Luzinski's Gut wrote:http://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-14-02603-178.pdf

The VA Inspector General has released his report on the Phoenix VA, not good.

This is choice:
"The length of time these 1,700 veterans wait for appointments prior to being scheduled or added to the EWL will never be captured in any VA wait time data because Phoenix HCS staff had not yet scheduled their appointment or added them to the EWL. Until that happens, the reported wait time for these veterans has not started. Most importantly, these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being lost or forgotten in Phoenix HCS’ convoluted scheduling practices. As a result, these veterans may never obtain their requested or
required primary care appointment."

dajafi wrote:Apologies if this has been discussed already, but I'm reading Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Case for Reparations."

Not at the end yet--I haven't gotten to his proposed solution, if there is one--but... holy #$!&@. If nothing else, it's a staggering masterpiece of argument. This guy has to be the best political essayist in America. Just a masterful journalist as well as a phenomenal polemicist.

One thread of thinking in the African American community holds that these depressing numbers partially stem from cultural pathologies that can be altered through individual grit and exceptionally good behavior. (In 2011, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, responding to violence among young black males, put the blame on the family: “Too many men making too many babies they don’t want to take care of, and then we end up dealing with your children.” Nutter turned to those presumably fatherless babies: “Pull your pants up and buy a belt, because no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.”) The thread is as old as black politics itself. It is also wrong. The kind of trenchant racism to which black people have persistently been subjected can never be defeated by making its victims more respectable. The essence of American racism is disrespect. And in the wake of the grim numbers, we see the grim inheritance.

pacino wrote:this Nutter quote makes me wince:

One thread of thinking in the African American community holds that these depressing numbers partially stem from cultural pathologies that can be altered through individual grit and exceptionally good behavior. (In 2011, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, responding to violence among young black males, put the blame on the family: “Too many men making too many babies they don’t want to take care of, and then we end up dealing with your children.” Nutter turned to those presumably fatherless babies: “Pull your pants up and buy a belt, because no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.”) The thread is as old as black politics itself. It is also wrong. The kind of trenchant racism to which black people have persistently been subjected can never be defeated by making its victims more respectable. The essence of American racism is disrespect. And in the wake of the grim numbers, we see the grim inheritance.

sydnor wrote:

pacino wrote:this Nutter quote makes me wince:

One thread of thinking in the African American community holds that these depressing numbers partially stem from cultural pathologies that can be altered through individual grit and exceptionally good behavior. (In 2011, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, responding to violence among young black males, put the blame on the family: “Too many men making too many babies they don’t want to take care of, and then we end up dealing with your children.” Nutter turned to those presumably fatherless babies: “Pull your pants up and buy a belt, because no one wants to see your underwear or the crack of your butt.”) The thread is as old as black politics itself. It is also wrong. The kind of trenchant racism to which black people have persistently been subjected can never be defeated by making its victims more respectable. The essence of American racism is disrespect. And in the wake of the grim numbers, we see the grim inheritance.

Why does it make you wince? Are you more of an authority on this than Nutter?

pacino wrote:not sure what i would jump on with what you provided. we just disagree about where to plant our flags on the spectrum of how much macro to micro changes affect populations. i tend to err on the side of trying not to get too much in the weeds of individual experiences in favor of trying to lift the overall boats of society. personally, on a day to day level, i do try to help people better their lives and give out advice on budgeting and such. i just don't think that this will affect society as a whole near as much as attacking poverty on a macro level will.

i don't think i'm for reparations, but this piece was damn persuasive. if we can clearly identify individuals like he laid out, then maybe they deserve something. I think it's utterly impossible to figure out, though. I do believe in the idea that me getting a boost simply for being a youngish white male is a real thing and it's something i'm not in favor of.

sydnor wrote:

pacino wrote:not sure what i would jump on with what you provided. we just disagree about where to plant our flags on the spectrum of how much macro to micro changes affect populations. i tend to err on the side of trying not to get too much in the weeds of individual experiences in favor of trying to lift the overall boats of society. personally, on a day to day level, i do try to help people better their lives and give out advice on budgeting and such. i just don't think that this will affect society as a whole near as much as attacking poverty on a macro level will.

i don't think i'm for reparations, but this piece was damn persuasive. if we can clearly identify individuals like he laid out, then maybe they deserve something. I think it's utterly impossible to figure out, though. I do believe in the idea that me getting a boost simply for being a youngish white male is a real thing and it's something i'm not in favor of.

Ok, so I didn't care for the pants remark from Nutter but i wrote that off to an age gap. Old people care about the darndest things. I'd simply say that while it's important for Nutter to (continue) lobbying for things that will help black people at a macro level, it also doesn't hurt for him to say "hey, stop the violence and raise your kids". That lesson can be broadened beyond black society, of course it can, but that was the audience he had on hand.