Biography of Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino President

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (March 22, 1869–February 6, 1964) was a Filipino politician and military leader who played an important role in the Philippine Revolution. After the revolution, he served as the new countrys first president. Aguinaldo later commanded forces during the Philippine-American War. Fast Facts: Emilio Aguinaldo Known For: Aguinaldo served as the first president of the independent Philippines.Also Known As: Emilio Aguinaldo y FamyBorn: March 22, 1869 in Cavite, PhilippinesParents: Carlos Jamir Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy-AguinaldoDied: February 6, 1964 in Quezon City, PhilippinesSpouse(s): Hilaria del Rosario (m. 1896–1921), Marà ­a Agoncillo (m. 1930–1963)Children: Five Early Life Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was the seventh of eight children born to a wealthy mestizo family in Cavite on March 22, 1869. His father Carlos Aguinaldo y Jamir was the town mayor, or gobernadorcillo, of Old Cavite. Emilios mother was Trinidad Famy y Valero. As a boy, he went to elementary school and attended secondary school at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, but had to drop out before earning his high school diploma when his father passed away in 1883. Emilio stayed home to assist his mother with the familys agricultural holdings. On January 1, 1895, Aguinaldo made his first foray into politics with an appointment as Cavites capitan municipal. Like fellow anti-colonial leader Andres Bonifacio, he also joined the Masons. Philippine Revolution In 1894, Andres Bonifacio himself inducted Aguinaldo into the Katipunan, a secret anti-colonial organization. The Katipunan called for the removal of Spain from the Philippines by armed force if necessary. In 1896 after the Spanish executed Jose Rizal, the voice of Filipino independence, the Katipunan started their revolution. Meanwhile, Aguinaldo married his first wife, Hilaria del Rosario, who would tend to wounded soldiers through her Hijas de la Revolucion (Daughters of the Revolution) organization. While many of the Katipunan rebel bands were ill-trained and had to retreat in the face of Spanish forces, Aguinaldos troops were able to out-fight the colonial troops even in a pitched battle. Aguinaldos men drove the Spanish from Cavite. However, they came into conflict with Bonifacio, who had declared himself president of the Philippine Republic, and his supporters. In March 1897, the two Katipunan factions met in Tejeros for an election. The assembly elected Aguinaldo president in a possibly fraudulent poll, much to the irritation of Bonifacio. He refused to recognize Aguinaldos government; in response, Aguinaldo had him arrested two months later. Bonifacio and his younger brother were charged with sedition and treason  and were executed on May 10, 1897, on Aguinaldos orders. Internal dissent seems to have weakened the Cavite Katipunan movement. In June 1897, Spanish troops defeated Aguinaldos forces and retook Cavite. The rebel government regrouped in Biyak na Bato, a mountain town in Bulacan Province, northeast of Manila. Aguinaldo and his rebels came under intense pressure from the Spanish  and had to negotiate a surrender later that same year. In mid-December 1897, Aguinaldo and his government ministers agreed to dissolve the rebel government and go into exile in Hong Kong. In return, they received legal amnesty and an indemnity of 800,000 Mexican dollars (the standard currency of the Spanish Empire). An additional 900,000 Mexican dollars would indemnify the revolutionaries who stayed in the Philippines; in return for surrendering their weapons, they were granted amnesty and the Spanish government promised reforms. On December 23, Aguinaldo and other rebel officials arrived in British Hong Kong, where the first indemnity payment of 400,000 Mexican dollars was waiting for them. Despite the amnesty agreement, the Spanish authorities began to arrest real or suspected Katipunan supporters in the Philippines, prompting a renewal of rebel activity. Spanish-American War In the spring of 1898, events half a world away overtook Aguinaldo and the Filipino rebels. The United States naval vessel USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba, in February. Public outrage at Spains supposed role in the incident, fanned by sensationalist journalism, provided the United States with a pretext to start the Spanish-American War on April 25, 1898. Aguinaldo sailed back to Manila with the U.S. Asian Squadron, which defeated the Spanish Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Manila Bay. By May 19, 1898, Aguinaldo was back on his home soil. On June 12, 1898, the revolutionary leader declared the Philippines independent, with himself as the unelected president. He commanded Filipino troops in the battle against the Spanish. Meanwhile, close to 11,000 American troops cleared Manila and other Spanish bases of colonial troops and officers. On December 10, Spain surrendered its remaining colonial possessions (including the Philippines) to the United States in the Treaty of Paris. Presidency Aguinaldo was officially inaugurated as the first president and dictator of the Philippine Republic in January 1899. Prime