A Cheese Souffle and the Observer
60Shame On You
Good morning breakfastpoppers. Today is Thursday, September 30, 2010. Scotty has been on a mission all this week checking out the quality of care given our veterans at VA hospitals across the nation. He wants to discuss some of his findings with us, but first he wants his breakfast. Today Scotty is hankering for a Cheese Souffle. For a guy from outer space he has quite an eclectic palate. For the souffle you will need enough ingredients to serve 4 people. Scotty is ravenous. Gather together 3 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, 4 egg yolks, 4 egg whites and 1/2 cup of your favorite cheese. Scotty likes any kind of cheese. Make a sauce out of the butter, flour, salt and milk. Beat 4 egg yolks into the sauce and add 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture. Place in a baking dish in a shallow pan of water and bake 1/2 hour at 350 degrees. Pack up the souffle and head for my place. Your Bloody Marys await you.
Welcome, my dear friends. I just want to take a few minutes of your precious time to tell you that the people of my planet have always admired the courageous men and women who serve in your armed forces. They are your nation's heroes and I am sorry to have to report that your government is letting them down when it comes to their medical care. Before I begin, I have to say that there are some very fine health facilities in your country that do provide innovative care to your veterans, but I am certain that your government can do a much better job.
I went to Albuquerque, New Mexico this week to attend a backyard barbecue at the Cavalier residence. Your President Barack Obama was in attendance. The Cavalier's son Andrew tried asking Obama a question about the Veteran's Administration. His voice shook and tears sprang into his eyes. Andrew's father is a former marine who has faced many health issues over the years. He has endured countless surgeries and feels that the VA doctors are insensitive to veterans who were suffering from PTSD and other problems. I suppose having the President in your backyard can be rather daunting, so the conversation didn't get very far. The young Cavalier received a hug from your President and was told that his administration has increased funding for VA facilities to address backlogs in services and claims. Your President went on to tell the emotional young man that he too gets emotional when he thinks about the young men and women who have served this country with bravery and courage. I watched your President Obama very carefully when he uttered these words and I must tell you that I did not believe him.
There is no excuse for putting our veterans through any kind of emotional stress in trying to receive treatment for their injuries. There is no excuse for backlogs, brusque doctors and shoddy care. The VA hospitals are owned and managed by the federal government and they have exposied patients to infectious diseases because they were treating these patients with incorrect or improperly sanitized equipment. We are talking about exposing your veterans to HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
At one facility 2,526 veterans were given colonoscopies with equipment that had not been properly sanitized. At another hospital dialysis equipment was compromised because parts that were used were improper. This is just a small sampling of what I discovered and had I been able to, I would have liked to tell your President that hugs may make for a great photo op but it doesn't do a thing to solve the problems rampant in the VA.
Your soldiers deserve better than this. They put themselves on the line day in and day out to protect you. When they return sick and injured they deserve the best care medical science can deliver. In my travels I met an 86 year old grandmother who told me that her grandson who is serving in the army is still awaiting hip surgery after two years. He deserves better. The system is flawed and despite Presidential hugs and backyard barbecues, I don't see that the matter is being addressed in any meaningful way.
This is your government hard at work. This is your government running health care for your military personnel. This is the same government that wants to run your health care. Be afraid, be very, very afraid...POP...
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Pop and Scotty,
I fear you have seen a preview of what we are in for when the Federal Government impliments Health Care Reform for all of us and it's not a pretty picture!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm buying at the bar!!!!!!!!!!
Good morning Sheri.
You're up early! This is so outrageous, so infuriating that I think I need to be sedated. The best Obama can offer this young man is a hug. I feel like screaming. In fact, I am going to scream. See you at the bar. It's pouring like crazy here, but I'll get there even if I have to swim. I' m buying.
I love the souffle, pop, but my stomach turned queazy immediately after reading about the colonoscopies with unsanitized equipment.
It does not matter which hospital it is done. It is unconscionable.
It saddens me that our own men and women who have served the country are subjected to this. There is simply no excuse.
