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This is one of those topics that needs to be addressed but really cannot be because it's just so callous (and because the AARP is such a significant lobby in Am

by paulmd 9y ago

This is one of those topics that needs to be addressed but really cannot be because it's just so callous (and because the AARP is such a significant lobby in American politics). I think assisted suicide should be legal. But even setting that aside, we spend a massive amount of money on prolonging people's lives for a few more miserable weeks at the bitter end. That money would clearly be better used on patients with better long-term prognoses, but this is unfortunately the stuff that gets people screaming about death panels.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
ComputerGuru 9y ago
Fun fact: AARP is the biggest lobbying entity in the USA. And it’ll only get bigger with baby boomers joining the club. Edit: GenX, not baby boomers.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > AARP is the biggest lobbying entity in the USA. And it’ll only get bigger with baby boomers joining the club. The youngest Boomer has been past the AARP full membership age for more than 20 years; newly eligible AARPers are in the younger half (nearly the youngest third) of GenX. Plus, AARP offers full membership for free for a spouse without age qualification, and associate memberships for under 50s. Which is to say, there's not a lot of reason to expect that Boomers interested in “joining the club” haven't all done so a long time ago, and are now exiting by death more than entering, while new members are coming from the relative baby bust of GenX.