Minister Apolinario Mabini headed the new cabinet. However, the United States refused to recognize the new independent government. President William McKinley claimed that doing so would be at odds with the American goal of Christianizing the (largely Roman Catholic) people of the Philippines. Indeed, although Aguinaldo and other Filipino leaders were unaware of it initially, Spain had handed over direct control of the Philippines to the United States in return for $20 million, as agreed to in the Treaty of Paris. Despite rumored promises of independence made by U.S. military officers eager for Filipino help in the war, the Philippine Republic was not to be a free state. It had simply acquired a new colonial master. Resistance to American Occupation Aguinaldo and the victorious Filipino revolutionaries did not see themselves as the Americans did, as half-devil or half-child. Once they realized they had been tricked and were indeed new-caught, the people of the Philippines reacted with outrage. On January 1, 1899, Aguinaldo responded to the American Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation by publishing his own counter-proclamation: My nation cannot remain indifferent in view of such violent and aggressive seizure of a portion of its territory by a nation which has arrogated to itself the title Champion of Oppressed Nations. Thus it is that my government is disposed to open hostilities if the American troops attempt to take forcible possession. I denounce these acts before the world in order that the conscience of mankind may pronounce its infallible verdict as to who are the oppressors of nations and the oppressors of mankind. Upon their heads be all the blood which may be shed! In February 1899, the first Philippines Commission from the United States arrived in Manila to find 15,000 American troops holding the city, facing off from trenches against 13,000 of Aguinaldos men, who were arrayed all around Manila. By November, Aguinaldo was once again running for the mountains, his troops in disarray. However, the Filipinos continued to resist this new imperial power, turning to guerrilla war after conventional fighting failed them. For two years, Aguinaldo and a shrinking band of followers evaded concerted American efforts to locate and capture the rebel leadership. On March 23, 1901, however, American special forces disguised as prisoners of war infiltrated Aguinaldos camp at Palanan on the northeast coast of Luzon. Local scouts dressed in Philippine Army uniforms led General Frederick Funston and other Americans into Aguinaldos headquarters, where they quickly overwhelmed the guards and seized the president. On April 1, 1901, Aguinaldo formally surrendered and swore allegiance to the United States. He then retired to his family farm in Cavite. His defeat marked the end of the First Philippine Republic, but not the end of the guerrilla resistance. World War II Aguinaldo continued to be an outspoken advocate of independence for the Philippines. His organization, the Asociacion de los Veteranos de la Revolucion (Association of Revolutionary Veterans), worked to ensure that former rebel fighters had access to land and pensions. His first wife Hilaria died in 1921. Aguinaldo married for a second time in 1930 at the age of 61. His new bride was 49-year-old Marà ­a Agoncillo, the niece of a prominent diplomat. In 1935, the Philippine Commonwealth held its first elections after decades of American rule. Then 66, Aguinaldo ran for president  but was soundly defeated by Manuel Quezon. When Japan seized the Philippines during World War II, Aguinaldo cooperated with the occupation. He joined the Japanese-sponsored Council of State  and made speeches urging an end to Filipino and American opposition to the Japanese. After the United States recaptured the Philippines in 1945, the septuagenarian Aguinaldo was arrested and imprisoned as a collaborator. However, he was quickly pardoned and released, and his reputation was not too severely tarnished. Post-War Era Aguinaldo was appointed to the Council of State again in 1950, this time by President Elpidio Quirino. He served one term before returning to his work on behalf of veterans. In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal asserted pride in Philippine independence from the United States by making a highly symbolic gesture; he moved the celebration of Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, the date of Aguinaldos declaration of the First Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo himself joined in the festivities, although he was 92 years old and rather frail. The following year, before his final hospitalization, he donated his home to the government as a museum. Death On February 6, 1964, the 94-year-old first president of the Philippines passed away from coronary thrombosis. He left behind a complicated legacy. Aguinaldo fought long and hard for independence for the Philippines and worked tirelessly to secure veterans rights. At the same time, he ordered the execution of his rivals—including Andres Bonifacio—and collaborated with the brutal Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Legacy Although Aguinaldo is today often heralded as a symbol of the democratic and independent spirit of the Philippines, he was a self-proclaimed dictator during his short period of rule. Other members of the Chinese/Tagalog elite, such as Ferdinand Marcos, would later wield that power more successfully. Sources â€Å"Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy.†Ã‚  Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy - The World of 1898: The Spanish-American War (Hispanic Division, Library of Congress).Kinzer, Stephen. The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire. St. Martins Griffin, 2018.ï » ¿Ooi, Keat Gin.  Southeast Asia a Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO, 2007.Silbey, David.  A War of Frontier and Empire: the Philippine-American War, 1899-1902. Hill and Wang, 2007.