I'll skip the souffle'. Give me the bloody Mary, please.
Good morning Tom,
I agree. Here it comes, long lines, no appointments, distracted doctors, dirty instruments and on and on we go. To the bar. I'm buying too. I'm coming by canoe. It's a monsoon here.
Good morning msorensson,
I think 20 Bloody Marys wouldn't be enough to dull the anger and outrage. This is our federal government hard at work. I think we are all in trouble. Our military personnel should have access to the finest medical care available. No ifs, ands or buts! See you at the bar. I'll swim there if I have to, but I'll get there.
POP and Scotty:
I am so upset, I pounded my fist on the counter, and my souffle fell. What a mess, which brings me to Scotty's adventure at VA Hospitals. This is not a new issue, and yet it has remained this way for years. Our veterans deserve the best. Waiting 2 years for a hip replacement?
WHY? This is inexcusable, and yet, we just allow it. What about the doctors, nurses and other staff who are working in unclean conditions. They know best to what they are subjecting these veterans, and yet they allow it. Disgusting!
I'm off to the bar - want to sit next to Scotty. Save me a seat...
The VA Hospitals system has it's short falls and could be better. I've got examples and suggestions but the over all service I receive from them I'm grateful to have and get, all service has been respectful and with a smile. I have been aboard Navy hospitals like the one in Long Beach California, it is staffed by military personnel, and with nurses being lieutenants and above, we were held to military protocol which sucked, but after my discharge I was no longer under that stress and mam and sir turned to Hey you! The civilian employed VA hospitals are friendly and clean in comparison to 2 civilian hospitals I've had the displeasure to be in. I know experiences run the whole scale and funding is low for a lot of areas. Like prosthetic limbs, you can wait a long time for an up grade to a new model that makes life easier, and then given a power wheel chair to tide you over until they can get you you're request. They just don't tell you that accepting it will move you to the back of the line all over again, because they have provided you with mobility that is expected to last 3 years. Even the people at the VA were unaware that would change ones status from almost there to another few years on the list. It is dollars and cents that set the stage, but it's the same everywhere these days. A friend had cancer localized and maintained in his stomach and had a donor match but was required to pay $25,000.00 up front to be admitted for the procedure, he didn't have it and missed the chance the organ was used for the next match in line, his cancer spread and he died the same year. I have mixed feelings about all of it as 30 years ago every one would have died from lack of knowledge on a transplant like that. I've got a bunch of mechanical nuts, bolts, plates and a mechanical heart valve that ticks as it works, the faster I breath, like walking or splitting wood I hear it get faster and faster. People around me hear it as well, when I stretch out to sleep it's loud and clear. It took some getting used to and realizing that even if I hate the sound if it quits, so do I. So with the people of the "now generation" that wants to live forever and the medical advancements that crop up all the time, costs are soaring to heights no one but the ultra rich can afford. I'm still searching for the "moral ground" in this area, artificially prolonging life, is it a right or a expensive choice, like either buying a used car or a Rolls Royce off the lot of life? I don't know the answer but my guess is all these coll devises are most likely what drives the costs of the whole adventure through the roof. A veteran deserves the best we have to offer, wooden peg legs are from the past and have been replaced by computer driven devices that operate just like the blown up part used to. It is a "don't really have to have it" a peg leg of wood or some type of resin will do, to get one by in mobility, and the cost of the newer rigs one will provide the price for 30 of the older tried and true versions. So what is right when we think of these matters? I've got off track here.
The issue is the feelings and support from capital hill are the break down and barry doesn't care at all to fund bad credit over funding veteran services, so I'm ready for the trip to the inn and get a few Bloody Marys behind me, 50
POP - As a proud Veterans health Administration Employee, I can not argue with the need to do better. But what I must mention here is that one of the good things POTUS has done is put Gen Eric Shinseki in charge of the system. With over 280,000 employees, a 90 Billion Dollar Budget, over 85% of which goes to Veterans Health care. the VA operates over 300 hospitals nation wide and each hospital has several associated outpatient clincs through their are of coverage and they, the outpatient clincs are expanding aggressively.
