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

[cali]

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.

<snip>

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

[LiberalEsto]

1. I posted this yesterday in GD nt

[Kalidurga]

3. Ha ha I saw that...

I thought it was a US Republican saying that. I obviously misread the headline.

[KamaAina]

2. Great. The Japanese Eric Cantor.

[bananas]

4. 'he referred to elderly patients who are no longer able to feed themselves as "tube people".'

Wow.

[Hugabear]

5. Sounds like a speech Rand Paul could have made

Or any other teabagger.

Alan Grayson was correct when describing the GOP plan for health care: die quickly.

[cecilfirefox]

6. Those people need to have some babies!! nt

[CTyankee]

7. Easy, silly! You just cut and cut and cut their health care benefits and push them into a private

health care market and soon, VOILA! You wish is granted!