Japanese minister: Let elderly people 'hurry up and die'
[Let elderly people 'hurry up and
die', says Japanese minister: Taro Aso says he would refuse end-of-life care and
would 'feel bad' knowing treatment was paid for by government by Justin McCurry]
"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.
The remarks are also an unwelcome distraction for the new prime minister, Shinzo
Abe, whose first period as Japan's leader ended with his resignation after just
a year, in 2007, partly due to a string of gaffes by members of his cabinet.
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.
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..." Full text:
Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister
Response to comment [from a Christian]: "I believe we'll see this attitude in the United States, eventually. ObamaCare is the first, or one of the first steps down this road. When the Government will not control its spending at unsustainable levels and is constantly raising taxes, at some point, people will start resenting the older Americans benefiting from these taxes."
That's the plan.
Without understanding, covenant–breakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful [Rom.
1:29–31].
"In my book Reasoning Through Romans, I define these sins, but it is enough to
say here that this is what the human family is doing today. I used to tell the
students in my classes to buy any of our metropolitan daily newspapers, sit
down, and find a headline for every sin that is mentioned here. This is the
condition, not only in Cairo, not only of Calcutta, not only of Beijing, but
also of the United States today. How much longer will God tolerate it and be
patient with us? He has judged great nations in the past who have gone in this
direction." McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 42: Thru the Bible commentary: The
Epistles (Romans 1-8) (electronic ed.) (42). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy.
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despiers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God [2
Tim. 3:2–4].
"There are nineteen words or phrases used to describe the last days.
1. “Lovers of their own selves”—self–lovers. This is very much in evidence in
our culture today. An article by a newspaper correspondent who had covered
Washington, D.C., for many years, noted that the one thing which has
characterized Washington for the past twenty years is that those who are in
position want the reporters to praise them. In fact, they insist upon it. That
is not confined to Washington. Hollywood is probably one of the greatest places
for scratching each other’s backs. One actor will publicly say something nice
about another, then the other one will return the favor. You find this in every
walk of life. Even schools have self–love. If a man boosts a school, then the
school boosts him by giving him an honorary degree. Also, you can find this in
the churches. Paul goes on to say, in chapter 4, verse 3, that congregations
will follow teachers “having itching ears.” These teachers want their ears
scratched—they want to be complimented. To be complimented, you have to
compliment. So the teachers compliment their congregations and their boards of
officers. They don’t tell the people that they are sinners and need a Savior;
they tell them how wonderful they are. It is interesting that the love of self
characterizes our contemporary society. Probably there has never been a time
when it has been so common.
2. “Covetous” means lovers of money. This follows self–love, because lovers of
self become lovers of money. This old nature likes to have a lot of money spent
on it. Remember that Paul said in
1 Timothy 6:10, “… the
love of money is the root of all evil….” Money itself is not bad. The problems
come in our attitude toward our money. Covetousness reveals itself not only in
the acquisition of wealth but also in the use of it.
3. “Boasters.” That word has in it the idea of swaggerers. You can sometimes
tell a proud man by the way he walks. He walks like a peacock; he swaggers.
4. “Proud” means haughty.
5. “Blasphemers” is better translated railers. I remember the story of a fellow
whose wife said to him, “Everyone in town is talking about the Smiths’ quarrel.
Some of them are taking her part and some are taking his part.” He chimed in,
“Well, I suppose a few eccentric individuals are minding their own business.”
Well, railers include those who are always poking their noses into somebody
else’s business.
6. “Disobedient to parents.” Certainly this is self–evident. Oh, the thousands
of boys and girls and teenagers who are in complete rebellion against their
parents!
7. “Unthankful.” Many people receive kindnesses from others without even
thinking of thanking them. And they accept everything from God without ever
returning thanks to Him.
8. “Unholy” is profane. They are actually against God in their conversation and
in their manner of life.
9. “Without natural affection” means having abnormal relationships. We are
living in a day when homosexuality is being accepted as normal conduct. Yet in
Romans 1:24 Paul clearly
states, “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of
their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.” Humanity
sinks to its lowest level when it accepts homosexuality.
10. “Trucebreakers” are people who are impossible to get along with. They are
irreconcilable—they won’t let you get along with them. I recall seeing a little
sign in a restaurant out in West Texas which read, “We can’t please everybody,
but we try.” Well, you can’t please everybody; there are folk who are impossible
to please.
11. “False accusers” certainly abound today!
12. “Incontinent” means without self–control. That, again, characterizes a large
segment of our contemporary society.
13. “Fierce” means savage. In our day the city streets have become asphalt
jungles. Many of them are unsafe even in the daytime.
14. “Despisers of those that are good” is better translated haters of the good.
We see evidence of that abroad!
15. “Traitors” are betrayers. There are some folk whom you don’t dare trust.
16. “Heady” means reckless.
17. “Highminded” means blinded by pride or drunk with pride.
18. “Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” This actually characterizes
mankind in our day. Never has there been a time when so much money has been
spent in order to provide pleasure. Look at the athletic and entertainment
events today. These are the things that are attracting millions of people. That
is exactly the route Rome took when it went down. The mob was provided with
grain and circuses, and then Rome fell. That same thing is happening today. I
have always loved to participate in athletics, but I could never understand this
type of athletics that just sits and beholds. I never thought that it was very
exciting to go out to the coliseum and sit with 85,000 people to watch
twenty–two men working for $25,000 (or more) apiece. Of course I would like to
be out there myself, but I am not interested in watching them as much as I would
be in watching a ditchdigger because he is not as money hungry. I don’t blame
any man for making as much money as he can, but the point is that billions of
dollars are being spent for entertainment because men are lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God." McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 50: Thru the Bible
commentary: The Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy/Titus/Philemon) (electronic ed.)
(116–119). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Response to comment [from a Christian]: "Japan has the same problem as most of Europe, young people are not having as many kids as previous generations. With fewer people being born the people who are being born will have less young people to take care of them when they are themselves old."
Thought they were known for their respect for their
elders.
Guess money changes things
(1
Ti 6:10).