Buddhism and Science Essay - 1891 Words

Buddhism places a high value on finding the truth. This fundamental principal allows for an acceptance of science, as it is seen as a modern truth to most. Furthermore, Buddhists believe in the evolution of human consciousness—this evolution, along with the truth presented from science, allows for an over arching acceptance of biological evolution. Even more interesting is that in the Agganna Sutta, a sacred Buddhist text, Buddha explains the world as having evolved over time. Though there is no mention of biological evolution, there is still an emphasis of evolution as a whole—both physically and spiritually. Tibetan Buddhism is known as the branch of Buddhism that has the largest emphasis on reincarnation, which is the most relevant†¦show more content†¦It is one of the most important ideals in Buddhism—that souls travel along over time, moving from body to body, and changing with each life. Spiritual Evolution thus becomes the first lens in which biological evolution can be compared to this religion. In an article in Proto Buddhism, Aloy Perera explores this concept. He says, â€Å"Human consciousness can be viewed as the culmination of the evolutionary process, spoken by of Charles Darwin. † Evolution exists within both human consciousness and within scientific processes. From this viewpoint, it easily allows one to begin to explore why Buddhism and biological evolution may exist in dialogue and even integrate. In order to explore any religious philosophy, it is important to start at the very beginning with a sacred text. The Agganna Sutta is the 27th Sutta of the Digha Nikaya, where Buddha explains, among other things, the origins of the Earth. In summary, the Agganna Sutta explains that resources on the earth led to every living being on earth to evolve . Despite the fact that biological and scientific reasoning is not specifically touched on, it is apparent that evolution was a factor in creating the earth and the beings that live on it today. Though many modern Buddhists may not follow sacred texts to the very word, as in any other religion, the basic over arching idea that evolution exists allows many Buddhists to accept the scientific theories. 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Frustration in Youth free essay sample

Frustration in youth Respected intellectual judges, elders in presence and my colleagues. I am here with a subject which is concerning us â€Å"The youth†. My words may be simple but expressive and will be leaving a great message for the parents and mentors who perform the leaders in the society. The debate is time bounded and may result leaving some stones unturned but I tried my level best and I am sure that will be useful for the society. Here comes my subject:- We come across strikes, agitation and the scene of looting, burning and destroying the public facilities and amenities almost all 15 days in a month. In Almost all scenes it is seen that a large No. of youth gathered there. We use to see or hear the Suicide by the younger and so many scene of that nature. A common word comes out from the mouth of everyone is that our youth has spoiled and is frustrated. The common thing in all above is the youth and the frustration. Which becomes our subject â€Å"Frustration in Youth† So let us know what is the frustration. â€Å"Frustration is called the failure of expectations and the feeling of defeat†. Continues increasing of this feeling results in anger which is cause of the all those incidents. Its of greater concern for the society and country that why its going on. But our parents and mentors are bounded by the times and falling short of the time , They have few seconds to blame the youth but not able to spare time to think on this subject or to peep into the back stage of these scenes. I would like to clear the picture by my own ways, studies and the little experience. The first and foremost cause is our upbringing. I am sure someone among you will blink the eyes that how it can be. But friends its there. We are brought up by the parents by showing the face of other world and with an assurance that the world is for you and the world will be doing a lot of things for you but never told that we are here to do something for the world and we have to achieve our aim and goals at our own. This has occupied full space of our mind since childhood and we grown with the same feelings. But later on when we face the fact which is something else and quite opposite of the fact which was told in the childhood we land up in the land of frustration. We were not at all ready