Saturday, May 24, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
Why didn't they prepare?' Hundreds of VA vacancies, as returning vets strain system
Why didn't they prepare?' Hundreds of VA vacancies, as returning vets strain system
Screen grab of the federal USAJobs listing for Friday, May 23, 2014.
A search by FoxNews.com on Friday of the USA Jobs federal employment website showed more than 1,080 current vacancies in health-related fields at the VA.
A search of the words “VA” and “physician” yielded 167 jobs openings with top-range salaries of roughly $295,000 a year. There are 18 openings alone in the Phoenix VA Health Care System – the same one facing allegations that up to 40 people died while waiting for treatment.
One full-time position is for the chief of medicine. The vacancy, posted April 15 and open until June 13, comes with an annual salary up to $235,000.
The VA pitches the job as a don't-miss opportunity. The ad boasts that “as a VA physician, your opportunities are endless” -- the agency offers "generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities.”
So why the vacancies, at such a critical time?
In recent weeks, whistleblowers have come forward to criticize how the agency is handling its massive caseload. The allegations generally accuse local VA facilities of pushing off patients and then manipulating their own records to make it seem like they’re receiving care in a timely fashion.
Officials, in explaining the overburdened system, have pointed to the influx of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the long-term care of aging vets from Vietnam.
“We go into Afghanistan, leave Afghanistan for Iraq with unfinished business in Afghanistan,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, suggesting these problems were years in the making. “Ten years later, we have all of these additional veterans -- in the past five years, two million more veterans needing benefits from the VA. That's a huge, huge increase.”
But the hundreds of vacancies show that the VA, with the influx of veterans a well-known factor, is not even operating at full capacity now.
Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, questioned why the department didn't better prepare for the returning veterans by staffing up.
“These are self-inflicted wounds. This isn’t a money issue. This is a prioritization issue,” he said. "They knew there were going to be more veterans who needed care. Why didn't they prepare?"
Hegseth, a Fox News contributor, said he’s not surprised that lawmakers are trying to shift the blame. “It’s cover your ass time,” he said.
The inspector general at the VA says 26 facilities are now being investigated nationwide, including the one in Phoenix.
Some have accused administrators of cooking the books and creating an environment that encouraged VA staff to manipulate wait times of veterans who need medical or mental health care. Others, though, have called the scandal political theater and say for the most part, the VA medical system works.
In a letter to veterans Friday, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki vowed to do better and promised to investigate every allegation brought to the department’s attention.
“As we approach our observance of Memorial Day and its special significance to our nation, VA is re-doubling its efforts, with integrity and compassion, to earn your trust,” he wrote.
On Wednesday, President Obama broke his silence on the issue, vowing to “fix whatever is wrong” but stopping short of calling for Shinseki’s resignation.
As the scandal plays out in D.C., the VA continues its march to fill the hundreds of vacancies for health care officials at its clinics and hospitals across the country.
Among those is also a position in Kansas City, Mo., for a full-time radiologist, with a pay range of $98,967 to $295,000.
There are also openings at the VA teaching hospital in Danville, Ill., for urologists, pulmonologists and dental laboratory technicians. The facility also has an opening for an outpatient pharmacist, tasked with dispensing “appropriate medications and counseling patients on proper medication administration and storage.” The salary range is between $101,580 and $123,776.
Calls to the VA for comment were not returned.
Emails Shed Light On How The CDC Looked To Give A ‘Shout Out’ To Michelle Obama
Emails Shed Light On How The CDC Looked To Give A ‘Shout Out’ To Michelle Obama
10:02 PM 05/22/2014
One CDC press specialist even gave assurance that a press release she was crafting “gives a shout out” to Obama.
The emails were obtained by The Daily Caller through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“The First Lady is doing a series of events this week to mark the 4th anniversary of Let’s Move so this release highlights the decline in obesity prevalence among children aged 2-5 years,” wrote Karen Hunter, senior press officer at the CDC, in an email written in February.
