Transparency!!1!eleventy!!1!

AUINSC on June 25, 2009 at 9:47 PM

This IG mess is getting worse and worse.

Patrick on June 25, 2009 at 9:49 PM

Huh? I’m not sure how this ties in with Obama? If I read this right, the IG is complaining that Amtrak, for years, has been actively working against the IG.

But somehow the Amtrak IG says he expects retaliation from congress for whistle blowing?

Skywise on June 25, 2009 at 9:53 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/24/AR2009062403676_Comments.html

KareninIndy wrote:

Probably for more political cronyism. As in when she (Michelle Obama) was a top executive at the University of Chicago Medical Center and came up with a plan of “outsourcing” that has raised some red flags in the community.

Both Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago have raised red flags about the outsourcing program, run by the University of Chicago Medical Center. The hospital has non-profit status and receives lucrative tax breaks in exchange for providing charity care. Yet, it spent a measly $10 million on charity care for the poor in fiscal 2007 when Mrs. Obama was employed there—1.3 percent of its total hospital expenses, according to an analysis performed for The Washington Post by the non-partisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. The figure is below the 2.1 percent average for nonprofit hospitals in surrounding Cook County.

Rep. Rush called for a House investigation last week in response to months of patient-dumping complaints, noting: “Congress has a duty to expend its power to mitigate and prevent this despicable practice from continuing in centers that receive federal funds.”

Don’t expect the president to support a probe. While a top executive at the hospital, Mrs. Obama helped engineer the plan to offload low-income patients with non-urgent health needs. Under the Orwellian banner of an “Urban Health Initiative,” Mrs. Obama sold the scheme to outsource low-income care to other facilities as a way to “dramatically improve health care for thousands of South Side residents.” The program guaranteed “free” shuttle rides to and from the outside clinics.

In truth, it was old-fashioned cost-cutting and favor-trading repackaged as minority aid. Clearing out the poor freed up room for insured (i.e., more lucrative) patients.

Some health care experts saw through Mrs. Obama and her public relations man, David Axelrod—yes, the same David Axelrod who is now Mr. Obama’s senior adviser at the White House. The University of Chicago Medical Center hired Axelrod’s public relations firm, ASK Public Strategies, to promote Mrs. Obama’s Urban Health Initiative. Axelrod had the blessing of Chicago political guru Valerie Jarrett – now White House senior adviser.

Axelrod’s great contribution: Re-branding! His firm recommended re-naming the initiative after “internal and external respondents expressed the opinion that the word ‘urban’ is code for ‘black’ or ‘black and poor’….Based on the research, consideration should be given to re-branding the initiative.” Axelrod and the Obama campaign refused to disclose how much his firm received for its genius re-branding services.

In February 2009, outrage in the Obamas’ community exploded after a young boy covered by Medicaid was turned away from the University of Chicago Medical Center. Dontae Adams’ mother, Angela, had sought emergency treatment for him after a pit bull tore off his upper lip. Mrs. Obama’s hospital gave the boy a tetanus shot, antibiotics, and Tylenol and shoved him out the door. The mother and son took an hour-long bus ride to another hospital for surgery.

Following the Adams incident, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) blasted Mrs. Obama and Mr. Axelrod’s grand plan. The group released a statement expressing “grave concerns that the University of Chicago’s policy toward emergency patients is dangerously close to ‘patient dumping,’ a practice made illegal by the Emergency Medical Labor and Treatment Act (EMTALA)” – signed by President Reagan, by the way – “and reflected an effort to ‘cherry pick’ wealthy patients over poor.”

Rewarding political cronies at the expense of the poor while posing as guardians of the downtrodden? Welcome to Obamacare.

6/25/2009 2:31:36 PM – KareninIndy (Comments Section)

Lourdes on June 25, 2009 at 9:55 PM

interesting, amtrak is pretty much the model for what GM is becoming.

rob verdi on June 25, 2009 at 10:07 PM

so, how many is it until a pattern is established?

todler on June 25, 2009 at 10:08 PM

Anybody check whether Jacko was working as an IG on the side?

It could explain things.

mankai on June 25, 2009 at 10:20 PM

Elvis was a narc… MJ was an IG… heh…

Skywise on June 25, 2009 at 10:23 PM

Serious HotAirologists count the number of m’s in a Hmmmmm story. The precise meaning is the subject of intense study. It’s not what you might think – the more “m”’s the bigger the story. That’s all I can say for now.

CK MacLeod on June 25, 2009 at 10:28 PM

I’m glad you cleared that up because I was about to ask what makes the story worthy of 11 m’s.

Purple Fury on June 25, 2009 at 11:04 PM