People have been talking about Jobs’ rapid access to a liver, especially considering that his condition didn’t make him a high-priority candidate, while many less fortunate have to wait a lot longer to get one and even die waiting.
But the way I see it, if being a billionaire can’t buy you a liver, what’s the use of being filthy rich? We should allow organs to be auctioned off, with the money being used to fund healthcare for those less fortunate.
Totally agree.
Posted by: CK | June 20, 2009 at 11:03 AM
It was the first thing that crossed by mind. obs has been treated for Pancreatic cancer that has a very low survival rate and horrible long term prognosis.
I wonder if anyone will work this into the healthcare debate. If the U.S. goes to single payer will Jobs wait with the rest of us or still get to cut to the front of the line.
Posted by: superdestroyer | June 20, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Man, that sucks. This is the first time I've heard of him needing a transplant. It really makes you appreciate your health. I wouldn't trade places w/ him for ANY amount of money.
Posted by: BitterLaidOffHero | June 20, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I agree!
Posted by: Libertarian | June 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM
"But the way I see it, if being a billionaire can’t buy you a liver, what’s the use of being filthy rich?"
While it is almost certainly true he pulled strings to get the liver quickly, we should also keep in mind the dude has probably committed many millions of dollars to medical research for charity.
Over the long run, the money billionaires invest in medical research more than offsets any special treatment they get for their own health problems.
Posted by: The Undiscovered Jew | June 20, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Actually any mere millionaire can book a flight to SE asia and get a liver or any organ for that matter. Plus the nurses will probably treat you better.
Posted by: JohnM | June 20, 2009 at 12:16 PM
"Actually any mere millionaire can book a flight to SE asia and get a liver or any organ for that matter. Plus the nurses will probably treat you better."
Happy ending?
Posted by: mike | June 20, 2009 at 12:19 PM
An ever better use of money with respect to organ transplants is to fund research to help prevent so many organs from failing in the first place.
Posted by: Peter | June 20, 2009 at 12:23 PM
"Actually any mere millionaire can book a flight to SE asia and get a liver or any organ for that matter. Plus the nurses will probably treat you better."
Maybe five years ago, I saw a thing on Nightline about this. It turns out that China was executing thousands of prisoners every month, and selling their organs.
Thirty-five thousand dollars was what it cost to get a liver, and that includes the operation itself. They also did other transplants, such as eyes. Afterwards, when relatives would come to pick up the bodies of their executed family members, they'd find all sorts of body parts gone.
And it would never take more than a month to get an organ. They had no problem finding a match. They would literally execute the guy on the morning of the operation, and have the organs in the recipient that day.
Posted by: Kirk | June 20, 2009 at 12:52 PM
OT:
Have you seen the story about the homeless black girl who got accepted to Harvard with a full scholarship? Auster thinks its horrible but the girl did score in the 99th percentile on a state exam in third grade.
http://tinyurl.com/npz75c
Posted by: anotheranon | June 20, 2009 at 12:54 PM
"But the way I see it, if being a billionaire can’t buy you a liver, what’s the use of being filthy rich? "
With any luck that quicky brain transplant will come through for Kennedy.
Posted by: Turambar | June 20, 2009 at 02:25 PM
"Have you seen the story about the homeless black girl who got accepted to Harvard with a full scholarship?"
I hate the way we worship the lower classes (especially poor blacks) in America. Why is it such a big deal that somebody got into Harvard, presumably with a lot of affirmative action?
I will be impressed when a black person accomplishes something intellectually without any affirmative action. For example by becoming a chess champion.
Besides, Ms. Williams is probably exaggerating her humble roots. As well as her test score.
Posted by: sabril | June 20, 2009 at 02:50 PM
OT:
Have you seen the story about the homeless black girl who got accepted to Harvard with a full scholarship? Auster thinks its horrible but the girl did score in the 99th percentile on a state exam in third grade.
http://tinyurl.com/npz75c
Well I have just checked out VFR, not sure what to think of him but he has a point about this young lady. Having a high IQ is not useful if you are thrown into the deep in of the water. Really what is she going to do, she needs to learn so many basic things, like just how to run her life, it seems cruel to put her into a Harvard environment. She would be much better off at a smaller less competitive school earning a practical degree. I am happy for her as I can sort of relate, grew up really poor, disfunctional mother, above ave IQ (~130) but did not have the skills (social or academic) to navigate a highly competitive college. From what I have seen from others with similar background, she may end up with a big chip on her sholder, hating most whites and with an soft degree that will barely put her in the middle class. Whereas if she went to a decent state school, with support she could come out with a practical degree that would put her solidly in the middle class.
Posted by: verde | June 20, 2009 at 02:53 PM
"If the U.S. goes to single payer will Jobs wait with the rest of us or still get to cut to the front of the line." Don't worry, judging by the British experience, he'll get to jump the queue.
Posted by: dearieme | June 20, 2009 at 03:22 PM
verde,
I don't agree. I think we should put more resources into our smartest kids' education. Like it or not, she qualifies, she was 4th academically in her year, and also involved in sports. Sure, Jefferson High School in LA is probably a dump, but still, she has strong qualifications.