Hunter and others in the CDC press office were planning press releases for the major study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study was officially published on February 26th. The CDC press release touting its findings and the “Let’s Move” initiative was released on February 25th.
During the same week the study was published, Obama announced two plans related to childhood nutrition. One would restrict certain junk foods in schools and another would revamp food nutrition labels.
The CDC study showed a drastic 43 percent decline in obesity in children between 2 and 5 years old from 2003 and 2012. The New York Times reported the findings in a front page article.
However, the study was criticized by some scientists shortly after publication. Critics cautioned about jumping to conclusions since the study showed flat obesity rates in children between 2 and 19 years old as well as actual increases in obesity rates for some adult demographics.
One common critique was that the sample size of the study was too small to allow a meaningful analysis.
Others felt that even if childhood obesity rates had declined, Obama’s program had little to do with it.
“The programs that have been implemented, from changing what’s in vending machines to the Let’s Move program, target school-age children more than preschoolers,” Lee Kaplan, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, told Reuters. (RELATED: CDC Official ‘Gets Very Worked Up’ By Interview Requests From Conservatives)
But, however tenuous the study’s findings and the results’ link to Obama’s Let’s Move, CDC emails show an effort to make the connection.
“I didn’t see anything re Let’s Move. Should we assume that the FLOTUS quote would focus on that? Or should we go ahead and add something?” asked CDC staffer Ashleigh May.
Two quotes are attributed to Obama in the February 25th CDC press release.
“I am thrilled at the progress we’ve made over the last few years in obesity rates among our youngest Americans,” said Michelle Obama in the press release.
“With the participation of kids, parents, and communities in Let’s Move! these last four years, healthier habits are beginning to become the new norm,” Obama’s statement continued.
The CDC study itself only mentions “Let’s Move” in a footnote, and only in reference to public health programs that have focused on childhood obesity.
Other emails show discussion over how exuberant press materials on the study should be.
Conne Ward-Cameron, a CDC press specialist, wrote, describing a blog post she was crafting, “It’s very short, but I think that’s what they wanted. And of course gives a shoutout to Mrs. Obama.”
Ward-Cameron’s draft began: “The nation’s focus on obesity, fueled in part by first lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, is showing some positive results.”
That lead one CDC press official to criticize the draft.
“They didn’t use what I sent them and this obviously needs work. I see little balance and a lot of cheerleading,” wrote Jeffrey Lancashire to the study’s lead researcher, Cynthia Ogden.
The blog post did not show up in a search of the CDC and HHS websites, and CDC public affairs specialist Barbara Reynolds said that she was not sure whether the blog post was ever published in either original or revised form.
In an interview with TheDC, Reynolds described the “iterative process” of crafting the press release and expressed some regret that the CDC published it.
“In this case perhaps we would have been better served if perhaps CDC hadn’t put out that press release and allowed another part of the administration to do so,” Reynolds said in a phone interview with TheDC.
“That way it wouldn’t be a question about whether there was undue influence or not,” she said.
“I will tell you that it was more coincidental and an opportunity than it was an orchestrated decision to have one thing happen at the same time as the other,” said Reynolds, who stressed that the CDC has no control over the editorial calendar of the journal that published the study.
The CDC is made aware of forthcoming studies and generally have a four or five day window to decide how to craft their press strategy, said Reynolds.
At that point the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services communicate with each other and with outside bodies to craft press material.
“They took advantage of it, including a quote and information about the Let’s Move project at the same time,” said Reynolds.
“Through [the connection with HHS] we would learn about other things that were going on perhaps in another part of HHS or in the situation with the Let’s Move campaign,” said Reynolds. “And then at those times that we talk about is there a place for something to be included.”
A spokesman for HHS confirmed that the agency sought out commentary from Obama for the press release.
“HHS notified the First Lady’s office of the CDC obesity study, and asked if her office would be interested in providing a quote for the CDC release,” HHS spokesman Tait Sye told TheDC.