It should also be noted that the problems you mentioned were discovered by the VA and reported by the VA. The VHA hospitals and clinics undergo the same accreditation and inspection process that you local civilian hospital goes through and by and large passes the inspections with flying colors and takes aggressive action when problems are discovered.
In the
Benefits arena the backlog that was over 180 days in the last two years has been reduced to 134 days and that with more people applying for benefits. It is a topic Gen Shinseki continues to push for improvement in.
I think it is hard for folks to wrap their minds around how big a system and how big the problems are. This is not 8 years of problems being fixed this is 50 years of neglect and failed leadership from every party and every politician at the national level. But like having Gen Petraus in Afghanistan, General Shinseki is the right guy for the job and I am proud to work for him, and serve my brother veterans.
"Know Veterans Know Freedom - No Veterams No Freedom"
I'm looking forward to getting to the Inn so I can tell you more! I'll be sitting next to 50cal...
Dear Pino,
Sorry it took me so long to respond, but I lost my electricity! In any case, dump the souffle and I'll bring mine to share. When you think about it, what is wrong with our medical professionals. The biggest source of infections in hospitals is personnel not washing their hands. There is no excuse for such irresponsible and unsafe behavior. But when we stick the federal government into the mix, things get dramatically worse and our people in the military pay the price. it's disgusting.
See you at the bar. I'm swimming over, but I'll get there.
Good morning 50,
I expected you to jump in with real life experiences and you didn't disappoint me. I am very happy that you have received good treatment with a smile, but I wish it were true for the all the military. I agree there are bad hospitals everywhere, but I have to say that when it comes to the military, we owe them first rate care and anything else is unacceptable. This administration throws money around like it grows on trees. Spend it on the Vets and do some good for a change. See you at the bar. I'm buying, but I may be a bit late. We're in the middle of a monsoon!
Good morning Hmrjmr,
When I wrote this I heard your voice in my ear. Thanks for the info and I have to say it does give me hope that our Vets will be treated better. I keep thinking about the young man who is waiting for treatment way over 134 days. I have a feeling there are a lot more like him, especially with the vast number of soldiers coming home who require care. Thanks for benefiting us with your first hand experience. I'll meet you at the Inn and I'm buying.
Morning POP...
Scotty has touched on just one more of the many instances of governmental incompetence, insensitivity, and outright stupidity directed at our honored veterans...
From inexcusable voting fiasco's, to misplaced burials, to incompetent, shoddy, and untimely medical care, the government continues to slap the faces of these men and women that placed their trust in the sacred duty of this nation to provide those services bought with the sanguinary sacrifices of those that protect the very rights they have been denied...
What the hell does it take to change this continuing bureaucratic nightmare..? We pour millions into foreign aid, mostly without appreciation or benefit, yet our warriors are denied the benefits they have so honorably earned...I don't get it...Beam me up Scotty, before the DOJ puts me away for sedition...Larry
POP and Maven a couple small points to clear up, The 134 day baclog is for benefits like disablility ratings or VA loans etc, not Healthcare. Though in some instances there are waiting lists for things like hospice, Nusing home and homeless and other longer term care, clinical waits are not as long and are based on medical urgency along with patient load etc.
Maven, the recent burial fiasco at Arlington was not VA based Arlington is administered by Dept of Defense, and is the sole exception to the rest of the National Cemeteries which are manged by VA.
Dear maven,
Obviously this is a hot button issue. As I said at the beginning of this piece I don't wish to paint all VA facilities with the brush of incompetence, but to say there is room for improvement is a gross understatement. The system is too big and unwieldy and we have to find a way to provide quality and timely care for our military. We just have to. Funding these hospitals has to be a priority. When I think of the money wasted on idiotic projects like building bridges fro frogs ( I may have made that up) I cringe. See everyone at the bar. I'm buying drinks and dinner!
