# Santorum, don't worry we don't kill off our oldies! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 20, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388 "2012-02-20T02:34:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/41 "2012-02-21T02:48:00Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The beauty part. By the time young folks get smart enough to catch on they’re getting screwed, its their turn to do the screwing. Busted. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/42 "2012-02-21T07:36:12Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > So[apparently](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/19/1066333/-Santorum-on-euthanasia-in-the-Netherlands) Santorum said in Missouri that in the Netherlands that old people wear bracelets saying “please don’t euthanise me”, that 10% of all deaths in the Netherlands are euthanasia and that half of those are not voluntary. > > I just wanted to say, in case any of you wanted to visit and are getting on in years: > > don’t worry! it’s not true! It’s not, like, systematic euthanasia, more ad hoc, usually it goes more like that _MP&THG_ “Bring out yer dead!” scene. Verbatim. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/43 "2012-02-21T08:30:41Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I’d prefer that the President of my country did not base his thoughts on urban myths. Maybe that’s just me. It’s not like similar (or surpassing) [levels of woo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Quigley)haven’t had currency before. And that turned out OK… …Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/44 "2012-02-21T08:56:19Z")
Actually, if there weren;t a video attached, where the wording is very clear (the OP is definitely not misrepresenting him), I wouldn’t have automatically assumed this was true. But there is. > [@Revtim](#): > > I personally have no problem at all believing Santorum himself is that stupid. Is there any evidence to believe otherwise? He can string sentences together, drive, presumably write. It takes a really basic level of intelligence to be too clever to believe that 5% of all deaths in the Netherlands are involuntary euthanasia. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/45 "2012-02-21T16:04:26Z")
I have an acquaintance who was born in Quebec, spent many years growing up in Texas, and is back in Canada now. She is studying to be a nurse. Currently on her Facebook wall there is a small political “discussion” where one of her friends (probably about 20 years old) straight up asks her whether nurses are involved in deciding which elderly people are euthanized, or if it’s only doctors that do it. This person seriously believes in Canadian Death Panels. They probably also believe that 5% of all deaths in the Netherlands are from involuntary euthanasia. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/46 "2012-02-21T17:33:28Z")
I somehow imagine the following Santorum quote will find it’s way into a super pac attack ad near any moment now: > [@](#): > > We look at the shape of mainline Protestantism in this country and it is in shambles, it is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it. Forgive a [Drudge link](http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3s.htm). What an amazingly stupid thing to say let alone saying it into a microphone during an election when you’ll need all the “non-Christian Protestant” votes you can get. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/47 "2012-02-21T18:07:49Z")
Is Santorum a member of Opus Dei? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/48 "2012-02-21T18:20:17Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Is Santorum a member of Opus Dei? Yes, he hides being an Evil Albino Assassin by wearing sweater vests. ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/49 "2012-02-21T18:27:36Z")
> [@Ennui](#): > > Forgive a [Drudge link](http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3s.htm). What an amazingly stupid thing to say let alone saying it into a microphone during an election when you’ll need all the “non-Christian Protestant” votes you can get. Just a note to mention the Drudge story was updated to add that the speech by Santorum quoted in the article took place in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/50 "2012-02-21T19:13:44Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Is Santorum a member of Opus Dei? No, but he wears the cilice anyway, it’s a kink. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/51 "2012-02-21T19:21:12Z")
I’m not about the pop culture Opus Dei, but the real one, which does, in fact, exist. Not a Catholic version of SPECTRE, but a seriously conservative Catholicism bitterly opposed to what is called “liberation theology”. His views certainly dovetail nicely with theirs, I cannot imagine that he is unaware of their existence, or that they are unaware of his. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/52 "2012-02-21T20:19:04Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > snip > “One of the mandates is they require free prenatal testing in every insurance policy in America. Why? Because it saves money in health care. Why? Because free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done, because we cull the ranks of the disabled in our society.” He added that the requirement was “another hidden message as to what President Obama thinks of those who are less able.” Funny you mention this. Slate has an interesting piece about how Santorum basically hung his hat on stating that the majority of partial birth abortions are of healthy babys, back when he was pushing for the ban. [Article link](http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2012/02/rick_santorum_s_partial_birth_abortion_lie_did_obama_target_the_disabled_.html). > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I also don’t think that Rick Santorum would ever deliberately lie. And that’s about the only good thing I have to say about him. Read the Slate article. He’s a big, fat liar. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/53 "2012-02-21T21:10:18Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I’m not about the pop culture Opus Dei, but the real one, which does, in fact, exist. Not a Catholic version of SPECTRE, but a seriously conservative Catholicism bitterly opposed to what is called “liberation theology”. His views certainly dovetail nicely with theirs, I cannot imagine that he is unaware of their existence, or that they are unaware of his. Yes - British politician and former cabinet minister Ruth Kelly is a member of Opus Dei. ---
**Author:** ![emcee2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emcee2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emcee2k)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/54 "2012-02-21T22:06:08Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > He can string sentences together, drive, presumably write. It takes a really basic level of intelligence to be too clever to believe that 5% of all deaths in the Netherlands are involuntary euthanasia. I’m sure nearly everyone in that crowd listening can do all those things and more, but judging by the gasps, they were eating that stuff up. Have you ever browsed Snopes and taken a look at some of the ridiculous things that actually need to be debunked? Or looked through [Literally Unbelievable](http://literallyunbelievable.org/)? Some of that stuff make this Netherlands thing look plausible. Normal, functioning, even semi-intelligent adults will believe some really stupid stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/55 "2012-02-21T22:20:31Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Currently on her Facebook wall there is a small political “discussion” where one of her friends (probably about 20 years old) straight up asks her whether nurses are involved in deciding which elderly people are euthanized, or if it’s only doctors that do it. This person seriously believes in Canadian Death Panels. Now that the facts have been explained, the ‘about 20-year-old’ is now convinced there are no Death Panels in Canada, right? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388/56 "2012-02-21T22:57:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Now that the facts have been explained, the ‘about 20-year-old’ is now convinced there are no Death Panels in Canada, right? There was no way that I was going to wade into a Facebook debate with a bunch of Texans on the wall of the youngest sister of a friend of mine. Nope - not gonna happen. Friend basically just said “that’s not true - it’s not like that up here at all!” There’s a reason I said it was a “discussion”. The quotes are intentional. The person in question is the same nimrod who posted “Bush \>\>\> Obama, i hate Obamacare if he gets relected [sic] im moving to Canada!” Nevermind that Obama is somewhat right of centre from a Canadian perspective, the US Democrats are well to the right of the Conservatives who are definitely right of centre, and even the Conservatives want to keep the Canadian health care system, I’m sure this Texan would be rather disappointed about what Canada is really like! It’s a stereotype, I know, but this girl’s friends pretty much fit the ignorant Texas hick description to a “t”. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-dont-worry-we-dont-kill-off-our-oldies/613388.md?page=2)