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Hundreds of VA Job Vacancies Went Unfilled as Vets Waited for Care
Hundreds of VA Job Vacancies Went Unfilled as Vets Waited for Care
A review of job openings within the Veterans Administration is
causing some to ask why the VA never bothered staffing up for what were
easily predictable increases in service needs and it's now blaming said
increases for what amounts to ongoing incompetence, if not worse.
Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, questioned why the department didn't better prepare for the returning veterans by staffing up.
“These are self-inflicted wounds. This isn’t a money issue. This is a prioritization issue,” he said. "They knew there were going to be more veterans who needed care. Why didn't they prepare?"
“We go into Afghanistan, leave Afghanistan for Iraq with unfinished business in Afghanistan,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, suggesting these problems were years in the making. “Ten years later, we have all of these additional veterans -- in the past five years, two million more veterans needing benefits from the VA. That's a huge, huge increase.”
A search by FoxNews.com on Friday of the USA Jobs federal employment website showed more than 1,080 current vacancies in health-related fields at the VA.
A search of the words “VA” and “physician” yielded 167 jobs openings with top-range salaries of roughly $295,000 a year. There are 18 openings alone in the Phoenix VA Health Care System – the same one facing allegations that up to 40 people died while waiting for treatment.
One full-time position is for the chief of medicine. The vacancy, posted April 15 and open until June 13, comes with an annual salary up to $235,000.
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Negotiations: A Guide to Unfolding Developments
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Negotiations: A Guide to Unfolding Developments
The parties have been engaged in negotiations for months – what was going on?
In July 2013, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced the resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – the first such talks in three years – with a goal of reaching a peace agreement within nine months. Each side agreed to a series of conditions – including the avoidance of public commentary about the negotiations – along with a number of good faith gestures. Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons in four separate phases, including many prisoners convicted of terrorist attacks on Israelis. The Palestinians agreed to freeze their campaign to gain membership and recognition as an independent state in various international organizations.Within a few months, U.S. officials conceded that the parties were unlikely to conclude a final peace agreement by the April 29, 2014 deadline, and the U.S. focused the parties on developing a "framework agreement" which would have provided an outline for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement and extend the negotiating process into late 2014/early 2015. Each side was expected to agree to the framework, although they could note "reservations" on specific clauses.
For much of the early part of 2014, negotiations appeared to be aimed toward completing the framework document, which was reported to include extensive formulas for security arrangements, borders, and a description of Israel as a "Jewish state."
What about earlier reports of some kind of an agreement in early April?
Recent weeks saw frenzied activity on a number of fronts. With the April 29 deadline looming, there were intensive efforts by Secretary Kerry and his negotiating team to get the parties to agree to extend the negotiating period for one year.There was also tension over the scheduled March 29 release of the final 26 prisoners from Israeli jails. The release was complicated for many reasons, but fundamentally, the Israeli government was hesitant to release prisoners with "blood on their hands" when there were indications that the Palestinians were balking at extending the negotiations beyond the April deadline.
Secretary Kerry flew to Jerusalem on March 31 to facilitate the extension of negotiations along with the scheduled prisoner release. Reports indicated that the U.S. and Israel had reached a "circular agreement" involving Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the US. Israel would agree to an extension of the peace negotiation period, a release of the final 26 prisoners (including 14 Israeli Arabs) from Israeli jails, a future release of 400 more prisoners (Israel would determine who), a partial construction freeze in the West Bank. The Palestinians would agree to the negotiation extension, and continue to refrain from their campaign to gain recognition at international organizations. It was also widely reported (but never confirmed) that the US offered to release Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence for passing classified documents to Israel. The reported addition of Pollard to the equation elicited many strong reactions among Israelis and Americans. ADL issued a statement saying that the Pollard issue should not be linked with the peace process.
On April 1, in a move that caught both the U.S. and Israel by surprise, Abbas appeared on Palestinian TV, and signed applications for full membership in 15 international conventions, in what is, at a minimum, a violation of the spirit of the Palestinian Authority's July 2013 pledge. The move came without any warning, taking both Israeli and American negotiators by surprise. Palestinian spokespeople said the decision was due to the Israeli stall on the release of prisoners, as well as continued building projects in East Jerusalem.