and prepared to face this and ultimately resulting in the failure and consequences are frustration†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. frustration †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦frustration†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and only frustration . One another silly but hammering points is there that the parents of all most all children use to appreciate the children living next door and keep doing that, continue repetition of this thing also grows in to the frustration among the children. As we know the fact about that child. This comparison takes almost all 80% of the children into frustration. Cinema is also putting burning substance in this fire and makes it the wildfire. We watch in the movies a lot of unreal things which are nowhere applicable and possible in the actual world. These are the superman and superhero qualities. We try to put ourselves in that place which is fictional and unreal too. We dream in the same manner which never come true. We follow the hero fighting and resulting landing in the jails. We must not compare our self with the hero and must watch a movie in the movie prospect. Just for entertainment In villages, smaller towns and cities it has been experienced that gap between ancient and time of today is also playing a great role. Parents want Character of Ram played in the modern world. They want us to have speed of today with the character and attitude of the 18th century. This is highly irrelevant and not feasible. We have to leave the earth if we want to touch the sky. It’s must. They must understand us and must not remind us always of the old times in which they born and lived. They must care in which world we are living. The characters and life styles change as per the present time and situations . The gap makes them angry on youth and youth get frustrated again. They must not put all their unfinished dreams on us. Because early or late this also becomes the reason. They must cop-up with the children and should consider the present time and situations. And the last but not the least reason for the frustration is the non caring Governments. So many bad things are introduced in the society which compels the youth of other community or caste feel frustrated and leads towards the untoward incidents. The best known in this category is Reservation. A well obedient and highly skilled student who tops and unable to get admission or job will naturally jump in to the frustration. Jobless youth comes first in the frustrations and are the part of crowed at agitation and the incidents of unwanted and uncommon nature (Though it has become common) There will be so many other reasons which I may not know or not touched by me but existing. But on behalf of youth I would like to put these facts in front of all parents, mentors, rule makers and governments that they must care for the youth and should spare time to consider this. Because youth is the power and power should be channelized in a proper manner to avoid the un- happenings and taking India on the top. Predictions are going on that Indian will be the third power of the world and the China and America standing first and second consequently. Why can’t we be the First?. I am sure if we are taken away and get rid of the youth frustration nobody can stop us becoming the first and having crown. Jai Hind Jai Bharat Vishal Bhardwaj BSC IInd year

John Q an Ethical Analys and Review Essay Example

John Q: an Ethical Analys and Review Paper The film John Q provides a model for the analysis and demonstration of ethical principles of distributive justice as they pertain to healthcare and, more specifically, organ allocation in the face of scarcity. The film portrays the shortcomings of a managed care system as well as the pitfalls of a libertarian approach to allocation. Here discussed are the ethical approaches of Eglitarianism, Prioritarianisn, Utilitarianism, and Libertarianism to organ allocation as they pertain to the film as well as the situational change in the plot if these approaches were considered. The topics of hopelessness and helplessness experienced by the patient and family in a dire circumstances as observed in John Q is confronted in the context of the picture . Also provided is a brief ethical critique of the movie and a personal reaction to the topics addressed in the film When dealing with the issue of scarcity and allocation of resources, the health care industry provides a controversial and ethically challenging model for working though dilemma scenarios such as making distributive decisions with respect to donor organs to the most appropriate recipient. Scarcity is defined as a condition in which the demand for a resource greatly exceeds the supply of the resource, and the fact of the matter is there are many more people that need transplant organs than there are organs to be allocated. We will write a custom essay sample on John Q: an Ethical Analys and Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on John Q: an Ethical Analys and Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on John Q: an Ethical Analys and Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This circumstance is well presented in the movie John Q, written by James Kearns. The main point made