Thousands of vets march on DC - demand trump's removal from office....

Teflon Don said:
I can respect their service and think they are idiots at the same time
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You do realize that Musk is planning to chainsaw 80,000 positions in the VA? You don’t think that will have an effect on VA services?

Not to mention that close to 30% of all Federal employees are veterans, and you think randomly cutting positions isn’t going to affect Veterans?

They should be pissed, protesting, anything but idiotic
 
archives said:
You do realize that Musk is planning to chainsaw 80,000 positions in the VA?
Click to expand...

There’s been a lot of buzz on social media about Elon Musk allegedly planning to cut 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as part of a broader push under the Trump administration. Posters like Anchovies claim this is tied to Musk. The narrative is that Musk, alongside figures like VA Secretary Doug Collins, is driving this “chainsaw” approach to slash what they see as waste or inefficiency.

However, this can’t be confirmed as fact. Without official statements from Musk, the VA, or the Trump administration as of March 14, 2025, it’s inconclusive whether Musk is personally “planning to chainsaw” these positions or if it’s just speculation tied to his known push for efficiency in government via initiatives like DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).

So, is it happening? Maybe—there’s smoke, but no clear fire yet. More solid evidence would be needed to say for sure.


@Grok



archives said:
You don’t think that will have an effect on VA services?
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The VA has a long rap sheet of criticism. Wait times for appointments can stretch weeks or months—pre-COVID data showed averages of 20+ days for primary care in some regions, and veterans often vent about delays. Scandals like the 2014 waitlist cover-up, where vets died waiting for care, linger in public memory. Disability claims backlogs are another sore spot; as of early 2025, tens of thousands of claims are still pending, though the VA says it’s processing over 1 million annually. Quality of care gets flak too—some vets call VA facilities outdated or understaffed, and a 2021 GAO report flagged inconsistent oversight, which paints the VA as a bloated bureaucracy failing those it’s meant to serve.

@Grok

archives said:
Not to mention that close to 30% of all Federal employees are veterans, and you think randomly cutting positions isn’t going to affect Veterans? They should be pissed, protesting, anything but idiotic
Click to expand...

So people are scared they're going to lose their jobs because they suck, is that it?
 
Diogenes said:
There’s been a lot of buzz on social media about Elon Musk allegedly planning to cut 80,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as part of a broader push under the Trump administration. Posters like Anchovies claim this is tied to Musk. The narrative is that Musk, alongside figures like VA Secretary Doug Collins, is driving this “chainsaw” approach to slash what they see as waste or inefficiency.

However, this can’t be confirmed as fact. Without official statements from Musk, the VA, or the Trump administration as of March 14, 2025, it’s inconclusive whether Musk is personally “planning to chainsaw” these positions or if it’s just speculation tied to his known push for efficiency in government via initiatives like DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency).

So, is it happening? Maybe—there’s smoke, but no clear fire yet. More solid evidence would be needed to say for sure.


@Grok





The VA has a long rap sheet of criticism. Wait times for appointments can stretch weeks or months—pre-COVID data showed averages of 20+ days for primary care in some regions, and veterans often vent about delays. Scandals like the 2014 waitlist cover-up, where vets died waiting for care, linger in public memory. Disability claims backlogs are another sore spot; as of early 2025, tens of thousands of claims are still pending, though the VA says it’s processing over 1 million annually. Quality of care gets flak too—some vets call VA facilities outdated or understaffed, and a 2021 GAO report flagged inconsistent oversight, which paints the VA as a bloated bureaucracy failing those it’s meant to serve.

@Grok



So people are scared they're going to lose their jobs because they suck, is that it?
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The “Military Times” isn’t social media
www.militarytimes.com

VA secretary insists massive staff cuts needed to refocus department

Secretary Doug Collins confirmed leaders are looking at trimming 80,000 workers to slim down the growing VA bureaucracy.
www.militarytimes.com www.militarytimes.com

So you think cutting, chainsaw cutting, 80,000 employees is going to improve services?

Appears you have no problem with indiscriminately cutting those that served their country, understandable why you don’t comprehend why veterans are protesting
 
archives said:
The “Military Times” isn’t social media
Click to expand...

The Military Times didn't mention "Musk". You did - on JustPlainPolitics.com, a social media platform.

archives said:
So you think cutting, chainsaw cutting, 80,000 employees is going to improve services?
Click to expand...


Nothing else seems to have worked.

archives said:
Appears you have no problem with indiscriminately cutting those that served their country, understandable why you don’t comprehend why veterans are protesting
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I have no problem if deadwood loses their jobs if they aren't helping veterans. Being ex-military doesn't make someone impervious to performance standards.

I've also seen no evidence that "veterans are protesting" in their "thousands".
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Okay, so hundreds of "veterans" show up for a protest.
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Alleged veterans.

Skepticism is warranted. No official body, like the Department of Veterans Affairs, has released data confirming participants’ veteran status today, and the event’s open call to “all” (per nowmarch.org) means non-veterans likely joined. Past protests, like the 1932 Bonus Army, faced doubts about participants’ authenticity, with some labeled as non-veterans or radicals, though leader Walter Waters insisted all were vetted. Here, the lack of a centralized verification process leaves room for exaggeration or infiltration by non-veterans, a possibility not disproven by available data.



