WhatFinger


Yet another ugly report emerges, dealing with very unglamorous insects and rodents’ infestation, “ignored claims, manipulated records, and cost overruns” as a bonus.

Who are your VIPs, Mr.VA Secretary?



Amid scandals rocking Veteran Affairs, and the need for emergency management, VA Secretary reserves precious time for leadership debates.
Amazingly, after making his false Special Forces Claim, and “misspeaking” on 900 fired VA employees, Secretary Robert A. McDonald funds Cadet Leadership Conference to promote “development of leaders of character.” A West-Pointer himself, Secretary McDonald officially stated that he had “no excuse” for embellishing his military record, but he does not seem sincerely remorseful, when ready to preach to cadets whose Honor Code says “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” Mr. McDonald is the founder of the posh, corporate-style conference; his bio for the event says: “Retired Chairman of the Board, and retired president and CEO of Procter & Gamble Company”; there is no mention of his current status as Veteran Affairs Secretary. Is Mr. McDonald so nostalgic about the business world, or is the duty of serving impoverished Veterans not glamorous enough? Reserved for the elite of “student leaders selected from the nation’s premier institutions as well as international colleges and universities” and “senior mentors, our VIP’s”, the conference has for the main theme Cross-Cultural Competence, with four main discussion topics: global economy, stewardship, and connectedness. How about connectedness to homeless Veterans, Mr. VA Secretary? Shouldn’t our Veterans in need of shelter and medical care be your VIPs?

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Knowing that thousands of Veterans suffer inhumane conditions, it’s difficult to congratulate VA Secretary on his generosity, and to understand his choice of charity. All lodging in the Thayer Hotel, transportation and meals are provided to the privileged attendees; what’s more “please annotate in your registration if you have specific dietary needs and we will accommodate you (Kosher, Halal, Vegetarian, etc.).” Meanwhile, our homeless Veterans must count on garbage cans as a food supply. Since the “attendees are or will be leaders within education and the global economy, and will integrate visions of connectedness and stewardship in their spheres of influence”, wouldn’t it be better to offer them a practical lesson of crisis management? If instead of being pampered and taught to enjoy a sense of elitism the cadets had to work free of charge for our homeless Veterans, they could learn so much more about Duty, Honor, Country, from true survival experts, unconditionally patriotic, even when their human rights are broken by the administration of the very country they had fought for. It seems that Mr. McDonald is still in a corporate state of mind, “brand-building” in all the wrong places. Cincinnati Business Courier offers an insight on “How Bob McDonald Applies P & G’s Strategy to the VA”, U-T San Diego reports that “the man in charge of the nation’s embattled veterans agency is turning to executives at Starbucks, Disney and Ritz-Carlton for advice about customer service”. Interestingly, the former CEO of P&G won’t listen to the whistleblowers and veterans’ voice of reason. During his visit to Montana, fed up veterans clearly expressed their needs: "Continuity and consistency and management that is going to respect us vets. This is our system, you work for us." The posh McDonald Cadet Leadership Conference, “the premier transformative leadership experience for young, emerging global leaders” is held from the 16th to the 19th of April 2015.While Mr. McDonald is entertaining his international guests and meditating on “Cross-Cultural Competence”, on April 18th we wake up to the news “New VA scandals call into question agency’s ability to clean house”. Yet another ugly report emerges, dealing with very unglamorous insects and rodents’ infestation, “ignored claims, manipulated records, and cost overruns” as a bonus. Mr. VA Secretary, quit living in Disneyland. It’s about time you visited planet VA, inhabited by homeless Veterans.

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Joanna Rosamond -- Bio and Archives

Joanna Rosamond is a Coach for high stress jobs, a consultant on PTSD and burnout. Joanna has 16 years of professional experience. Unconditional support for our soldiers and veterans.


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