Green energy gets the green light while people that served our country with honor have to wait in line, dying while waiting.
For example, does anyone other than Eco-zealots give a flying f about having solar car ports at the VA?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at its Phoenix Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, plans to install a 3.003-megawatt (MW) DC solar electric system. This project will expand a 630-kW carport system currently under construction by SunWize Systems at the site.
It seems to me that the VA has failed their primary mission, and in a spectacularly bad way. Nobody other than eco-zealots gives a rats-ass if your office is sustainable – but they DO want you to adhere to your primary mission take care of veterans. The word “shameful” doesn’t begin to describe the FUBAR at the VA. – Anthony
From the Washington Times Opinion Section:
The administrators at the Veterans Administration have apparently been busy while old soldiers waited to see a doctor, after all. Serving those who served is not necessarily a priority, but saving the planet is Job 1. Solar panels and windmills can be more important than the touch of a healing hand.
The department early on set up an Office of Green Management Programs designed to “help VA facilities nationwide recognize opportunities to green VA, and to reward innovative ‘green’ practices and efforts by individual facilities and staff within the VA.” This sometimes means paying more attention to greening the department and saving the polar ice caps than to health care.
In the department’s words, it adopted a far more important mission to “become more energy efficient and sustainable, focusing primarily on renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, [carbon-dioxide] emissions reduction, and sustainable buildings.”
Obama saved the planet but killed the people who defended it. SAD 🙁
Maybe the administrators at the VA should themselves be ‘vetted’. My favoured procedure is the use of two house-bricks. It doesn’t hurt, unless you catch your thumbs! (Brit joke).
We need a special prosecutor instead of Holder for the VA scandal and lost emails at IRS.
Umm, now hold on a minute, here… Didn’t the Algore win the peace prize because his effort to bring the catastrophe that is global warming to forefront of our collective consciousness prevented certain global suffering and war?? We all know that’s true. Therefore, those solar car charging stations probably saved the lives thousands of future soldiers. My God! Those soldiers haven’t even been born yet, and you deniers want them to die? They’re just children! Shame on you! It’s only $20 million. So what if we have to sacrifice a few old soldiers whose usefulness to the state is withering. I mean, we’re saving children from the horrors of 0.4 degrees, and the violent post-apocalyptic world that will result. The collective… er, I mean, the children of the future need us! Praise Mother Gaia! Excelsior!
I thought their primary goal was “Muslim outreach.” No wait, that’s NASA.
http://www.space.com/8725-nasa-chief-bolden-muslim-remark-al-jazeera-stir.html
It is not even eco-friendly.
Imagine how many tress could have been planted in the space those solar panels occupy. And the output does not reach a MWatt.
I cannot criticize the government’s efforts over the past 2 decades to upgrade VA facilities. It was sorely needed. I worked in an old facility before it was torn down and replaced. The old facility was horrible. Just horrible. But the greening crap is another story will not pay dividends in the long haul as these systems will need replacement sooner than a good electrical panel and wiring feeding off of standard sourced electricity will. Any boost they get off their electricity bill from solar or wind is short term only.
As for the medical care, I’ve been up close and personal with it, even providing some of it. The doctors and nurses are among the best with few exceptions. And some of their research has been sea-changing in terms of medical care in general. In addition, and even more importantly, when a veteran receives good service, he/she becomes a life-long grateful champion of VA care. Why would anyone screw with that?
The only times I felt that the doctors and nurses were part of the problem was when they stepped outside what they were good at and did, for example, research, or visa versa, or rose to administration. Of the many that were good at all these things or some combination of them, a few were not good and should have stuck to just the one they were good at.
It is the bureaucracy and the politicians on guard duty that let this happen that need a complete overhaul.
become more energy efficient and sustainable,
VA Managers, by taking focus away from your primary mission, you have endangered your own sustainability. Whether the VA itself sustains beyond this crisis, you the managers should be terminated forthwith.
I’m not even going to ask “How much money did you save by your increased energy efficiency.” Spend a dollar to save a penny…. all in a government’s day’s work.
It still does. The problem isn’t with the quality of care, it is with the difficulty of access. People wait months to get in to see somebody. The people they see are often top shelf and committed, but — there are a LOT of veterans, and it has been hard for them to keep up with the demand.
rgb
@ResourceGuy at 11:50 am
We need a special prosecutor instead of Holder for the VA scandal and lost emails at IRS.
Name one Special Prosecutor that was worth the time, other than Archibald Cox?
What we really need are Constitutional Amendments that
1. make the Attorney General serve at the pleasure of Congress, not the President.
2. make the holders of all Executive Offices subject to confirmation by the Senate subject to yearly renewal of appointments.
