WASHINGTON — In an op-ed published this week, The Washington Post suggested that military veterans should "just kill themselves already” in an effort to reduce the government’s budget for VA healthcare programs.
"If we owe our veterans every support, we also owe them a measure of fiscal responsibility," the editorial reads. "Which is why it is fair to consider — is asking our men and women in uniform to kill themselves the best fiscal move for this country right now? The data says yes.”
Among the arguments the paper’s Editorial Board makes for increased veteran suicide include the “reduction of waste” at local VA facilities, meaning those individuals who manage to successfully off themselves would no longer be eligible for surgeries or treatment, which would “clear out hella space” in the system’s never-ending backlog.
“Think about it, 22 veterans kill themselves every day, right? And each human life is worth about $10 million? That’s 220 million right there this country saves every day on federal spending, thanks to those brave souls,” The Post argues. “But what if that number were to hit, say, 100 suicides a day? That’s 100 million dollars, and a heck of a lot of it probably going back to John Q. Taxpayer. You could kiss the recession goodbye tomorrow. That’s all we’re asking for…#78More.”
