Does McCain REALLY care about the troops? Seriously doubt that. They're just fodder for the war machine and a burden when they get wounded.

Those veterans had better stand up to these phony wars if they want anything. Frankly, it doesn't matter if Mccain or Obama becomes president next year the way they're pandering these past two years. Oops, I forgot, many veterans having become Limbaugh-ized ZOMBIES ! Sad !

Obama has recieved six times more in contributions from deployed overseas troops than mccain. Is the MSM reporting this? Is it mentioned in obama's ads?

Egad! Not just underfund the VA but to destroy it entirely.
This guy is more of a 'slash and burn' Neocon that Darth Cheney.

If we had a decent non-profit health care system that was open to all, (single payer) this might not be a bad idea. Health care costs would be contained, and vets could go to any hospital for care--any doctor for care--any pharmacy for their prescriptions -- The VA system would pay the providers and the costs of operating the VA system would be lessened. But with the broken system we have now, no health care provider would accept the vets. It would have to be like Medicare, but better. The VA currently negotiates for the best drug prices; Medicare has no power to negotiate due to the lousy system we have that made sure that insurance companies and big pharma continue to reap obscene profits. When are our so called leading dems going to get smart and quit talking about helping people find affordable health insurance? Do what works in every other modern nation in the world and provide universal care. DK Blake

As a senior who learned about Medicare before privatization, while taking care of a parent, and as a Medicare recipient after privatization, I'd say veterans should be very worried.

He doesn't care about the troops. The system doesn't care about the troops and hasn't since at least WWII. Instead of an army which operates as an arm of the government, we have 1.5 million contractors - which we are striving to strip of job benefits. It boils down to this:

When a private company looks to reduce its overhead, the first thing it does is reduce the benefits offered to employees. If that's not sufficient, it fires people then replaces them with people who will work more for less pay. When that doesn't work, it switches to subcontractors who must bid each other down to the lowest price - and aren't contractually granted any benefits.

Apply this model to our military and suddenly all of its ills make perfect sense.

The Pentagon has made it a habit to deceitfully deny thousands of veterans their benefits from service, medically and financially. In fact, one can argue that they've intentionally underfunded the VA program since the 1970s. If you look at pay rates for soldiers adjusted for inflation - they make less than soldiers of previous wars - yet are redeployed up to 5 or 6 times. More work, less pay. Now take a look at what they did for the Iraq/Afghan war - hired hundreds of thousands of mercenaries; contracted killers. Uncle Sam doesn't owe Blackwater mercs a goddamn thing in terms of health benefits or low-cost loans to re-establish themselves as regular members of society when they return from war.

What we essentially have is the ongoing privatization of our military. This is something which we will come to regret as we move toward a time of increased global conflict due to scarcity of resources. I see this as nothing short of intentional because as we face future battles, our military as a private sector is held to lower standards of accountability than a public one. It also fits the model of other major industries such as the financial one; privatize the profit, make the risk public. We saw this in the form of taxpayer bailouts for private sector ineptitude, greed, and failure.

This is the course our government is charting in all its sectors and it essentially amounts to a private government that answers to no one. Oligarchy and fascism in place of democracy and sound social policy. The founding fathers' nightmare is upon us and most people are entirely unaware, even supportive of it. Truly shameful.

The new comment system sucks by the way.

No posts over 250 words? Come on now...

The new comment system sucks by the way.

No posts over 250 words? Come on now...

And why not privatized health care -- we have a privatized government dedicated to privatized interests don't we?

Another idiot ideologue.

Arise
one other point, the US Gov is not on the hook if a private army does war crimes.

It sure is a sorry state America is in when the only jobs are Wal Mart or the military but the WH has a new job creation program a private army.

desertdweller

For those of us living in Arizona this is simply more of the same old McCain. The local VA hospital, Carl Hayden Medical Center, is a prime example of the neglect and indifference of Arizona's two senators, McCain and Kyl. While both are loud and brassy "Suuport the Troops" speakers, their actions [or inaction] show their true colors.