throughout the film seems to be that the process of organ procurement is not only difficult and trying on the patient and family, but can also be fraught with the dilemmas of resource allocation and providing healthcare using a Libertarian allocation approach that need be addressed by healthcare administrators. Focusing on the theme of distributive justice, the film comes across to imply that care hould be made available to all regardless of their ability to pay and allocation be based on a Prioritarianistic â€Å"according to their need† distributive model rather than a Libertarian approach to allocation. In modern healthcare there is a constant struggle to provide the most and greatest healthcare to the greatest number of people in society. Fueling the debate over effective care allocation strategies, for decades the media has been filled with the echoes of socialized healthcare, and in recent decades multiple nations have adopted the model of a governmentalized healthcare system. In the United States resides a mixed system supported by tax dollars as well as managed care model that is fueled by the desire to reduce cost and still provide necessary care to subscribers. To that end, the film depicts the short comings of a managed care system with seen in the lack preventative screening that might have led to the recognition a young boy’s heart condition at a time when preventative steps could have been taken to mitigate the situation observed in the film. In the context of resource allocation and particularly organ allocation, at the heart of the ethical issue is the concept of scarcity. According to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics, there were approximately 83,000 people on the waiting list to receive an organ with an additional 106 (average) being added per day in 2003 (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). When considered in relation to the 9,800 donors and the roughly 6,000 people that died in 2002 while waiting for a transplant, it becomes clear a point of equilibrium between supply and demand / necessity has yet to be reached (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). Summary In the 2002 film, John Q, John Q. Archibald, an American factory worker that has been the victim of a declining economy, and is faced with the difficulty of paying for medical services when his son is struck down at a baseball game with heart failure due to a congenital defect. The boy suffers from an enlarged heart that went undetected so far. It was made clear that without a heart transplant, the boy would die. To further complicate the situation, the hospital administrator informed the Archibald family that their insurance had changed from a PPO to an HMO type plan and that the transplant surgery is considered an elective procedure and would not be covered by their insurance. The insurance company issued by his employer informs John that the policy had changed and that only $20,000 of the required $250,000 will be paid under the claim. John Q then decided to take measures into his own hands and persuades the head of the cardiology department to find a replacement heart for the boy at gunpoint. He takes the cardiologist and several patients hostage and demands that his son be placed on the recipient list. One of the predominant points made in the film is that the process of organ allocation is often unjust by the libertarian approach that is used when dealing with a managed care system that provides insufficient coverage for the terminally ill. The film implies that the decision making process of organ distribution id too greatly influenced by the recipient’s ability to pay for the treatment and does not sufficiently consider the patient’s deserving of the organ based on his life experience, usefulness and right to equitable treatment. The effects of organ procurement can instill a sense of helplessness in those linked to the patient dying from a terminal condition. The picture illustrates the manifestation of this stress and emotional strain in irrational behavior of the father of a terminal child and seems to justify his actions by hinting at the unjust nature of the organ distributive process. Analysis The depiction of a young boy falling deeper into the hopelessness of being rejected as an heart recipient and the helplessness of the parents as they watch their son’s condition continue to worsen because they are unable to provide the funds necessary to pay for the intervention successfully conveys the message that the results of allocative decisions are not always just and favor those with the ability to pay for the procedure. In the context of the film, it is important to note the role of hopelessness and helplessness felt by the Archibald family as a result of the organ allocation process and decision. It is no secret that illness and bodily deterioration can adversely affect the mood and emotions of a patient by promoting feelings of helplessness and a loss of hope. But, frequently one might observe the emotions of family members be similarly affected when a grim prognosis is delivered sensing that the situation is beyond anyone’s control and this leads to a deep sense of helplessness. This holds true especially for parents as in the case of the Archibald family. As a parent raises