Perhaps we need more than one Department of Justice. Who watches the Watchers? This would in fact serve the purpose of Special Prosecutor, but one permanently established that would have a quicker rise time with members already cleared for security. Think of it as a “Delta Force” compared to the DOJ’s Army.
mpainter says:
June 20, 2014 at 9:36 am
As a veteran I can say that your statement is absolutely false. Until recently VA healthcare has been the best available. Unfortunately bureaucracy has taken it’s toll. Below is from Business Week 2006
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According to a Rand Corp. study, the VA system provides two-thirds of the care recommended by such standards bodies as the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Far from perfect, granted — but the nation’s private-sector hospitals provide only 50%. And while studies show that 3% to 8% of the nation’s prescriptions are filled erroneously, the VA’s prescription accuracy rate is greater than 99.997%, a level most hospitals only dream about. That’s largely because the VA has by far the most advanced computerized medical-records system in the U.S. And for the past six years the VA has outranked private-sector hospitals on patient satisfaction in an annual consumer survey conducted by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan. This keeps happening despite the fact that the VA spends an average of $5,000 per patient, vs. the national average of $6,300….
Instead, the VA was reinvented in every way possible. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer, then the VA’s Health Under Secretary, installed the most extensive electronic medical-records system in the U.S. Kizer also decentralized decision-making, closed underused hospitals, reallocated resources, and most critically, instituted a culture of accountability and quality measurements. “Our whole motivation was to make the system work for the patient,” says Kizer, now director of the National Quality Forum, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health care. “We did a top-to-bottom makeover with that goal always in mind.” ….
Not having to rely on piecemeal insurance payments means the VA can finance large-scale improvements such as the electronic medical-records system, up and running in all of its facilities since 2000. In contrast, only some 20% of civilian hospitals have computerized their patient records. Because the VA is a nationwide health-care system, its electronic network is national, which means all of its facilities can share data. When hospitals were evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, the VA’s patients were the only ones whose medical records could be accessed immediately anywhere in the country.
I use the VA system and have had excellent care so far except for wait times. I understand that there are many many patients and too few medical personnel. If I need non emergency treatment and can afford it, I use local private physicians. One reason is that the VA hospital in my region is 75 miles north, and my assigned VA primary clinic is 52 miles south. Most of the staff I run into are veterans or family members of veterans and have that sense of family. It is amazing that the many of the staff who are neither just don’t seem to care as much. Surely the political appointments of administrators fall into the latter category and are one of the main causes of these problems.
rgbatduke says:
…
“The people they see are often top shelf and committed, but — there are a LOT of veterans, and it has been hard for them to keep up with the demand.”
—
The VA budget has increased faster than the increase in veterans, so I’m not sure why they couldn’t keep up if they wanted to. One clue comes from a VA doctor who became a whistleblower. He said he tried to treat veterans who were in immediate need of surgery, but he could not schedule an operating room past 2:30 PM. And sometimes, when he had a room scheduled in the afternoon, they would closed down early. He would have to send his patient back after having them prepped and ready to go. Others have testified that doctors at some VA facilities refused to take more than 2 or 3 patients in the afternoon so they could leave early. (Apparently, Obama isn’t the only one who likes to golf.)
When you can’t fire people for not doing their job, no amount of money will solve the problem. Hiring more healthcare workers will just allow them to knock off work even earlier in the day or not show up at all if the union can protect them and no one can be fired. There has to be accountability at the VA or the problems will only get worse.
I smell a spin. I’ve heard this 7.6 million lbs blah blah blah quote before. Who figures the reduction in emissions? Is there one company that is providing these statistics? Do they have a list of things you can do to reduce your emission by 7.6 million lbs?
Here is the reduction statement from the VA article:
“The completed installation is expected to generate over 5.7 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually. This reduction in energy demand from the electric grid is equivalent to the reduction of more than 7.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually.”
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/10/14/phoenix-va-med-center-plans-largest-solar-carport-installation/
Here is one from an e-commuter article:
C. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduced The average roundtrip commute in the Twin Cities is 30 miles1. Based on data collected by eWorkPlace, people who telecommute reduce their total daily VMT by 47% versus non-teleworkers. Thus, on average, eWorkPlace partici- pants save a total of 163,500 vehicle miles of travel per week, equaling a savings of 7.8 million vehicle miles per year3.
D. Emissions Reduced Based on fewer trips and the reduction in VMT, eWorkPlace participants save a total of 7.6 million pounds of CO2 annually2, which is equivalent to plant- ing 1,280 acres of forest3 and a value of emissions savings of approximately $129,4004.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGsQFjAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizing.org%2Fdata%2Fprojects%2Fminnesotago%2FTeleworkInAction.pdf&ei=-Y6kU_TPENamyATPy4JQ&usg=AFQjCNG74T6iDhzDnGfPwyVU-hgykMg3Ow&sig2=lsS_VvxPyAiNySEltPAgLQ&bvm=bv.69411363,d.aWw
Sandi says:
June 20, 2014 at 12:36 pm
mpainter says:
June 20, 2014 at 9:36 am
Any veteran can tell you: the VA hospital care is the shame of this country.
As a veteran I can say that your statement is absolutely false. Until recently VA healthcare has been the best available. Unfortunately bureaucracy has taken it’s toll. Below is from Business Week 2006
_____________________
Sandi, I agree with you. A lot of veterans have lived a lot longer than we otherwise would have, thanks to the great care from the VA.
The Portland Oregon VA killed my brother!