It might also interest people that one of McCain's former top legislative aides was the head of Tri-Care until recently, which provided HMO-type service to military dependents. The program was famous for helpling make retired generals and admirals wealthy while military families went without basic healthcare necessities.

Feudalism

I heard a clip of that statement. And I heard the veterans in attendance cheer wildly. Wasn't it stupid enough to get sucked into Korea and Nam? There's really no cure for that level of dumbth. Very sad. America will once again get the president it deserves.

Art: the most dangerous gateway drug of all. Go cold turkey or turn in your parents at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Trailer/8989
We can ALL live without ART!

If Obama does not jump on this as a portrayal of the total hypocrisy of McCain and the Republican party on their "support the troops" horsesh!t, he is a complete fool.

The 100 years of war is already costing too much, and the health system cannot afford the lifetime of multiple disabilities in Vets that has already been incurred.

Since the private system runs at profit for multiple profit takers, the VA card will either push the costs up, or to keep costs down, push the standard of care down. The next step is for the VA card to only authorize payment for certain sorts of treatment.

Prevention is much, much better than a lifetime of cost and non-cure.

Obama has proposed that vets should be able to get health care anywhere, just by presenting their cards.

But of course, again, there's no difference between him and McCain, right?

If you're not prepared to care properly for troops after they're wounded, then DON'T SEND THEM TO WAR!

McCain's foreign policy beliefs openly promise more and longer wars in order to ensure protection of US Empire interests. This reveals right off the bat a broken moral compass. And what better way for such an amoral man to help finance those wars, than by cutting VA health care costs for those who fight them?

Privatizing vets health care will result in:
...fragmentation of comprehensive treatments due to vets need for random access doctor shopping
...higher out of pocket expenses for vets whose vouchers fail to cover novel or extended treatments (watch voucher coverage shrink if enacted)
...hamstringing of centralized epidemological data collection about patterns of troop vulnerabilities to, and injuries from, theatre-specific weapons, toxins and psychological stresses
...no practical way of enforcing uniform care standards
...federal budgetary $billions freed-up for more weapons development and payoffs to military industries

McCain wants everyone to believe he cares about veterans.
But is VA privitization plan is really about protecting Empire as cheaply as possible.

The FBI and OIG-DHHS already have their hands full detecting and prosecuting fraud for Medicare and Medicaid claims by healthcare industry gamers.

Insurance companies' efforts to deter fraud and abuse for private sector healthcare purchasers are paltry at best. God forbid they should upset outlier healthcare providers by expelling them from their networks or launching criminal investigations.

Apparently, McCain is oblivious to the havoc that several hundred thousand more opportunities for some providers to game the system would wreak on the administrative and monitoring apparatus as it currently exists.

The VA works because it is devoid of third party payers, has no competitors siphoning funds from patient care for their own benefit, provides fair compensation to healthcare providers, utilizes centralized bulk purchasing of materials and supplies, and eliminates the abuses and waste of the private insurance non-system. It simply doesn't have a built-in cycle of enrichment proliferation for providers and other interests operative within it. Private sector healthcare is by far the most parasitic and wasteful.

Massive economies of scale are realized by the current VA system that would be erased by moving veterans to the private sector for 'routine health care'.

McSame can't figure out how many homes he owns. He has admitted to being light on economics. How can anybody expect him to effectively address the complexities inherent in healthcare delivery and finance?

This from a man who could fund at least one V.A. Hospital for a year out of his pocket.

Scratch Open A Cynic And You Will Find An Angry Idealist.

This is just a set up for school vouchers. Set precedent to help "support the troops," then when the time comes the govorporation could start funneling more money to religions & their schools via the voucher system.

Amazing how our senate, representatives, president and vice president aren't being mentioned in this change.

