.

Open letter to President Bush – http://www.Lennar-Homes.info/shalala

Dr. Shalala has far too much on her plate, and her interests are for personal gain and recognition . . . not veterans, active military, or homeowners with defective Lennar homes.

Mike Morgan

12:27 PM  
Blogger Tink said...

Beautiful pictures. Perfect use of the words. I'm so sick of this war. I'm sick of the "cause" and the needless deaths. I'm sick of worrying that Hoop's brother is going to be deported.

2:50 PM  
Blogger Nessa said...

It's just one mess after another with this administration. It's terrible. I'm with you. Fix it now.

6:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's shameful what a mess has been made of our country and what has happened to those poor soldiers.

Perfect use of the words.

11:39 PM  
Blogger Maya's Granny said...

Our troops are the greatest sufferers in this privatization debacle. Others who have suffered are the original employees who lost their jobs and the employees of the private firms who are paid less and have fewer benefits. Privatization is not about saving money -- it is about giving money to big business.

6:48 PM  
Blogger debi said...

I clicked on your link and read the Washington Post article.I am speechless.I am ashamed. I am pissed off. It breaks my heart.

12:33 AM  
Blogger Molly said...

We send our soldiers away to fight in this war without end; then, we do a poor job of taking care of the wounded soldiers. I do not know the answer. However, I hope that soon we will bring the troops home so that there are fewer wounded to care for in our hospitals. Furthermore; we need to step-up and take care of those steadfast soldiers.

4:41 PM  
Blogger Ginnie said...

Will it never end? It's just one mess after another with this administration and still they continue to favor their "buddies". Big business is the only winner and we poor peons suffer too.

6:32 PM  

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