My brother spent 5 years trying to convince the VA that something was wrong only to be told you are OK and you are as health as a horse.
He went to a private Doctor looking for answers; In just one visit to that private Doctor found out that he had six months and he had terminal cancer.
The VA spending 100e6’s on ‘GREEN’ crap and yet they can’t call-up medical tests for diagnosing cancer over a 5 years period. What’s wrong with this picture.
Typical Government operation the cure worked but the patient died.
Our servicemen and women deserve the best that can be offer for the service they rendered in times of conflict and peace .
It is a national disgrace and criminal placing solar endeavors and bonuses over care giving to our veterans.
To the veterans who read this blog: Thank you very much for your time and talent, service to the community and country.
To the VA: May you get the service that you served to our veterans a slow agonizing sickness with countless numbers of misdiagnosis.
To my brother: I miss you.
The actual medical care my wife received in Kansas City was very good. Many of the doctors also worked at a major university research hospital nearby. Never any complaints about anybody actually providing care — the nurses,the assistants and technicians were all good.
However, if you include the bureaucratic hassles, the scheduling, the wait times, the inability to get anyone on the phone, the physical plant, the condition of the buildings and the understaffing part of the hospital care, yes, then overall it is/was deplorable.
If veterans had a choice between a civilian hospital and a VA facility, how many would choose the VA? You simply wouldn’t put up with it if you had a choice.
Sandi, I was in on some of the pilot programs being examined to improve patient outcome in the VA system. It was called “Team Training In Geriatrics”, or something to that affect. I was a student scholar trainee in the pilot program. Our design was focused on reducing vet length of stay and relapse rates and also to promote stable and even improved health after the patient was discharged.
Instead of individual disconnected serial treatment, go to this doctor then got to the next doctor and so on, geriatric vets were served by a team approach that included community based service providers as well as hospital services. The team, composed of every discipline available from hearing to podiatry, considered and planned hospital stay treatment while also working with community service providers who, being in on the issues that brought the vet to the hospital in the first place, would be more able to continue care after discharge. The metric of success was measured by length of stay and relapse rate.
I didn’t stay long enough to find out what the results of the multi-site, multi-year study were. Anecdotally I witnessed several patients who improved more under study conditions than was the case prior to the onset of the study. These patients, often previously discharged with the all too familiar phrase “failure to thrive” or FTT, lost that discharge diagnosis for a lesser issue upon discharge. While I was on the team, I didn’t see very many relapsed vets, though to be sure there were some.
So what else is new?
Prior to the Benghazi attack, State Department money for security was cut in Libya even though they had enough money to buy a new charging station for Chevy Volts in Vienna.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/10/kelly-libya-security-cut-while-vienna-embassy-gain/?page=all
You got to get your priorities straight.
Dear Michael,
I’m so sorry about your brother. He deserved better. He had a right to rely on the U.S. Government to care for him, thus, he died in the line of duty.
“All gave some, {your brother} gave all.”
This is for you, in honor of your brother and all of the fine men and women who have served or who are serving in the U. S. Armed forces, defending the liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of the Unites States of America.
“I Love This Land” by The Clark Family
(posted on youtube by Grace Peeler)
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS*
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SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
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SUPPORT — OUR — TROOPS!
Stop the blood sacrifices of the Cult of Environmentalism — NOW.
It doesn’t matter that such practices are a “sincerely held religious belief:”
homicide violates a Higher Law.
With deep sympathy and gratitude for your brother’s service,
Janice
@Michael I am truly sorry for your loss of a brother. That is shameful indeed. VA care isn’t the same everywhere.
more soylent green! says:
June 20, 2014 at 1:32 pm
As I stated to Michael, VA care varies state to state. Fortunately for me in Wisconsin it is very good, and I would indeed choose the VA over civilian care any day. They are presently treating me for cancer, and the treatments seem to have been successful. Time will tell.
Recycling secret waiting lists, hard drives, and backup tapes before investigators can get their grubby hands on them is being green baby! What could possibly be more important than being green? /sarc
Dear United States,
You are fortunate to have a VA. Here in the UK our warriors have nothing like that at all.
We have a frightenly large proportion of our Veterans who become alcoholics, drug addicts and/or homeless people.
Our so-called government provides no post bellum support whatsoever, hence the rise of charities like Help For Heroes.
Janice,
Thank you kindly.
Sandi,
Thank you and I agree that different VA centers / Hospitals different states have wide gray zones of quality. I have worked with vets that go to the VA in Palo Alto. The majority say that they have never had a problem or the service that they received was top notch once they get through the front door. When they get through the front door is a different issue. I have also worked with vets who are homeless and have mental issues (St Mary Center in Oakland). These with mental issues seem to be less attended to then those with physical aliments or disabilities.
My beef is with the Portland facility what they did was wrong. Empathetic or apathetic, Portland appears to be very apathetic… ‘Excuse me you mistaken me for someone who gives a damn.’
Our priorities are totally back ass words: political environmental policies or people? I pick people over political environmental policies.
-Michael
Going Green is going to hurt and skeptics have known that for a long time. Warmists have denied it for even longer.