Dear Hmr,
I think I may have got your blood racing and not because I'm sexy. Sorry!
Scotty
Unfortunately the mere presence of this Charlatan, Barack Hussein Obama was in and of itself enough to increase the stress level of Andrew and his former marine father. If he (Barrack Hussein Obama) showed up in my back yard I would lock the back door and close the blinds!
There is no excuse for putting our veterans through the emotional stress of serving under such a Bogus Commander and Sheik. Every time I witness him giving that charade of a salute I want to puke!
He has given this country a colonoscopy without the use of any anesthesia. What came out of it was his administration and most of their first and second year agenda. No wait, that’s what came out the day before; you know following the drinking of that awful medicine designed to clean you out in preparation for the colonoscopy!
Our soldiers do deserve better than Barrack Hussein Obama!
POP -Bloods not racing, just laying out the facts ma'am...Now as for the other I have to hold myself back cause I like your hubby, he is a lucky guy!
Dear Patriot,
It so obvious that Obama has absolutely no regard for the military. He can't even hide his feelings and I believe the feeling is mutual except that the military is more disciplined than he is. See you at the bar. I'm swimming over, but I'll get there.
Dear Hmr,
I have to say I think your Zena had a good thing going with you.
Good morning POP. Is it coincidence that you wrote on the VA even as I just finished my first exam there? I was in Alb, NM for my first VA exam for disability even as the Idiot in Chief was having his little backyard shannigans in Albuquerque and news of the Idiot's presence in town was rampant.
I was told by the VA guy who was handling all my initial paperwork at home (Colorado) that it would be a couple two to three years before my case would be reviewed. It had been almost a year when I received the first notice of an exam. This movement has been recent. Charlie (the VA guy) says this was way faster than he had expected. This is good. Perhaps this is a reflection of the efforts by Gen Shinseki on which Hammer commented.
My treatment at the hospital was actually not a bad experience in my opinion. I was seen in a timely fashion after arriving on time. I was treated respectfully and things pretty much went bing bang boom and we were out of there. That said, my wife told me last night that she is going to write a hub on our visit. Both of us are veterans and we both were pleasantly surprised by the treatment I received. She contributes largely to my hubs in all fashions and reads many of yours (all of you) so please everyone, receive her nicely when you get 'my' hub on the VA. We are 'two peas in a pod' or 'two poops in a pot', whatever. I'll pay hell for that! (I did it on purpose!)
Pop, thank you for writing this hub and very well written at that but then they always are. Veterans appreciate the kind words of support and the fact that you did the research on this shows us that we are in your heart and I, for one, thank you.
Dear pcoach,
I am very happy your visit went well and I appreciate your support of my article. You will pay heavily for the "2 poops" statement but I think you'll survive. I look forward to reading your wife's hub, so please let me know when it is published. I'll see you and your wife at the bar. I'm buying drinks for all. I feel very privileged to have so many veterans at my breakfast table and I thank each and every one of you for your service.
The lack of medical care has affected the veterans of this nation for a very long time and there is more than enough blame to go around, no matter who the president was or is at a specific time.
Good old Regan closed down many mental care facilities and thousands of veterans ended up on the streets. We are turning a blind eye on the suffering of brave people who served their country and were affected by severe trauma or physical injuries during the Vietnam, Korea and all the other wars. Forgetting those people who have paid such a high price has been a shame and it still is.
I am too ashamed to come to the bar this evening so I suppose I will send a good thought to the veterans that are still anonimous
POP, our priorities need to be evaluated. Our Military should always be top priority!
Afternoon Pop! I do agree that I think our veterans deserve the very best care. And as everyone else has said there are always good experiences and bad experiences...in all healthcare settings. I can't speak much on the VA system as I've not worked in that area, but what I can say is that civilian facilities are slipping fast. We recently lost 350 nurses due to layoffs, yet the hospital continues to build a new heart wing. Not sure how they plan to staff it. Bottom line is EVERYONE's healthcare is in trouble, big trouble. It's not safe for me to carry a load of 6 fresh open hearts on a day to day basis and yet I (and the rest of us) are forced to do so because we're not adequately staffed.