a child, benevolence and pleasing sacrifice are at the core of the parental emotional complex. So, when a child become ill, it presents as one of the few situations in which the parent is unable to offer more than comforting words of compassion and love. A parent that has devoted years of aid and care can become overwhelmed by a mood of desperation. However, the film’s portrayal of an illicit act of perceived violence and deception as being one of heroism and justice serves only to further incite one with the discontent at the current system and justifies the use of such force to serve one’s own end, however desperate it might be, the justification of any sort of deception and manipulation, as Mr. Archibald deceived and manipulated hostages and hospital administrators as a means to his desired end, is in conflict with the familiar categorical imperative of Kantian Deontology. This in itself is, by that theory, unethical and a deplorable action in the context of deontology. On the topic of the ethics of organ allocation, distributive justice can be described as the deciding how to fairly divide and allocate resources in the face of scarcity (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). In distributive justice, there are thought to be six major theories on how best to do this: to each an equal share, to each according to his need, according to his effort, according to his contribution, according to the merit achieved, and to each according to his ability to pay (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). It can be simplified further in that all six of these allocation theories can be summed up in four primary categories of thought: equality, favoring the neediest, utilitarianism, and rewarding social usefulness (Emanuel, Persad, Werthiemer 2009). First of these categories is that of equality. Treating everyone equally is known as the distributive justice theory of Egalitarianism. In this system, judgments are made based on objective factors ideally in the absence of any bias (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). A classic example of this type of model at work is the first come first serve method (Emanuel et al. 2009). Ideally, these types of approaches are, with some exception, fairly good at eliminating selection bias, however, in doing so can ignore factors such as social standing, quality of life and issues of medical worthiness (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004). In the scenario of John Q. , the utilization of such a system might have ensured the placement of the boy’s name on the transplant list. However, the odds that the boy would have received the heart would have actually not have ncreased. Therefore, the situation of the enragement of John Q. Archibald would probably not have been avoided. In the model of Prioritarianism, the sickest and the youngest receive priority care over those less afflicted (Emanuel et al. 2009). This approach has the advantage of aiding those who are critical and serves to eliminate selection bias in response to factors of social and economic standing but rather bases allocation on the need and urgency of care considering the condition of each patient. Prioritarianism however also have its disadvantages. One such is the need for a prognosis that must be estimated by human evaluation and is therefore vulnerable to persuasion and bias. Also, the allocation of organs parallels the preventative care of offered to the son of Michael Archibald in that the determination that treatment is necessary is contingent on the illness of the patient and thus requires the patient’s condition to deteriorate before the he or she is considered to among the sickest and eligible to receive the allocation of care and or organ that is required. A system that favor the sickest inherently fails to account for those who will become sick if the treatment or organ is not received in their current state Rationalizing the youngest first approach is the thought that the worst off in this case are those who would perish with fewer years lived and would potentially have more years to benefit from the organ (Emanuel et al. 2009). Pertaining to the case of Michael Archibald, he would probably have gotten the heart with ample time for treatment and recovery and the hostage situation initiated by his father would have been avoided. Third is the ever popular Utilitarian approach to the question of allocation striving to maximize the benefit obtained from each of the organs. This benefit is measures in life-years, that is, the number of years the patient would live beyond the number of years he or she would live if not granted the organ, adjusted with lifestyle and disability projected (Ethics of Organ Transplantation, 2004), (Donaldson Mitton, 2004). This is one of the models in which the patient’s future is considered. Using this approach and applying it to the situation of the Archibald family, it is irrefutably clear that the boy would receive nearly maximum benefit from the heart in both life-years and the ability to maintain a high quality of life throughout those years and would therefore be a priority recipient for the heart. To that end, there would have been no reason for John Q. to carry out his act of desperation. As the Utilitarian approach does