Tuesday, May 13, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
VA Scandal A Preview Of Obamacare’s Future
Everyone should be paying attention to the VA scandal. Not only is the disgraceful treatment of our veterans a national outrage, but it offers us a potential glimpse into the future of Obamacare.
Dr. Richard Krugman, the former associate chief of staff at the Veterans Affairs health care system in Harlingen, Texas, is among the growing number of whistleblowers at VA facilities to allege that poor treatment led to unnecessary deaths. Dr. Krugman specifically cited a cost-cutting policy limiting colonoscopies.
“By the time that you do the colonoscopies on these patients, you went from a stage 1 to a stage 4 [colorectal cancer], which is basically inoperable,” Dr. Krugman told the Washington Examiner. “That was done because of dollars and cents. For the VA, they have to be bleeding out of their rectum before they would authorize a colonoscopy. That was the standard of care.”
The VA was rationing the health care of our heroes.
If a private insurance company denies a procedure, there are multiple options to address the situation — from the appeals process to public pressure. But as anyone who has had the misfortune of dealing with the IRS knows, it’s an entirely different situation when you are dealing with the government bureaucracy.
As the government takes over more and more of our health care industry and as the debt grows and resources become scarce, it is easy to see how the problems that now plague the VA will only grow and affect us all.
Cultural Tyranny
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about “The Kiss.” Perhaps you saw Michael Sam kiss his boyfriend on ESPN during the NFL draft. If not, you need to. And then you need applaud, post a picture of it on your Facebook page and retweet it. Then tell all your kids and all your friends and family members just how wonderful it was. Of course, I’m being sarcastic, but that seems to be what the left is demanding from all of us.
One NFL player who didn’t celebrate the kiss was Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones. Worse, he committed the “sin” of expressing his opinion about it, tweeting “OMG” and “Horrible.” The tyrants of tolerance came down on Jones like a ton of bricks.
Of course, they aren’t really tolerant at all. If they were, they would tolerate the right of everyone to express their opinion — including Don Jones.
Within 24 hours, Jones deleted the tweets, apologized and expressed his regret for his “inappropriate comments,” and then wished Sam “all the best in his NFL career.” I suspect Jones’ letter of apology was written for him and that he was told to sign it or else. But that wasn’t all. Jones was fined and banned from Dolphins events until he finishes reeducation training. Chairman Mao would be impressed.
The effort to drive normalcy into the closet is in overdrive. In five short years, we have gone from a country where the vast majority of states upheld marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the point where expressing this belief can cost you your job, Christians are being forced to participate in same-sex weddings and professional athletes are being forced to celebrate homosexuality.
Welcome To “Modern Military”
It’s not just the NFL that is being subjected to cultural tyranny. For decades, the left has sought to remake the American military in its image, and it is largely succeeding.
Open homosexuality is now permitted and, not surprisingly, the Pentagon is grappling with a growing number of sexual assaults against men. Having broken down that barrier, the left’s cultural warriors are preparing their next move.
During an appearance Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was asked whether transgendered individuals should be allowed to serve in the military. Hagel said that the military’s policy should be “continually reviewed,” and added, “I’m open to that, by the way. I’m open to those assessments.”
Meanwhile, a humanist group is petitioning the Pentagon to appoint atheist chaplains. Yes, you read that correctly — atheist chaplains. Last year the House of Representatives voted down a bill seeking to allow the Pentagon to hire individuals who were “certified or ordained as secular humanists and ethical culturists or atheists” as chaplains.
I don’t know how you become an “ordained atheist,” but evidently the left has figured it out. Now they want you to pay for it.
Transgendered soldiers and atheist chaplains. Welcome to our “modern military.”
Black Mass Update
It’s not exactly clear why, but the black mass that was supposed to take place last night at Harvard University’s Memorial Hall was moved off campus. The Harvard Extension School’s Cultural Studies Club reportedly dropped its sponsorship late yesterday afternoon, claiming that “misinterpretations about the nature of the event were harming perceptions about Harvard and adversely impacting the student community.”
The club claims that Harvard did not force it to cancel the event. But at the last minute a dispute arose over the availability of the location and the club was unable to find another venue on campus. The satanic ritual still took place, however, at a Chinese restaurant across the street.
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