WFB-
President-elect Donald Trump is said to be considering former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R.) and Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and former CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The selection of VA secretary is one of Trump’s most anticipated moves, as the new leader will be tasked with reforming a government hospital system in need of “system-wide reworking.”
The selection list for the cabinet post has narrowed to Brown and Hegseth, sources told the Washington Free Beacon this week. Both have met with the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York in the past few days.
Not one of these individual has the knowledge or experience to tackle the problem with the VA. I expected a better group of candidates that could hit the ground moving, not a PR side show.
^^^
what cato said. get an awesome business admin in there. Palin is a quitter.
At least Scott Brown is a full Colonel.
Ooof. This is a tough one. The thing is, it won’t matter much who is in charge. Oh, there can be some small gains, but the real problems lie in in the culture of a federal bureaucracy.
When I started in the workforce, I worked for the VA. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was not a business, but a socialist society. Depending on your profession, you were hired at a GS rating. That was your salary, no negotiations. They would go through the phoney evaluations at the end of the year, but they meant nothing. The jerk who sat on his ass may have gotten a bad evaluation but he got the same raise. Raises were based on your GS rating and how long you were employed. Period.
And, they couldn’t fire anybody. We had one worthless POS that came in every day, went to his room, smoked his pipe, read newspapers and then went home. Every day. And, he made three times what we did because he had been there for 20 years.
Well, over-achievers like me could not stand it. I left for the private sector and kicked ass because I was paid what I was worth.
I see Pete as being a guy who the vets would like, and I like him, too. But, that’s not enough. Worth a chance. I see Palin as someone who has no problem with shaking up the status quo. And, she’s done it before, in government. I see Brown as a loyal Trump supporter who is really nice to look at.
It’s the culture………….nuke it.
This is a tough one.
A vet might have certain advantages, but Palin is a very passionate supporter.
And, based on what she did in Alaska, once she gets her teeth into something, she beats it into submission.
Might be a good pick.
Shut down the bullshit VA. Send all personnel through civilian hospitals, Gov foots bill for the best care available for those who have sacrificed everything
for everyone else. It’s the least we can do.
Simultaneously, remove the medical monopoly that has America by the throat.
Free market healthcare. Deregulate healthcare.
I didn’t see Palin’s name mentioned in either article.
No. A person who has been roughed up going through the VA should be running it. And the Vets should be able to use civilian hospitals/ clinics. Some VA’s are good, but “some” isn’t good enough.
While Sarah may have anecdotal experience via her son, I agree–let a Vet who’s been given the run-around be in charge.
Hegseth has a pretty impressive background and might make a really wise choice by Trump. Not sure why nobody is talking about Gary Sinise—he would be a superb choice.
@Joe Mudd
We are on the same page. The only viable solution is to abolish (nuke) the VA system. The hospitals can remain and can be put up for sale, let the big hospital systems bid for them….give them an incentive if necessary. The staff can remain, but eventually the slackers will be fired. The feds get the sale price and put it toward the veterans medical care. Then give them a medical card that they can use anywhere. It’s the only way.
Sorry Palin supporters, but she lost me forever when she bailed on her elected office as Governor of Alaska. She’s a quitter. Does anyone remember that she referred to her drunken son’s assault on his girlfriend and subsequent arrest as due to his ” woundedness ” ! He never saw combat. He wasn’t over there when it was a really dangerous situation. He drove officers around Baghdad during his time in Iraq. This doesn’t make his mother qualified for anything other than an embarrassing quitter.
I love Pete Hegseth–he has been working on this for a long time. If someone can be found who has his passion and the clout, it would be a great pick. As a retired vet married to a retired vet–I care very much for this pick and it shouldn’t be Palin.
Marco – I’m not mad about her quitting, but I agree about the excuse making for her son. I cringed when I heard that.
Not the right job for Sarah, but she should have some token job, just so we can see the left’s collective head explode!
i worked with the VA’s and I believe the vets deserve to go to whichever damn hospital or doctor they want to. VA needs to close.
Noooooooooooo Palin, please.
This post is hilarious.
The VA was created after the greatest war in history, WWII. It worked for years. Times have changed. So does the VA. This should be fairly easy for Trump to start fixing.
Pete Hegseth was about as anti Trump as they get, he came and spoke at our local caucus, telling us all how great little Marco was, then he went on a tirade about how Trump was a draft dodger. He was booed off the stage, I hate that guy.