"Shut 'er Down!"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 20, 2014)


President Cooper Would Shut Down VA;
Transfer Most Veteran Benefits To States


BLAIRSVILLE, GA – In what will likely become a hotly contested, explosive idea, especially among “big government liberals and socialist Democrats,” 2016 Presidential Candidate Chuck Cooper dropped a political bomb today when he suggested that as President he would shut down the Veterans Administration, sell existing facilities to private firms and transfer most veteran benefits to the individual states.

Cooper said he would insist that all veterans be included in the current healthcare program provided for Congress and other federal officials. “Our veterans need and deserve the best medical care we can possibly provide for them,” he said.

“In view of continuing revelations of likely criminal activity among top level VA officials, administrators, supervisors and other employees, it is apparent that drastic measures must be taken immediately to assure the best medical care possible for all of our veterans,” Cooper said. “Obviously, bureaucrats have been unable and unwilling to provide that for our vets,” he continued.

“Recent discovery that as many as 100 veterans died because of unacceptable and unwarranted delays in getting the medical attention they desperately needed, Cooper said. “It is sinful, pre-meditated murder and indefensible negligence by those providers,” he stated. According to the Presidential hopeful, “the lack of Congressional oversight is just as responsible for these grossly unnecessary deaths and they need to be held accountable too. We can take care of them this coming November,” he said.

Cooper himself is a non-combat veteran who has been eligible for VA care, but was “kicked out” of the VA system because he missed two consecutive assigned appointments at the Lufkin, TX clinic in 2002-03. He was working in Alaska on the appointment dates and notified the Texas clinic ahead of time that he would be unable to keep the appointments. The “Veterans Advocate” in Lufkin told him nothing could be done because “rules are rules.” He is now covered under Medicare and private health insurance.

Cooper fumed when he learned from news reports last week that nearly $500 million was spent on VA office furnishings and accessories instead of hiring more medical practitioners to help care for veterans. “I will do everything I can possibly do to encourage Congress to shut down the VA and fire the administrators as soon as possible.

In closing, Cooper said: “I’ve heard the vocal words of both President Obama and his Cabinet head of the VA say that they are ‘mad as hell’ about what has gone on at the VA over several decades,” Cooper noted. “Well, I’m mad as hell, too. Dishing out tax-payer dollars to the victims’ families surely doesn’t bring closure to them for what their own government did to them,” he said.

“This simply shouldn’t happen in the United States, for crying out loud,” he exhorted. “The idiots in charge were more concerned about keeping their jobs that taking care of their patients,” he claimed. “Shame on them!”