Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister

[Smilo]

I didn't know Japan had tea-bagger scum..............


Japan's new government is barely a month old, and already one of its most senior members has insulted tens of millions of voters by suggesting that the elderly are an unnecessary drain on the country's finances.

Taro Aso, the finance minister, said on Monday that the elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to relieve pressure on the state to pay for their medical care.

"Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government," he said during a meeting of the national council on social security reforms. "The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die."

Aso's comments are likely to cause offence in Japan, where almost a quarter of the 128 million population is aged over 60. The proportion is forecast to rise to 40% over the next 50 years.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/22/elderly-hurry-up-die-japanese

[jberryhill]

1. They're going to Taro a new Aso in that guy

[reformist2]

2. The Scrooge mentality knows no borders and spans all generations.

Sadly, the miserly will always be with us. We just have to always make sure they never get into office!

[Cooley Hurd]

3. They're taking pointers from our Republicans?

[LiberalEsto]

4. This is the fourth time this story has been posted this week

Once in LBN and 3 times in GD

[niyad]

5. it is the first time I have seen it, so I appreciate the OP.

[Matariki]

6. "should be allowed to" ?????

wtf?

This attitude is fucking depressing.

[moobu2]

7. The most important part. "if you are forced to live on when you want to die".

[moobu2]

8. Sounds like he might have been talking about elderly people who are at the end of their lives

and don't want medical treatment when all it would do is prolong their death process. If that's what he meant, he's right, everyone should be allowed to refuse medical treatment whether or not that refusal would hasten their deaths. The rest sounds like a hodgepodge of comments maybe taken out of context and maybe a hit piece. imo.

[madokie]

9. Is this not pretty much what the pukes as a whole are pushing for here in the good O usa

[okwmember]

10. This guy must be Jindal's hero.

[moobu2]

11. Taro Aso issued an apology and said

"I wasn't commenting on how terminal medical care should be..." I "expressed my personal views, and it was clear that it wasn't a general statement.” and said he "regretted causing any misunderstanding,”

A finance ministry official told JRT that Mr. Aso had told the meeting he personally doesn’t want to rely on government money to prolong his life, but that local media took this to mean he was speaking in general with Japan’s senior citizens in mind.

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2013/01/22/japans-finance-minister-seeks-early-remedy-for-death-gaffe/

I feel the same way about not wanting to be kept alive when there isn't any hope of recovery (for myself to be clear).