As for, doing what's better for her, why don't you let her decide? It's her choice to go to H or a less competitive college as you put it.
Also, since you mentioned class, not only that I believe your argument is flawed, but she may not even care about class. Based on her experience she may decide to dedicate her life helping smart impoverished children. But then again, she may go into investment banking, or law.
I wish her success in whatever she decides to do.
Posted by: CK | June 20, 2009 at 04:05 PM
The earth is overpopulated. Organ transplants should be outlawed. Then the playing field is truly level...
Posted by: Big Don | June 20, 2009 at 04:20 PM
"The earth is overpopulated."
That's nonsense. There are plenty of resources to feed, clothe, and house everyone. The problem is that the earth has too many NAMs. What should or shouldn't be done is a different question, but let's face reality here.
Posted by: sabril | June 20, 2009 at 04:28 PM
"Khadijah was in third grade when she first realized the power of test scores, placing in the 99th percentile on a state exam. Her teachers marked the 9-year-old as gifted, a special category that Khadijah, even at that early age, vowed to keep.
"I still remember that exact number," Khadijah said. "It meant only 0.01 students tested better than I did.""
Ummmm
"Khadijah graduated Friday evening with high honors, fourth in her class. She was accepted to more than 20 universities nationwide, including Brown, Columbia, Amherst and Williams. She chose a full scholarship to Harvard and aspires to become an education attorney."
Education attorney? Nice mentor.
Posted by: Turambar | June 20, 2009 at 05:15 PM
Siggy, Siggy, it's not about paying for a liver, OF COURSE you have to pay.
The problem is, the worthless animals who think they own their own livers.
Miracle of Life! Miracle of Life!
So a Law was passed, stopping the vile slum-dwellers, and their families, from selling their livers. No, they must DONATE THEM. FOR FREE.
Then, the Private, Non-Profit Important People sell the liver.
Miracle of Life! Miracle of Life!
Posted by: Miracle_Of_Life | June 20, 2009 at 05:33 PM
"But the way I see it, if being a billionaire can’t buy you a liver, what’s the use of being filthy rich? " (HS)
I say the same thing (sort of) when people want to build Section 8 housing in middle class suburban neighborhoods, or, when they want to bus middle class suburban kids to the inner city.
What's the use of working hard so you can live out in the suburbs if you have to live or send your kids to school with NAMs?
Its BS, and it aint right!
Posted by: CC01 | June 20, 2009 at 08:10 PM
"She finished only half of fourth grade, half of fifth and skipped sixth. Seventh grade was split between Los Angeles and San Diego. Eighth grade consisted of two weeks in San Bernardino. At every stop, Khadijah pushed to keep herself in each school's gifted program. She read nutrition charts, newspapers and four to five books a month, anything to transport her mind away from the chaos and the sour smell...This soon meant commuting by bus from an Orange County armory. She awoke at 4 a.m. and returned at 11 p.m., and kept her grade-point average at just below a 4.0 while participating in the Academic Decathlon, the debate team and leading the school's track and field team."
Ok, I've got to admit that Negro girl, Khadijah is beyond brilliant. She has developed ungodly levels of self-discipline, perseverance, and industriousness, apparently on her own, in the most unfavorable environments imaginable in America. There is something that doesn't seem quite human about this one.
Posted by: Dwayne Mayor | June 21, 2009 at 02:33 AM
It's not that hard to become all-consumed with school when the alternative is hanging out in an alley or sleeping on a cot somewhere.
Posted by: mike | June 21, 2009 at 04:43 AM
Let's not be too cynical about everything. This girl seems to have an amazing resolve and while I'm unsure if she would have gotten in without affirmative action, I think her story is admirable.
Posted by: OneSTDV | June 21, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Has the Harvard-bound homeless girl, admirable as she is for her determination and resolve, sat for any other "state exam" since the third grade; and if she has, what did she score?
Why cite only a single exam taken seven or eight years ago, an exam that, to my knowledge, ordinarily is not taken into account in evaluating qualifications for being admitted to college?
She's probably taken an IQ test, and the SAT.
And yet, the article makes no mention of such tests or her performance on them.
With only grades and rank in class offered up as best evidence for her intelligence, she might well be merely another Up From Slavery admittee to the Ivy League.
Posted by: Jonathan Silber | June 21, 2009 at 01:42 PM
Don't sweat it, guys. If things don't work out for Khadijah in the Ivy League, Harvard can always sell her organs to Oprah.
Posted by: Kudzu Bob | June 21, 2009 at 01:55 PM
"And yet, the article makes no mention of such tests or her performance on them"
I would be willing to bet a thousand dollars that her SAT scores are lousy when measured by the standard of your typical white or Jewish Harvard admittee.
By "lousy" I mean low enough so that a white or Jewish applicant would have essentially no chance of getting in unless he or she were a star athlete; the child of royalty, etc.
Posted by: sabril | June 21, 2009 at 02:42 PM