I wish people who backed this healthcare bill could understand the fact that although they may get some coverage now, the quality of care is going to decline because hospitals can't afford to staff adequately. I hate being forced into not giving the level of care that I am able to give simply because I'm running about like a crazy woman just trying to keep basic needs covered.
I'm off on a tangent, but health care in any capacity really gets me going. Rated up!
I am interested in a transplant. I would like a new person transplanted into the white house. The one there now doesn't work. BARTENDER..........
Dear Petra,
This atrocity has been going on a long time, you're right about that. But at this point in history, i can't believe that we can't fix this mess and do the right thing. Some of the care is excellent, but that's not good enough as far as I am concerned. We'll miss you at the bar.
Dear jiberish,
When it comes to prioritizing what is important to us as a nation I believe we are so off base that the road back is way too complicated. How can we throw billions of dollars at AIG and let our veterans be the victims of contaminated medical equipment? See you at the bar. We have so many veterans at the breakfast table that the discussion should be very interesting and informative. See you later. I'm swimming over, but I'll get there.
Dear rkhyclak,
I appreciate your informed comments. I agree that things can only get worse in this country when it comes to health care. I focused on veterans' today but I am certain it would be relatively easy to do the same for the private sector and find the same problems. We all deserve quality health care and our veterans deserve our concern for all they have given to this nation. See you at the bar. I'm buying.
Dear taxlarry,
Thanks so much for the laugh. You have no idea how much I needed it. See you at the bar. I'm buying.
Poppy, our military has long been getting what ObamaCare wants to give to the rest of us and soon. The government could not run a lemonade stand without poisoning someone and now it is being positioned to be the resident authority on healthcare in this country. We truly have an institution run by nuts! And we have to be nuts to have let it happen. Shame on us! WB
I think you know full well how I feel about this Pop - thanks so much for shedding light on this matter. Between our boarders and our military, this administration definitely falls short. And I'm sorry to say, I don't believe Mr. Obama when he says he gets emotional. Thanks Scotty for caring enough to write about this travesty. And please make my Bloody Mary a double...
I don't believe Obama is capable of empathy. I imagine he just liked the chance to put on his act about caring for our troops.
Add some maple syrup too. I love backyard barbecues.:)
Right on Pop, you hit the nail on the head. The military does need to be takin care of much better and given more pay.
Good morning Wayne,
It's true the inmates are finally running the asylum. I wish we would have woken up sooner! There is no excuse for the kind of "mistakes" that were made at some of the VA hospitals. Our soldiers give so much to our country, the least they can expect is quality health care.
Good morning cjv,
As a proud military wife, I am quite sure you know more about this problem than anyone. As I said, I know there are some very fine VA facilities out there, but the bad ones can't be tolerated. Enough is enough. Just fix the problem.
Good morning sheila,
The thing about Obama is that he really doesn't feel "emotional" about anything and it shows. I think he has already proven that he is completely uninterested in our military.
This is one aspect of the health care bill people don't get. The VA has always been dismal at best in how it is run. Being a military brat, and having served myself, I've been in many military hospitals in my life, and none of them ever seemed great to me. You could sit for hours on end in the ER, for example. In a few years we could see our regular hospitals transformed into zombie mills.
You are spot on Pop. Our soldiers are the very ones who secure our freedom and they should be treated as such. I also agree with you that Obama's sorrowful words regarding America's soldiers are just that. Words.
Dear hubpageswriter,
No need for maple syrup, the sweet, overly sweet stuff, was pouring out of the President during his hug.
Dear zzron,
Our soldiers deserve the very best. They are out there for us, protecting us and we owe them respect and quality health care, at the very least.