In reaction, Secretary Kerry cancelled plans to meet with Abbas on April 2, and the reported "circular agreement" apparently fell apart.
Why was the Palestinian move to full membership in international organizations/ conventions problematic?
The Palestinian campaign to gain recognition as an independent state by the international community is an effort to circumvent direct negotiations with Israel while gaining the benefits of statehood.Israel, the U.S. and the EU are opposed to this effort, seeing it as confrontational and unconstructive. Such unilateral action makes negotiated reconciliation - which will lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state - even more elusive, while bringing no real concrete benefits to the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Authority began pursuing international recognition as an independent state in 2011. They first attempted to gain full UN membership through the Security Council. When the opposition of Security Council members made it clear this route was not viable, they applied to upgrade their status to "non-member state" in the UN General Assembly, which they achieved in 2012. The PA also gained full membership in UNESCO in 2011.
So why did Israel announce that it was suspending the negotiations?
In recent weeks negotiators met on a number of occasions, with momentum again building towards the pending April 29th deadline.Negotiations were called off following another surprise announcement by the Palestinian Authority on April 23 that it had concluded yet another "unity agreement" with Hamas. The agreement calls for the establishment of a "unity" Palestinian government within five weeks and Palestinian elections in six months.
Hamas, a U.S. and E.U.-designated terrorist organization, and Fatah, the Palestinian organization which controls the Palestinian Authority, are long-time rivals, and have been officially split since the 2007 take-over of Gaza by Hamas. There have been a number of unity agreements announced over the past seven years but all have fallen apart.
After a five-hour long meeting on April 24, Israel's security cabinet decided to suspend negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, declaring "Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for Israel's destruction." Prime Minister Netanyahu stated: "Instead of choosing peace, Abu Mazen (President Abbas) formed an alliance with a murderous terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of Israel….The agreement between Abu Mazen and Hamas was signed even as Israel is making efforts to advance the negotiations with the Palestinians. It is the direct continuation of the Palestinians' refusal to advance the negotiations. Only last month Abu Mazen rejected the framework principles proposed by the United States. Abu Mazen has refused to even discuss recognizing Israel as the national state of the Jewish People. He violated existing agreements by unilaterally applying to accede to international treaties and then formed an alliance with Hamas. Whoever chooses the terrorism of Hamas does not want peace."
ADL issued a statement calling the Israeli decision to suspend talks "fully justified."
Why is the agreement between Fatah and Hamas problematic? Isn't Palestinian unity a good thing?
In uniting with Hamas, the Palestinian Authority/Fatah is formally aligning itself with a terrorist organization which continues to engage in rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and unabashedly not only rejects Israel rights to exist, but also calls for its destruction.The international community has set three criteria which Hamas must meet prior to any international recognition and engagement: recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce the use of violence and terrorism, and accept previously negotiated Israeli-Palestinian agreements. To date, Hamas has met none of these requirements, and while some Palestinian Authority spokespeople have stated that these elements might be in the formal unity agreement, so far Hamas has not indicated that it intends to compromise on any of these principles.
Palestinian unity is in principle a good thing, however, if that unity represents a move towards rejectionism and extremism and away from peace and reconciliation, it portends more upheaval, isolation and disappointment for the Palestinian people, and makes the dream of Israeli-Palestinian peace even more remote.
So what comes next?
It is unclear. At this time, negotiations are suspended and the spotlight moves to developments between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. A State Department spokesperson said the chief American negotiator Martin Indyk remains on the ground in Jerusalem and is in touch with both sides. Analysts note that the Israeli statement left the door open to the resumption of negotiations should the Fatah-Hamas agreement not proceed.Both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have reiterated the U.S. commitment to facilitate peace negotiations, but as President Obama said on April 25, "Realistically, there is one door and that is the two parties getting together to make some very difficult compromises. We will continue to encourage them to walk through that door. Do I expect they will walk through that door, next week, next month or even in the course of the next six months? No."
