VA Authorities Confiscate Tape of Journalist Reporting on Bad Treatment of Veterans

"Do those of you saying this story shows how bad government systems are realize that these are still Bush appointees running them and causing the problems we just read about?"

The people doing this were career civil servants, not political appointees. They were wrong, but let's not play the "Blame Bush" game on this one.

Do those of you saying this story shows how bad government systems are realize that these are still Bush appointees running them and causing the problems we just read about? Do you understand that we just had these government systems run for eight years with the intention being to run them into the ground? That's what you hold up as examples of government not working.

Meanwhile, if private systems didn't suck, there wouldn't be the push for government to step in. Private insurance has had a century to solve its problems, but clearly they don't want to.

One not inconsiderable point: would a reporter have gotten even this far into a private system? At least at the VA there's a presumption of public oversight and a scandal when it's denied.

Two comments about Canada that I must respond to and refute:

"Let me ask you Libs a question; if the government nationalizes health care (which the VA is a mini version of) don't you think this will be the rule as opposed to the exception for all health care stories? In Canada for example it against the law to keep certain statistics on the health care system. At least the private health care system is accountable to the consumer. Can you imagine the government being accountable to the consumer? Yeah right!"

In reponse, there are no laws here in Canada regarding keeping "certain statistis on the health care sysytem." NONE!

And . . .

"Wait for "routine" surgery may be a year or more. Clinics are packed waiting for treatment. Hearing aids and other medical devices are made by the lowest bidder."

Welcome to government health care. These stories are identical to those you get from the UK and Canada."

Response: Again, this comment is really a stretch about wait-times. Routine surgeries do not have wait-times of a year or more. Just not true. The comment about hearing aids and other "medical devices" is a complete fabrication.

Kudos to Mr. Tapper for going national with this. If I were Mr. Tapper I would do the following:

1) Assemble a film crew with several assistant cameramen, each at least six feet tall and two hundred pounds. (Deputize members of your local football team if necessary). I would invite the enterprising young reporter David Schultz to join the team as an interviewer.

2) Send them to the hospital.

3) While they are on their way, put in a call to the VA Director. Ask him (or whoever speaks with you if he is not available) to telephone the hospital director and require him to grant our crew full access to the hospital and any patient who desires to speak with them. Release forms are to be provided to anyone who asks for one. Our crew will give Ms Haiston an interview in which she will be free to explain her behavior.

4) Advise the director that every interaction will be filmed and that the story will be featured on the national news.

>We have had nothing but problems >giving our 'hospitals' and our 'health >care' over to private "FOR PROFIT" >organizations.
>At least we can fix the government >problems easier - and the prices will >stay lower - as long as these programs >are fully funded; more-so than the act >of PRIVATISING. . .which keeps prices >HIGH and seems to promote more >unbridled pervasive dishonesty.

Puhleeze...
Naieve Much?
Just like we have fixed the other programs the government runs?
Social Security, Medicare, Education, those all are just models of efficiency.NOPE. If you want 'unbridled pervasive dishonesty' then take a look at Medicare.
We will all recieve the lowest common denominator of healthcare for the highest price we will bear and the graft and influence peddeling will be enormous; because to suceed in this business you will need a friendly politician.

Before implementing universal health care all members of congress should be required to receive their medical care from the VA. If this happens I will not get approved. Pick your number and get in line. When your number is called yell BINGO.

"We have had nothing but problems giving our 'hospitals' and our 'health care' over to private "FOR PROFIT" organizations."

The hospitals weren't "given" to anyone. They were always private, and they've always been the best in the world.

"At least we can fix the government problems easier"

This absurd statement is based upon what?

" - and the prices will stay lower"

That's what I look for when my life is on the line -- a bargain. Not the best quality.

"- as long as these programs are fully funded;"

Good luck with that.

"more-so than the act of PRIVATISING."

You can't "privatize" what was always private.

" . .which keeps prices HIGH "

Yes, that's exactly what keeps prices high - competition. I think there's a place on Obama's financial team for you.

"and seems to promote more unbridled pervasive dishonesty."

You're referring to the Obama administration here, right? They seem to be leading through lies.