@Grok
 
Diogenes said:
Alleged veterans.

Skepticism is warranted. No official body, like the Department of Veterans Affairs, has released data confirming participants’ veteran status today, and the event’s open call to “all” (per nowmarch.org) means non-veterans likely joined. Past protests, like the 1932 Bonus Army, faced doubts about participants’ authenticity, with some labeled as non-veterans or radicals, though leader Walter Waters insisted all were vetted. Here, the lack of a centralized verification process leaves room for exaggeration or infiltration by non-veterans, a possibility not disproven by available data.



@Grok
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I wonder how many are paid protesters.
 
archives said:
You do realize that Musk is planning to chainsaw 80,000 positions in the VA? You don’t think that will have an effect on VA services?

Not to mention that close to 30% of all Federal employees are veterans, and you think randomly cutting positions isn’t going to affect Veterans?

They should be pissed, protesting, anything but idiotic
Click to expand...
Poor anchovies, Trumps position was to allow the same benefits with the veteran choosing his/her provider.
 
archives said:
The “Military Times” isn’t social media
www.militarytimes.com

VA secretary insists massive staff cuts needed to refocus department

Secretary Doug Collins confirmed leaders are looking at trimming 80,000 workers to slim down the growing VA bureaucracy.
www.militarytimes.com www.militarytimes.com

So you think cutting, chainsaw cutting, 80,000 employees is going to improve services?
Click to expand...

Can't make them worse. Call a government agency sometime. You'll typically wait for an hour or more to get served. Even then, the result is likely to be they can't fix the problem. When I have to mail in documents for something government related, I send them 100% of the time certified mail, return receipt required. If I don't it likely won't be processed. That adds cost to doing that process.

If you make any mistakes, no matter how small, on a form it won't get processed and you will have to start the process over. Civilian companies will work with you on the phone or by e-mail and fix such problems usually in minutes.

When I retired from military service, I submitted my paperwork almost a year in advance and I still had to spend several days on the phone with the processing command and then DFAS to get everything through. After that, it only took about 3 months for them to start paying me.

The government, as it is, is the most inefficient, inept, clueless, ineffective, sloppy, useless, and pedantic customer service on the planet. Firing people isn't going to make it slower or worse.
archives said:
Appears you have no problem with indiscriminately cutting those that served their country, understandable why you don’t comprehend why veterans are protesting
Click to expand...

The VA is very much hit and miss. For most veterans--including me--it is the source of last resort for virtually anything. VA medical care can be anything from pretty good to incredibly terrible. Wait times are astoundingly long. Have a problem with DFAS (the agency that pays veterans)? Expect to sit on the phone for several hours. Dial in within a minute or two of them opening (CST--they're in Cleveland OH). Paperwork? It is utterly pedantic and often completely confusing.

ID cards have gotten better. It used to take an appointment and all day to get one. Now they have these kiosks that you do all the entries on and then have to comeback the next day to get the ID card. At least you don't spend all day getting one, just an hour or so on two days...

TRICARE is a hot mess today too. Compared to the civilian side, FEHB, Tricare sucks bigtime! I guess that's because Congresscritters use FEHB too.

Veterans do get a hiring preference with the federal government, but it's on par with those that select minorities, and a number of other categories get.
 
T. A. Gardner said:
Can't make them worse. Call a government agency sometime. You'll typically wait for an hour or more to get served. Even then, the result is likely to be they can't fix the problem. When I have to mail in documents for something government related, I send them 100% of the time certified mail, return receipt required. If I don't it likely won't be processed. That adds cost to doing that process. If you make any mistakes, no matter how small, on a form it won't get processed and you will have to start the process over. Civilian companies will work with you on the phone or by e-mail and fix such problems usually in minutes. When I retired from military service, I submitted my paperwork almost a year in advance and I still had to spend several days on the phone with the processing command and then DFAS to get everything through. After that, it only took about 3 months for them to start paying me. The government, as it is, is the most inefficient, inept, clueless, ineffective, sloppy, useless, and pedantic customer service on the planet. Firing people isn't going to make it slower or worse. The VA is very much hit and miss. For most veterans--including me--it is the source of last resort for virtually anything. VA medical care can be anything from pretty good to incredibly terrible. Wait times are astoundingly long. Have a problem with DFAS (the agency that pays veterans)? Expect to sit on the phone for several hours. Dial in within a minute or two of them opening (CST--they're in Cleveland OH). Paperwork? It is utterly pedantic and often completely confusing. ID cards have gotten better. It used to take an appointment and all day to get one. Now they have these kiosks that you do all the entries on and then have to comeback the next day to get the ID card. At least you don't spend all day getting one, just an hour or so on two days...TRICARE is a hot mess today too. Compared to the civilian side, FEHB, Tricare sucks bigtime! I guess that's because Congresscritters use FEHB too. Veterans do get a hiring preference with the federal government, but it's on par with those that select minorities, and a number of other categories get.
Click to expand...

Anchovies doesn't seem too familiar with veterans' issues, does he?

Poor Anchovies.
 
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