What's going on inside Israel?
Public opinion polls in Israel continue to show that the majority of Israelis (approximately 68% according to the most recent Peace Index poll) support peace negotiations with the Palestinians and a two-state solution. This support has been consistent over the past two decades. Over the past ten years, however, a growing majority of Israelis (approximately 69% in the same Peace Index poll) have expressed strong doubts that negotiations will lead to peace.The Palestinian Authority's scuttling of the talks through the agreement with Hamas and the applications to international conventions and statutes is likely to intensify doubts among Israelis about the Palestinian commitment to a negotiated end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
IF YOU GET LEFT BEHIND
TRUST IN JESUS
IT DONT MATTER IF YOURLL A JEW A CHRISTIAN OR A MUSLIM
IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH
GOD WILL PROTECT YOU JUST LIKE BACK IN THE DAYS OF MOSES
IT DONT MATTER IF YOURLL A JEW A CHRISTIAN OR A MUSLIM
IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH
GOD WILL PROTECT YOU JUST LIKE BACK IN THE DAYS OF MOSES
أساطير نتنياهو
أساطير نتنياهو!
أعتقد أن أي فلسطيني مهما كان بسيطاً، وأي إسرائيلي يملك الحد الأدنى من العقل، يمكنه أن يسأل نتنياهو بنوع من التحدي، ما هو تعريفه ليهودية الدولة الإسرائيلية؟ هل معنى ذلك أن تكون دولة إسرائيل خالية من مواطنيها غير اليهود سواء كانوا عرباً مسيحيين ومسلمين ودروزا وبهائيين؟ وهل استطاعت إسرائيل طيلة خمس وستين سنة أن تتفق على تعريف من هو اليهودي؟ وهل حقاً تعترف إسرائيل بيهودية كل مواطنيها اليهود مثل اليهود الفلاشا؟ وهل اليهود العرب فلسطينيين وعراقيين ويمنيين ومغاربة ينظر إليهم بدرجة متساوية في إسرائيل؟ أعتقد أن نتنياهو حين يفتح هذا الموضوع سوف ينبعث منه روائح كريهة جداً من العنصرية، وربما يكون نتنياهو قد حفظها واكتسبها جينياً من أيام النازية، والعرق الآري، الأمر الذي ينطبق عليه قول إشعيا النبي " وتعبدون آلهة أعدائكم" فبدلاً من ابتعاد نتنياهو عن أي فعل يذكره بعنصرية هتلر، فإنه يقلدها ويريد استنساخها ضد أهل فلسطين وسكانها وشعبها بل وحتى ضد مواطني دولة إسرائيل أنفسهم!
ما هي يهودية دولة إسرائيل؟
ولمن يريد نتنياهو بيع هذه البضاعة الفاسدة التي ما أن تطرح في السياسة الإسرائيلية حتى تثور الذكريات السلبية، وحتى يتضح أن إسرائيل لا تحب أن تعيش على الحقائق بل ترغب أن تظل قائمة فوق الأوهام، ومن أبرز هذه الأوهام اعتقاد نتنياهو أنه يمكن إقناع العالم بقاموسه السياسي الخاص بأنه يمكن أن يتحقق الأمن دون إقرار أي نوع من الحقوق للشعب الفلسطيني الذي يعيش فوق هذه الأرض، وهو أبرز الحقائق فوق هذه الأرض، وأن هذا الشعب الفلسطيني يريد السلام ولا يمكن للسلام أن يتحقق بدون تلبية حقوقه، وأن هذه الحقوق الفلسطينية هي اليوم أبرز العناوين في قاموس السياسة العالمية، وأن هذه المفاوضات الجارية بين أميركا وإسرائيل موضعياً وليس بين فلسطين وإسرائيل حسب الادعاءات، لا أفق أمامها إذا لم تأخذ بعين الاعتبار الحقوق الفلسطينية وعلى رأسها دولة مستقلة للشعب الفلسطيني خالية من أي وجود للاحتلال الإسرائيلي.
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