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

[Redfairen]

Source: The Guardian

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."

To compound the insult, he referred to elderly patients who are no longer able to feed themselves as "tube people". The health and welfare ministry, he added, was "well aware that it costs several tens of millions of yen" a month to treat a single patient in the final stages of life.

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

[MADem]

1. Bastard! His folks sure didn't raise him right, did they?

So much for honoring your elders and ancestors! That guy is HARSH.

[ellenfl]

2. must be a republican. eom

[AnnieK401]

11. Exactly what I was thinking.

[Delphinus]

40. Whew!

That's exactly what I was thinking but was afraid to post.

[marble falls]

3. So does his wife perform the tea-bag ceremony for important guests?

[Cleita]

4. Wow! He makes our tea baggers look almost compassionate.

What a sociopath.

[loudsue]

6. He's just coming out and saying what the republicans here only tap dance around.

Cutting medicare and social security is the very same end.

[sikofit3]

7. This is what they all want

He said what the repubs would love to say but can't...... I think this is voiced in the upper echelons of our overlords quite frequently hence their policies

[LiberalEsto]

5. I posted this yesterday in GD, so it's not late breaking news

Japan finance minister to elderly: "Hurry up and die"

Last edited Mon Jan 21, 2013, 09:55 AM USA/ET - Edit history (1)
Looks like to me like they are willing to state publicly in public what the Republicans in the U.S. seek to accomplish by raising eligibility ages for Medicare and Social Security.

Once you're 50 in the U.S., forget about trying to find a new job at decent wages. Just work two or three minimum wage jobs at the same time to keep from starving while you wait 20 years to collect your "entitlements." - LibE

By Agence France-Presse
Monday, January 21, 2013 7:03 EST
(from RawStory)

"Japan’s finance minister Taro Aso said Monday the elderly should be allowed to “hurry up and die” instead of costing the government money for end-of-life medical care.

Aso, who also doubles as deputy prime minister, reportedly said during a meeting of the National Council on Social Security Reforms: “Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. You cannot sleep well when you think it’s all paid by the government.

“This won’t be solved unless you let them hurry up and die,” he said.

“I don’t need that kind of care. I will die quickly,” he said adding he had left written instructions that his life is not artificially prolonged."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/21/japan-should-let-elderly-hurry-up-and-die-finance-minister-taro-aso/

[Art_from_Ark]

12. I think the actual quote was

"It won't be solved unless we consider many things, like letting them be able to "die quickly" = "sasatto shineru".

さっさと死ねるようにしてもらうなど、いろいろと考えないと解決しない

At any rate, this quote, or paraphrasing thereof, is all over the Japanese blogosphere. It's not going to win him many friends, that's for sure.

[iandhr]

8. As Alan Grayson said.

"Don't get sick if you get sick die quickly."

[CanonRay]

9. How do you say Republican in Japanese?

Asshole-san?

[JoeBlowToo]

16. Bakka...

I think it means stupid but has the connotation of "asshole."

[Nanjing to Seoul]

19. in Chinese, it's ta ma de sha bi.

他妈的傻逼。 i don't know japanese.

[iamthebandfanman]

10. heh we gave them our capitalism

and our conservatives, apparently

[DaveJ]

13. And the Japanese gave us much of our corporate culture.

(apparently)

[Cal33]

23. And we improved on what they gave us: In Japan, the average CEO makes 11 times

more than the average worker. (1 - 11).

In the good ol' USA, the average CEO makes 700+ times what the average
worker does. (1 - 700+).

[DaveJ]

30. True, but I'm referring to age discrimination

From what I've heard, there is a problem with age discrimination in Japan. Much of it based on corporate rationale like, "if you didn't get this corporate job when you were young, then there's something wrong with you, so we certainly aren't going to hire you when you're old" and that is now the rationale at most corporations in the U.S. They (and us) prefer youth to skill and experience.

http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/age-discrimination-in-Japan
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20020206b4.html

[Harry Monroe]

14. That damned Tea Party, now they have infested the Japanese government and Diet?

[Cynicus Emeritus]

15. This is contrary to one of the most respected aspects of Asian culture

I can't imagine that he will not face serious blowback. I could see this coming to the Western world first and it might come first from the same propaganda source we call the MSM and Hollywood.

[livetohike]

17. That was my first thought too

I wonder what the reaction will be...

