Hurry Up and Die! ——- A Consequence Of Deficit Spending

 

I’ve written quite a bit about Japan’s economic condition, which is in the tank.  Their debt is unmanageable.  They were one of the first nations to have flat or negative population growth.  During the 60s, 70s, and 80s, Japan had great economic growth and vast wealth was accumulated.  But, they didn’t properly prepare for the future.  Any and all could see they were headed for a catastrophe.  And, now it is upon them. 

In a similar vein, the US is following.  That’s why there is much concern by many about Obamacare and the possibility of death panels.  People responded to these concerns by trying to paint them as kooks and nutters.  But, they’re not kooks and nutters.  They simply see this as the natural consequence of having no money.  Who gets attacked first in times of desperation?  The weak. 

Let elderly people ‘hurry up and die’, says Japanese minister

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.”

Malthus would be proud.

Rising welfare costs, particularly for the elderly, were behind a decision last year to double consumption [sales] tax to 10% over the next three years, a move Aso’s Liberal Democratic party supported.

The 72-year-old, who doubles as deputy prime minister, said he would refuse end-of-life care. “I don’t need that kind of care,” he said in comments quoted by local media, adding that he had written a note instructing his family to deny him life-prolonging medical treatment. ….

It is not the first time Aso, one of Japan’s wealthiest politicians, has questioned the state’s duty towards its large elderly population. In 2008, while serving as prime minister, he described “doddering” pensioners as tax burdens who should take better care of their health.

What is it, again, that separates us from animals?