What a wussy "faux" reporter !!! You dont give your tapes up!!! You dont have what it takes to be a reporter!!!
Better look for a new carreer !!!

No surprise here with the VA's thug tactics.
Back in 1997 I was the head of a national veterans organization, going to VA HQ in Washington, DC for a meeting with the acting VA Secretary, Herschel Gober. A local TV station wanted an interview before and after the meeting. Unbeknown to me, the reporter had called the VA to see if they could film me walking into the building. When I got to the HQ, I was thoroughly frisked, patted down, searched, etc., and my briefcase ransacked. I couldn't believe what VA's security were doing.
I found out after my meeting with Gober what the TV crew had done, which explained why they searched. They were looking for any hidden recording devices.
This meeting had happened shortly after a veteran in Idaho had a medical appointment, in which the VA had allowed the local media to be in on with the veteran agreeing. During this veterans medical appointment, the doctor reviewed information with the veteran about a terminal illness he had, but had never been told of by the VA.
Another time, at a local VA, there was an event open to the public, with Congressional representatives in attendance, and local media wanted to report on it. It was amazing how quickly the media relations people of this VA met them at the front door, and how snotty they were about the media being at a public event.

Let me ask you Libs a question; if the government nationalizes health care (which the VA is a mini version of) don't you think this will be the rule as opposed to the exception for all health care stories? In Canada for example it against the law to keep certain statistics on the health care system. At least the private health care system is accountable to the consumer. Can you imagine the government being accountable to the consumer? Yeah right!

THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH YOUR STATEMENT IS THIS: We have had nothing but problems giving our 'hospitals' and our 'health care' over to private "FOR PROFIT" organizations.
At least we can fix the government problems easier - and the prices will stay lower - as long as these programs are fully funded; more-so than the act of PRIVATISING. . .which keeps prices HIGH and seems to promote more unbridled pervasive dishonesty.

HOPE THIS REPORTER HAD COPIES. . .

Let me ask you Libs a question; if the government nationalizes health care (which the VA is a mini version of) don't you think this will be the rule as opposed to the exception for all health care stories? In Canada for example it against the law to keep certain statistics on the health care system. At least the private health care system is accountable to the consumer. Can you imagine the government being accountable to the consumer? Yeah right!

His editor should have told him to hold his ground, not to surrender his images, and to wait for the lawyer his editor was dispatching to the scene. Instead, the reporter's objective was to not get arrested; to not raise a ruckus on behalf of constitutional rights. Both the reporter and editor need to watch a video of John Chancellor being hauled away from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago by Mayor Daley's blue uniformed thugs. Chancellor never gave in. His final words, as he was bum-rushed out of camera view, were "This is John Chancellor, reporting from somewhere in custody." Better to be remembered for that than for "Oh, well, I gave up my images, even though I wasn't legally obliged to, just to avoid trouble."

That's why it's a good idea for reporters to carry extra memory cards, tapes, rolls of film. You're out of the building with your story before bureaucrats discover they have trash.

Funny that there are Liberals out there that complain about the VA's poor track record, and yet are clamoring for the same government to control national health care.

An odd propensity for supporting things that have never worked, because ideology trumps what does work and common sense.

Hairston needs to be re-assigned to North Dakota immediately and the Gestapo officers should be sent for retraining.

The VA has been my care giver for 5 years I find very little to complain about. In fact an authority of my facility said that under this administation we may get back some of the benifits we lost under the previous administation. Actualy it's the best health insurance I,ve ever had.

Yeah; obviously, "real journalists" wait in the press room, eating cream cheese sandwiches and playing cribbage, until the government decides to tell them what's going on. What on earth was this loose cannon thinking?

"wouldn’t let him leave until he handed over his equipment."

So ... have Hairston et al. been arrested? And what the heck kind of "communications specialist" is empowered to seize the property of others?

Nah ... National Propaganda Radio keeps previously-public radio soooo sedate, now ... as in "sedative".

Real journalists don't crash a VA benefits information briefing at a hospital, and then interrogate Veterans about the care they are receiving without getting a consent form, registering with the hospital staff as a member of the press, or determining whether their interviewee is even medicated. If this happened at a private hospital, he would have been arrested. This guy was a novice crack job, and he got called on gotcha journalism at a hospital.