https://twitter.com/alweaver22/status/734769927995985920
In June of 2014, former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald took over as the head of the VA after Eric Shinseki resigned in the wake of the ongoing wait time scandal.
McDonald was quoted today as making an odd analogy when attempting to point out that the agency’s success shouldn’t be measured just on the length of wait times:
At CSM breakfast VA Sec McDonald says we don't measure Disney's success by wait times so why should we measure VA's? pic.twitter.com/heVpCzNdRq
— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) May 23, 2016
VA Sec. McDonald compares veterans' wait times for health care to wait times at Disneyland https://t.co/1nabdkXDrl
— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) May 23, 2016
VA secretary: Disney doesn't measure success based on wait times, so why should VA? https://t.co/To6u6rlXww
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) May 23, 2016
Wow. VA secretary minimizes wait times scandal by comparing vets' care to lines at Disney World: https://t.co/ipyZOV1fLd
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) May 23, 2016
Via the Washington Examiner:
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Monday compared the length of time veterans wait to receive health care at the VA to the length of time people wait for rides at Disneyland, and said his agency shouldn’t use wait times as a measure of success because Disney doesn’t either.
“When you got to Disney, do they measure the number of hours you wait in line? Or what’s important? What’s important is, what’s your satisfaction with the experience?”
Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz and Justin Amash are among those taking McDonald to task:
This is not make-believe, Mr. Secretary. Veterans have died waiting in those lines. https://t.co/OxfT3AYzTi
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) May 23, 2016
Healthcare for our veterans is NOT a visit to the Magic Kingdom. They EARNED quality care in a timely fashion!https://t.co/5nRIHiosth
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 23, 2016
Because veterans aren't waiting for health care at Space Mountain. https://t.co/g2ozycmTxK
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 23, 2016
Just unreal.
Not only is this a terrible analogy, it’s also completely false. https://t.co/FqeFERVaUN
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) May 23, 2016
Only someone who's confident in not being fired for incompetence (or poor wait times) would ever say this. https://t.co/O3LwCwkBHr
— Michael Haugen (@HaugenATX) May 23, 2016
Perhaps because no one dies in the queue for the It's A Small World ride, but that's just a thought. https://t.co/0HqlEzlyB6
— Michael Freeman (@michaelpfreeman) May 23, 2016
Where the head of Obama's VA compares vets waiting for healthcare to standing in line to see The Little Mermaid. https://t.co/gylOUKzTlL
— Razor (@hale_razor) May 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/PlatosStudent/status/734753686920912901
Reminder: people have literally died waiting to receive VA care. https://t.co/TmxXgSCpKV
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) May 23, 2016
Because veterans aren't tourists and the VA shouldn't deliver Mickey Mouse service? https://t.co/gGrOK87gP1
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) May 23, 2016
Ironically, sick kids get to bypass the lines at Disney. https://t.co/1lUuXSj3Fh
— NeoN: Automataster (@neontaster) May 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/BecketAdams/status/734758050263896064
https://twitter.com/RobProvince/status/734767705916481537
https://twitter.com/bnf6384/status/734776252389691393
https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/734765512819941378
But perhaps Secretary McDonald’s ill-advised analogy could lead to an idea to speed up service at the VA:
Maybe the VA could introduce Fastpasses?
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) May 23, 2016
Something needs to be done.
***
Related:
‘What planet is she from?’ Hillary’s dismissal of VA scandal severity is unreal (even for her)
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