not consider the ability to pay for the service as criteria for allocation, the financial and hostage crises would have been averted. Finally, the use of social usefulness as a factor for determining one’s eligibility as an organ recipient is the most relative to the film. At the heart of social usefulness allocation is the idea of instrumental value, that is, that which shows promise of future usefulness (Emanuel et al. 2009). Most specifically pertaining to the film, this implies Libertarian distribution theory and the use of one’s ability to pay as a gauge of usefulness and ability to contribute back to the healthcare system, in this instance, the managed care system, and society as a whole. By my rationale, if one is able to pay for, or has coverage that can pay for a procedure the individual is probably more able to make contributions to the market and thus society as a consumer, and might also have a higher probability of possessing the intellectual capacity and education level that is thought to enable one in providing the most useful contributions to society. Following that logic, it is natural to say that favoring those who are able to pay for treatment is in a way rewarding their perceived social usefulness. It is because of this method of thought that the son of John Q. Archibald was denied the transplant that was necessary to prolong his life. Mr. Archibald’s inability to pay the $250,000 required for the surgery served as an indicator of his social usefulness when the healthcare administrators were confronting the dilemma of placing the boy’s name n the transplant list. The Libertarian approach to allocation of healthcare resources bases decisions on too few dimensions of the patient’s experience. In the case of Michael Archibald the potential usefulness of a child, and even the policy holder for that matter, cannot be determined to degree of completeness that can be used to base decisions of organ allocation by using the parent’s ability to pay for the procedure as proxy to future social usefulness of the child. Even if it was, the perceived usefulness of a child can be viewed as less than that of an adult because it is not an autonomous being and lacks the investment of education and life experiences that shape autonomous adults. To the same effect, the usefulness of the mentally ill or elderly can be perceived to be lessened because they have less years or intellectual contributions to make to society. It is for this reason that I feel that this model as it is portrayed in the film is insufficient for the determination of organ recipients. Ethically, to the question of how scarce resources should be allocated, there is no easy or definite answer. However, the four main categories mentioned can be combined in use to provide some insight on how to best fairly distribute organs. It seems logical that to make determinations of allocation that ultimately prolong life and the human experience, it is necessary to take into account the factors that affect that experience such as quality of life and providing the maximum number of life-years from each organ. However, as organs are a scarce societal resource, it is also important to factor in the benefit to society that might be obtained by each scenario of the allocation of this resource. In my personal opinion, I feel that the cost of providing healthcare warrants the use of some aspect of a model based on one’s ability to pay. However, I also hold that as a libertarian approach ignores several crucial aspects of the patient’s experience and the utility the organ might provide to the patient as well as to society, the utilitarian view of utility in adjusted life-years and that those who are sickest with the greatest chance for recovery and to make a contribution to society should be considered first. Conclusion To all who have seen the James Kearns’s film, John Q, it is no secret that the ethical implications of resource allocation in healthcare can have emotionally devastating effects on patients and their families. The point is successfully made that the emotional effects of a perceived improper Libertarian system that only considers only one’s ability to pay to make distributive decisions can result in the loss of future productive members of society as well as the innocence and opportunity of youth. The principles and theories of distributive justice that are used in the decision making process when attempting to discern the â€Å"best† way to allocate organs, in the face of scarcity can often ignore essential elements of the suffering and life experience faced by the patient and his or her family as well as provide insufficient approximations of the worth of the patient in the scheme of society. For this reason, and the limited supply of organs and other medical resources, the denial of life sustaining interventions might ead the patient and family into a deep sense of hopelessness and helplessness when they come to the realization that there is nothing more they can do to aid themselves or their loved ones. In the case of John Q. Archibald this sense of hopelessness and despair was so great that it forced an otherwise rational and law abiding man to commit an act illicit and ethically reprehensible as a result of the denial of a heart for his terminal son.