Good morning Springboard,
Thanks so much for your input. There are a surprising number of veterans who come to breakfast each morning and each one has experiences with the VA that range from excellent to so-so. Just so-so or worse is unacceptable and it is high time we addressed this problem and solved it. Sadly, in my view, we will all be victims of inadequate medical care very soon. Our soldiers deserve better, we all deserve better.
Wow, there are some really great comments on this thread, a lot to think about and absorb. First of all, I would like to say thank you to 50cal and Hmrjmr (and anyone else who commented that has served our country). I know I've said it before, but there are never enough thank yous for what you have done, seen, and sacrificed. Secondly, I would like to say that absolutely no on in one of the world's wealthiest and most advanced countries should EVER be subjected to care that involves being treated with unsanitary tools or being unnecessarily exposed to threatening illnesses. No one. I believe the part of the doctor's creed "First do no harm" has been long forgotten. I do also believe that veterans should get the absolute best health care we can offer, and I do think this is a sign of what ObamaCare will bring to the table. I read an article yesterday that mentioned McDonald's is cutting its health insurance for employees because under the new ruled it can't afford it. Hmmm, funny, I thought that's what all of us crazy, right wing nutjobs said would happen? (Oh that's right, they weren't listening). The next point I would like to make, before my head completely spins on its axis, is that 50cal makes a great point in mentioning the technology and rapid advancements that are contributing to the backlog and expense. However, I for one, blame insurance companies for a health care system that only the wealthy can now afford. I have no insurance (can't afford it), do not qualify for benefits (because I make too much), so if I get sick.....I'm screwed. And I know there are MILLIONS of those "stuck in the middle" Americans just like me. The insurance industry is largely to blame. When a critical patient is being discharged 24 hours after a major surgery and later dies because of an infection that would have been caught if she had still been getting medical care, I blame the insurance industry that MANDATED she be discharged.
Phew......ok, I think I better have some souffle and a bloody mary, after all, I can't afford to have a stroke!
Great hub as always BPOP and I love the engaged, intelligent beings who comment on your work!
Good morning BP, great topic and time that changes were made for our wonderful men and women of the armed forces. It is an absolute disgrace the way these politicians throw money around for any reason they deem necessary. Where is the gratitude and proper care that ALL servicemen and women so rightly deserve?. If it weren't for these brave young people, the poly's wouldn't even have a country to Govern.
Blessings and peace
Dear sunflowerbucky,
I too echo your sentiments about the brave and courageous men and women who have served and are now serving our country. Many of those proud veterans are breakfastpoppers and it is a privilege to know them. I too blame the insurance companies. They make decisions with the bottom line in mind and not the patient. I have always thought of them as a kind of Mafia. Having said that, the federal government should clean up their act, step up to the plate and fix whatever is ailing the VA system. No system is perfect, but a hospital that uses dirty instruments is beyond the pale. I'm glad you popped in for breakfast. I've missed the pleasure of your company.
Dear loves to read,
You are right there is no excuse for not fixing the problems that ail the VA. With Obama tossing billions down the drain, think how much good could have been accomplished if more of it went to the VA. We have critical issues facing our country and now is not the time to fund idiotic projects that produce nothing.
I have a suggestion. Since Congress lives off of the taxpayers, insist that they use the VA facilities for their own medical care, especially since many of them are veterans. That will get the situation cleaned up.
Can't really add much that hasn't been said. Fight to win, or bring em home. And when they DO come home injured, they should have the very best care available. Great hub.
Dear Wife Who Saves,
That's a great idea. In fact Congress should be subjected to all the things they shove on us. There is a bill floating around that calls for that exact thing.
Dear Stan,
That's as it should be. Now I would like to see it actually happen.
SheriSapp Level 3 Commenter 20 months ago
Damn straight our soldiers deserve better. In fact, they deserve the very BEST, and it SHOULD be paid for by the nation they volunteered to serve!! Instead, BO wants to assure healthcare for the slackers of the country, those who have no interest whatsoever in helping themselves; meanwhile, the vets, the seniors, and the working foks just get higher premiums, poorer coverage, and higher taxes!!