The Week Just Passed:

Veterans Health Care: Disturbing News Requires Immediate Action

Obamacare – Consequences of Bad Legislation

The President’s Speech at West Point:  Washington Post’s Editorial Viewpoint

President’s Departure Strategy in Afghanistan Risks Repeat of Iraq’s Failure

Must Read: Former CIA Director Discusses “America’s Purpose and Role in a Changed World”

West Orange, Edison Historic Site to Celebrate Edison Day on June 7

Salute: Florham Park Police Chief Pat Montuore, Founder of the Police Unity Tour

Salute: National Special Olympics to be Held in New Jersey

Salute: Denise Magrini, Mountain View School in Mendham

Veterans Health Care: Disturbing News Requires Immediate Action

With the resignation of Secretary Shinseki as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, I hope that the President will now ensure that the scandalous neglect of veterans throughout the VA health care system is corrected – and corrected immediately.

The preliminary report issued on Wednesday by the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) painted a disturbing picture.  IG: Phoenix VA hospital missed care for 1,700 vets, was the headline in the Washington Post, in a story that also reported that the average wait time in Phoenix for a first appointment was 115 days! 

Even more disturbing, the report found that the recently identified failures found in Phoenix were not an isolated case.  Long delays in veterans’ ability to schedule appointments, and efforts to hide those long delays, have been found across the entire system, according to the IG’s report, which can be found here. 

This situation is completely unacceptable.  As a nation, we have a solemn commitment to care for those who have served in uniform. 

Congress has increased funding levels for the Department of Veterans Affairs by more than 60 percent since 2009 and this year’s budget request includes an increase of 6.5 percent over last year’s spending.  Clearly, the VA has a serious management problem that must be addressed immediately.

Obamacare – Consequences of Bad Legislation

The law of unintended consequences is getting a workout as the long list of the unexpected shortcomings and failures of the Affordable Care Act continue to mount. 

THE LATEST:

• Hospitals are charging indigent patients now as a result of Obamacare, as this New York Times article points out. 
• The IRS will assess heavy penalties on companies that continue to offer tax-free payments to their employees to allow those employees to purchase health insurance or cover other out of pocket costs. Read more here.
• People who receive subsidies for their health insurance could be hit with a big tax bill next April if their income rises and they don’t report the increase to the health care exchange. Read more here.

The President’s Speech at West Point: Washington Post’s Editorial Viewpoint

President Obama’s much-anticipated foreign policy speech at West Point on Wednesday, President Obama received widespread criticism from a broad array of news outlets.  This editorial from the Washington Post asserts that his speech did little to convince the country or the world that his foreign policy is not weakening America’s leadership in the world. 

President’s Departure Strategy in Afghanistan Risks Repeating Iraq’s Failure

President Obama’s announcement this week of a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan might enable him to keep a campaign pledge, but it might not allow Afghanistan to keep the social, economic, and political progress it’s made over the past decade. 

Jim Michaels, writing in USA Today, examines how the events that have followed our complete withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 should serve as cautionary tale for how we proceed to disengage from Afghanistan.

Must Read: Former CIA Director Discusses “America’s Purpose and Role in a Changed World”

Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA published a thoughtful and sobering piece in the current issue of World Affairs Journal­ discussing what our nation’s role can and should be in a changing world.

As he looks at all the trouble spots in the world, and reflects on where America’s current foreign policy is heading, Hayden concludes: “Our greatest security danger in coming years? It might well be us.”

I highly recommend giving this article a close and careful read.

West Orange, Edison Historic Site to Celebrate “Edison Day” on June 7

On June 7, from 11 am to 7 pm, the Thomas Edison National Historic Park and West Orange will celebrate Edison Day, saluting one of the greatest technology innovators of all time.

Not enough people know that New Jersey can justly be called the cradle of the modern technological revolution.  From the West Orange laboratories of Thomas Alva Edison came a long list of inventions that changed the world and the way people live.  Every day we make use of products and technologies that were born in Edison’s fertile mind and in his labs.

More information about Edison Day can be found here.

Salute: Florham Park Police Chief Pat Montuore, Founder of the Police Unity Tour

Congratulations to Florham Park Police Chief Patrick P. Montuore on the resounding success of this year’s Police Unity Tour!  Chief Montuore founded this annual event in 1997 to honor the sacrifice of police officers who died in the line of duty. 

More than 1,800 participants rode their bicycles hundreds of miles from starting points in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to Washington, D.C.  The riders and their supporters raised $1.91 million for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, making this year’s ride the most successful ever.

To learn more about the Police Unity Tour visit: http://policeunitytour.com

Salute: National Special Olympics to be Held in New Jersey

This year, the national Special Olympics is being held right here in New Jersey – in and around Lawrence Township in Mercer County.  The games will take place from June 14-21, 2014.  According to the Special Olympics organization, “Nearly 3,500 athletes will compete in 16 Olympic-style team and individual sports, with the support of 1,000 coaches, 10,000 volunteers and 70,000 family, friends and spectators.”

Among those 10,000 volunteers will be more than 1,200 employees and physicians from the Barnabas Healthcare system, which has facilities in many parts of New Jersey, including the 11^th Congressional District.  That’s an incredible commitment by the people of Barnabas Health to a very worthy cause!

I was honored to participate in an event at Barnabas Health’s corporate office honoring all those employees who will be volunteering.  

For more information about the Special Olympics USA Games visit: https://www.2014specialolympics.org/

Salute: Denise Magrini, Mountain View School in Mendham

Congratulations to Ms. Denise Magrini, a sixth grade teacher at the Mountain View School in Mendham Borough, for being selected to participate in the Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy (HE@SA) program!

This is a scholarship program designed to help middle school math and science teachers become more effective educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).  It was created by Honeywell and the US Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) in 2004. 

Ms. Magrini will be traveling to Huntsville, Alabama later next month to participate.  More information about this “out of this world” program can be found at: https://educators.honeywell.com/