If I go into a coma and am put on life support, with no living immediate family and no one with medical directive authority, who decides if I live or die?

doctorblue — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:59:23 -0500

There was a homeless guy who ended up in the ER. He went into a coma and was put on life support. With no family, the state ended up liable for the cost of the life support. State laws did not allow for anyone to pull the plug, so to speak. I'm facing a similar dilemma. I have what is considered a rare disease, Actinomycosis, complicated by additional systemic infections that have resulted in a slow bleeding of my gastrointestinal tract. read more »

Paulson's sketchy notes so far say that besides actual distressed loans, the Treasury may buy CDO's. "Cash CDO's" are directly collateralized by real assets, but 3rd party credit default swaps are just a kind of betting for "fat cats". Can you guarantee we won't become the "Casino of Last Resort" on the taxpayers' dime?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:52:02 -0500

Third party CDS's are bets between two "counterparties" that some other party will or won't default on a debt. They have been described as similar to "insurance", but they are more like under-the-counter options. The holder of the contract does not have to have ANY connection to the debt described in the swap.
I personally think that if the Treasury intervenes with any institution, all 3rd party CDS's sold by that institution should be automatically unwound as part of the acquisition of equity in that institution. It is fine to have collateral for debt. read more »

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If I go into a coma and am put on life support, with no living immediate family and no one with medical directive authority, who decides if I live or die?