Is it time to jump ship?

I voted for Barack Obama, like the majority of this country. When I voted for him I felt like he would address the problems that I had with the previous administration and make us look better to other countries. I have always felt that we are behind many other developed countries when it comes to civil liberties and basic human rights. Over the past several months I have become concerned that the aggressive goals the President set during his campaign were just empty promises that he made to get elected. It is becoming harder to support him as more time goes by without any real change.

Politically I am extremely liberal. I am registered independent because the traditional policies of the democratic and republican parties do not appeal to me. By definition, I am probably a libertarian but the people who run on that platform in this country do not have the same politics as I do. In my lifetime, the democrats running for major office have been liberal and the republicans running for office have been conservative. I'm sure there are liberal republicans and conservative democrats out there but I have yet had the opportunity to vote for/against them. I have always voted for democrats for high office not because I consider myself a democrat but because of their liberal policies.

I wish that some of the "socialist" policies that other counties have would be adopted in the U.S. The most import of these policies is universal health care. The fact that we live in a country where someone can go bankrupt and/or die from a treatable medical condition because of the amount of money they make is disgusting. Health care should be a basic human right. If you make more money and have a high-end medical insurance policy then good for you. No one should be able to take that policy away from you. That "Cadillac" coverage is a perk of your employment or an expense that you have chosen to pay for. If the government decided to provide this high-end coverage for the entire country the deficit would be even worse than it is now. But that's not what's being proposed. What's being proposed is basic coverage for everyone.

I'm happy that a health care plan passed this year. I am happy that a lot more Americans will get coverage that didn't have it before. But I am unhappy that there are still people who will be left out in this plan. I am unhappy that obscene prices are charged for medications and procedures because health care is a for-profit industry in this country. I am unhappy that the greed of drug companies, lobbyists and insurance companies fuels the medical industry.

Gay marraige, the economy, immigration, energy, education, gays in the military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are all items that the President promised to address during his term. I understand that we are only 2 years into his presidency and that the republicans in congress have made it their personal mission to challenge everything that President Obama proposes. I also understand that he has made some progress on some of these issues but to a much lesser extent than was expected.

I don't think that I'm angry that the policies didn't pass. I'm angry that the president gave up before he even really tried. We all came out and voted for him because he proposed radical change. When he decides not to put controversial policies up for vote he is giving up. He is telling his supporters that its not worth the fight. So we are left wondering if that is really the case or if he never intended to implement those policies in the first place.

So the republicans weren't going to support continuing the Bush tax cuts if they didn't include the wealthiest Americans. Fine. Put that policy up for a vote and let the republicans be known as the party who made life more difficult for millions of Americans who were already struggling financially. Expose them to be the selfish children that they are. By proposing to extend the full tax cuts you are not only appeasing the republicans but increasing an already growing deficit. You are postponing the inevitable. In 2 years, when these tax cuts come up for renewal again, you will be facing re-election. Are we really to believe that you will chose to propose such a controversial policy at that time? At some point, the rich people in this country are going to have to stop getting coddled and made richer by ridiculous policies. If you're not going to stand up to the republicans on this issue then there is not hope for the really controversial topics.

My husband and I will likely be included in those Americans who make $250,000 or more as a couple in a few years. I fully expect to have a bigger chunk of our salaries withheld at that point. And I hope that tax money will be used for the greater good of the country and not to continue with more asinine policies. If not, I'm going to have to vote for someone who really does stand for change and doesn't just give great speeches.

Organ Donation and Transplants

I was reading an article in last month's Discovery Magazine on how people sell their organs in some Asian countries to make money to live. Apparently there is a huge market for people from all over the world to come to these countries to buy organs that they need to survive. Not surprisingly, a lot of people from the United States make this trip.

My uncle has been waiting for a kidney for three years. He receives dialysis a couple times a week and seems to be in relatively good health (considering that his kidneys aren't working) so it is not a medical emergency for him to get a kidney right away. But I worry that by the time a kidney becomes available that is a good match for him it will be too late.

Some of the stories I read about people being forced to give up their organs were completely disgusting. The thought of being so poor that I would give up an organ to a stranger to have enough food to provide for my family is depressing. But obviously the need is there. When it truly is a matter of life and death you can't fault people for making the decision to travel overseas to get these black market organs for a chance at life. I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing if I or someone I love became terminally ill.

One thing that did stand out in the article was that China harvests organs from death row inmates. What a fantastic idea. This person is going to die any way, why not take something good out of their death? This person probably committed a violent crime and took someone else's life. It seems only fitting that with the end of his life comes the potential to save several other lives.

There are some human rights experts that claim that China pushes people to be executed before they can receive a fair trial in order to get the organs. There are also some issues to how sanitary the operating conditions are and how the organs are stored once they are removed. I don't condone any of these practices and hope that the international community is successful in making sure China is not violating any human rights and follows all basic guidelines for sanitary medical facilities. But, if done properly, I think this is a system that could work.

You have broken the law. The government has confirmed that you are guilty of a crime and cannot be rehabilitated. You will be put to death. Why not harvest every piece of that person's body to help as many people as you can? Should we have to get a prisoner's permission to do this to their dead body? Absolutely not. If we have deemed this person no longer worthy of life then why we would allow them the right to deny life to others?

I'm sure that there would be religious and cultural groups saying that the practice of harvesting organs goes against their beliefs but I suspect killing people is also against their beliefs. Once you go on death row, you lose those rights and know that your organs will be harvested upon your death or your body donated to science or whatever the government sees fit to do with your body. It seems like a no-brainer to me.