It appears anyone out of the special click will be deregulated up to their eyeballs. Seems the gop hate the idea that we get a break. After all it's our money.

Facts makes the best weapons against Lies.

I wish Obama would start putting out that information about McCain and how he doesn't support the troops by his voting record. McCain voted against the GI Bill because he didn't want to give them benefit of college after only three years of service because they would leave but there would be more that might sign up because of that benefit. McCain tells how he was a POW over and over and tells the same stories and after awhile it is sickening to listen to. He definitely exploits himself. I think people will get tired of it. I know veterns that have fought in wars. Does that make them ready to be President too? John Kerry was in the VietNam war and had military experience but the Republicans did everything they could to crucify him. I think if Kerry had been elected, we'd would not still be in the mess we are now.

Applaud most comments here.

Study McCain and you will find a globalization neocon who agrees with Grover Norquist's 'drown guvment in the bathtub' theory. Destroy the Commons.

That he would extend this Perversity to health care for damaged soldiers given the history here, tells me that he is utterly deluded. How does he think that FDR won WWII? The U.S. military is the most Socialistic institution in the government other than Social Security, BECAUSE IT WORKS.

What most Americans do not understand is that most governmental jurisdictions from the top to the bottom have been privatized for many decades. For example, most municipalities do not pave their own roads; they hire a private contractor to pave their roads. And when they "upgrade" sewerage systems, these are financed and constructed by private entities contracted by local governments. In such cases, which are the majority of cases in the United States, private firms are enabled by government, and benefit thereby.

The VA model is under attack. Most other models probably are more corrupt, including the models I have describd above.

History is a bitch yet we need to study her. Wars are lost by the ignorant.

-30-

Applaud most comments here.

Study McCain and you will find a globalization neocon who agrees with Grover Norquist's 'drown guvment in the bathtub' theory. Destroy the Commons.

That he would extend this Perversity to health care for damaged soldiers given the history here, tells me that he is utterly deluded. How does he think that FDR won WWII? The U.S. military is the most Socialistic institution in the government other than Social Security, BECAUSE IT WORKS.

What most Americans do not understand is that most governmental jurisdictions from the top to the bottom have been privatized for many decades. For example, most municipalities do not pave their own roads; they hire a private contractor to pave their roads. And when they "upgrade" sewerage systems, these are financed and constructed by private entities contracted by local governments. In such cases, which are the majority of cases in the United States, private firms are enabled by government, and benefit thereby.

The VA model is under attack. Most other models probably are more corrupt, including the models I have describd above.

History is a bitch yet we need to study her. Wars are lost by the ignorant.

-30-

The right wing by ideological definition cannot propose a thing that makes sense. The VA is not the only example of a socialist healthcare system that greatly outperforms the capitalist system. There is also Medicare/Medicaid in the USA. And there are many socialist healthcare programs in other countries. Cuba's stands out as the greatest value of all.

Let us remember that both candidates are wedded to private health care, whether military or civilian. Obama, as has been noted, favors health cards for vets allowing them to be seen by private physicians, a plan not much different than McCain's in practice. Both health care plans for the rest of us are equally exclusive, both leave many millions sans care at all. Is it not time to insist that our legislators and leaders recognise and support the social contract betwen our government and ourselves?

I add my voice to the chorus of those who think a 250 word limit is handicapping and unnecesary.

We see things, not as they are, but as we are.
Anais Nin

Now that the financial sector has weakened the MIC is being used as a bulwark for economic activity. The ideas of imperialism, permanent war, world dominion, and MIC investment and manufacturing fit well together in a mesh of policies designed to serve the interests of wealth and privilege. John McCain is a willing partner in these policies and is immune from the hardships and realities thrust upon the rest of us resulting from these policies. Perpetual war without the financial burdens of caring properly for injured veterans is very appealing to McCain and works to sustain his position of wealth and privilege.

CQ from Maine: One more reason not to vote for the -- ah-- for the veteran?