IL State Treasurer/Obama Ally Giannoulias Planning to Challenge Roland Burris–Report from Our Chicago Correspondent; Medicare Musings

~~By InsightAnalytical–GRL & Chicago Correspondent Leslie

We’ve got a tidbit from Chicago Correspondent Leslie today and a bit of musing about Medicare today.  But since I’ve been swamped by the follow-up since my mother’s fall a few weeks ago, I haven’t been able to finish up the articles I’ve been researching. So, please consider this an OPEN THREAD today and post anything that’s on your mind or any news that has caught your eye!

From Chicago via Leslie:

I am sending you a story about Alexi Giannoulias, the IL State Treasurer, whose family-owned bank played a role in the samming of the woman who owned the Hologram Museum (I sent you the link to the Chicago Reader story a couple of weeks ago.)

When Obama was running for POTUS, he distanced himself from this guy, but now that Giannoulias is thinking about running for the seat now held (by a thread) by Roland Burris, it seems there may be something to the Obama-Giannoulias relationship.

Here is a quote from the article (linked below):

“. . . On Monday, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias — who refers to Obama as his political mentor — announced that he will form an exploratory committee to determine whether he’ll be in that race.”

Editor’s note:  Guess what? The link Leslie provided for this story is no longer working.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29466902/

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I searched the MSNBC site and came up with zip.  That sure “expired” quickly…

Here’s an excerpt from the original information posted here about Giannoulias a couple of weeks ago:

Also from Leslie  and on a more sinister note is this story from the Chicago Reader by Ling Ma about the state treasurer of Illinois, who has ties to Obama.  As Leslie says, it captures the “heart and soul” of Chicago politics, where “They scratch each other’s back. Oh, but they care about the little guy…(snark)!”

Broadway Bank is owned by the family of Alexi Giannoulis, Illinois state treasurer and a political ally of Barack Obama. Giannoulis was the bank officer who approved the loan to Loren Billings.

The full story is fascinating  just on the basis of the story about holography and what is described as the last holography museum in the U.S.  But what really is disturbing is how this elderly woman was cajoled into taking out a loan by “friends” at Giannoulis’  Broadway Bank and how her life may be ruined. Obama’s friends in Chicago really know how to do this sort of thing well…

Leslie adds: Oh, BTW: The Tribune had a headline saying “Race Played a Role in the Senate” selection. All I can say is . . . “No sh*t” .

***

Since my mother got home from the hospital we’ve been visited by a nurse who took a blood test, a nurse to assess her case, a physical therapist and, today, an occupational therapist.  She’s going to have bathing assistance and several weeks of instruction by the therapists on what her limits are and some things she can do to keep up her strength.

It took awhile to kick in, as schedules are already in place.  The therapists who have done her initial assessments both have full-time jobs in the hospital, but come after work to do the initial interview.  Then, the full-time people take over.

These services in Medicare are very helpful and you would think that they would automatically be expanded under this “stimulus” package/health care reform spending. But, who knows?  Since we’ve already been warned that “expensive” older people are just going to have take their lumps, I bet these professionals will be hit as hard as the hospitals when it comes to payment.  They may even lose their jobs.  I’m just so cynical at this point about Obama and his arrogant crew that I can’t see them doing anything GOOD for anybody except his favored demographic groups and donors from the financial world…