Do Nothing House or Do Nothing Senate? You Decide!

Amid the growing Veterans Administration scandal where allegedly veterans were placed on secret waiting lists and at least 40 reportedly died before receiving treatment, the highly partisan, do nothing, obstructionist, Republican-lead House of Representatives (paraphrasing President Obama here) passed a bill 390-33 to give the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the power to fire anyone found responsible for gross violations. Perhaps something like, oh I don't know, creating secret waiting lists to get the number of those awaiting treatment down in order to meet department goals and receive bonuses? The bill was passed yesterday with both Democrat and Republican support. It was only 3 pages long but when it went to the US Senate, it was immediately tabled. The Senate didn't have the time. Understandably, Senators are very busy and have many issues competing for their time so they have to use their judgement to prioritize what they act on. So what was a higher priority for the US Senate than fixing the Veterans health care crisis? Well for 50 of the 100 Senators (all Democrats), it was writing a letter to the NFL urging them to force Washington Redskins owner, Dan Snyder, to change the name of his football team. Keep in mind, Congress has no say or responsibility for dealings with a private business like the Redskins. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and a self-proclaimed socialist who caucuses with the Democrats, explained that they didn't have time to hold hearings or read the bill - the 3 page bill! That didn't stop them from passing the Affordable Care Act without reading it. So have the Democrats learned their lesson or are their priorities just out of whack or both? I'll leave it to the reader to decide for themselves. I think you can guess my position. In the meantime, perhaps some money should be invested in Evelyn Wood Speed Reading courses for all the Senate Democrats so they can get through those pesky 3-page Republican bills coming from the House. But that's just me!