[Cal33]

26. He could be the first Japanese Teabagger. My guess is that he won't last long in

his job. He'll have to resign or get fired, or whatever.

[Bainbridge Bear]

18. The "national council on social security reforms" sounds

similar to the so-called Cat Food Commission here in the States. Aso sounds a lot like Commission member Alan Simpson who described Social Security recipients like me as "parasites". Both of these men are cold-hearted assholes and a disgrace to their countries.

[stonecutter357]

20. What about taking care of this?

http://www.lucaswhitefieldhixson.com/lucaswebcamwatch.html

[Demo_Chris]

21. I believe their demographic situation is similar to ours

A rapidly aging population with the older generation significantly outnumbering the rest.

[Turbineguy]

22. This man has come down with

Republicanitis! Which as we know in the US, is a terrible disease.

[Beacool]

24. The guy is 72, his words may come back to bite him in the butt.

Unfortunately, there are many politicians around the world who probably think the same, they are just savvy enough not to say it.

[Grins]

25. Wait a minute...! He's a creep, but...

He's a creep for what he said, but:

"He acknowledged his language had been "inappropriate" in a public forum and insisted he was talking only about his personal preference."

But what really caught my eye was this statement from him:

"Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die."

And there it is! How is that different from Oregon's Death with Dignity Act which allows the terminally-ill to voluntarily end their lives? And the Reich-wing evangelical nut-jobs have no say in the matter.

Twice I have had to care for a family member who was going to die, and an elderly parent that wanted to die (she finally did - at age 99). The financial cost is a whopper even with insurance. The toll on the care giver financially, career-wise, and socially as you put your life on hold for 10-20 years is enormous. And I have two more siblings getting close to 80 years old.

After going through this - I too want the right to say, "Enough!" And I may move to Oregon for just this reason when my time comes.

[appleannie1]

27. Is he related to Paul Ryan?

[thedanfrost]

28. well in a way the government is correct ....

with people living for longer now days and the age rate of having to work before your allowed to retire has increased in all counties, take england for example, 2.51 million people are unemployed at this point in time, some are from being lazy and living off hard working people for the rest of there lives, which should stop if you can work then work, or be homeless...
anyways.
with the age rate increasing every year, it is making no jobs for the younger people which have just finished college or uni, or just looking for a part time job to get by, the longer people at an age stay inside them jobs with out the company allowing them to rehire, the younger age will have to go on to council or still work at there part time jobs until there job opens up, but now they have to wait another 5-6 years before getting invoild and helping the Economy state that every one is in at this point in time, i am not saying they should all hurry up and die, move out the way, i am just saying the government should lower the work age rate again allowing people to retire and allowing the younger and the Economy to grow was again.

i believe in what he is saying,he is just saying it in the wrong ways and going about it wrongly.

[840high]

32. Get back to us when

you reach old age.

[CountAllVotes]

35. maybe he/she will learn how to write by that time

indeed.

[Deep13]

29. He should lead by example. nt

[NorthCarolina]

31. Hey! They stole that exact idea from our Republicans

and Corporate Democrats.

[otohara]

33. He's A Catholic

or claims to be one.

Pope B would not agree with this douchebag.

[valerief]

34. Isn't that what our Congress wants, too? nt

[ashling]

36. Rather Dickensian

Scrooge!

[sheshe2]

37. He's just another nasty 1%er... nt

[dipsydoodle]

38. In a similar vein

Rise in suicide welcome boost to funeral services sector, claims Osborne.

After the Office for National Statistics reported a sharp rise in suicides in the UK, George Osborne has hailed the boost to the funeral service sector as proof his economic policies work.

Figures released reveal an increase in self-afflicted deaths to 6,045 for 2011, up 437 from 2010, leading the chancellor to hail the positive impact of the austerity measures he introduced.

He told journalists outside No.11, “What we have here is demonstrable proof that the Coalition’s policies to get Britain’s economy moving are showing the tentative green shoots of recovery.”

“That there are members of the public literally beneath these very shoots, pushing them up, is by the by.”

Read more: http://newsthump.com/2013/01/22/rise-in-suicide-welcome-boost-to-funeral-services-sector-claims-osborne/#ixzz2Ij8RyMXQ

[HeiressofBickworth]

41. Culling the Herd

No longer a uniquely American idea.

[LuckyLib]

42. So much for honoring and respecting the elderly. Japan has a wonderful tradition

of respecting old age -- this idiot went off the rails somewhere in corporate-land.