Rep. Don Young of Alaska stunned his community last week when he blamed suicide on a lack of support by family and friends -- and government dependence.
An unapologetic U.S. Rep. Don Young on Wednesday wasn't backing down from statements he made Tuesday at Wasilla High School that suicide shows a lack of support from friends and family.
The comment stunned students and staff reeling from the suicide death of a student last week and sent ripples through Alaska's suicide prevention community. Alaska has the highest suicide rate in the country.
Asked about the “lack of support” comment, Young expanded on it and added that suicide in Alaska didn’t exist before “government largesse” gave residents an entitlement mentality, according to an audio recording of his senior center appearance.
What a jackass, but that's typical behavior from the GOP these days. He did finally apologize for saying those words to high school students, but a faithful Republican voter was not very happy with Young's assessment of suicide because her nephew took his own life. In a terse exchange between the two, Rep. Young proved that he's an a-hole in more ways than one.
Rep. Don Young (R-AK) on Friday got into a tense exchange with a constituent whose nephew took his own life, right after the congressman personally apologized for a spate of controversial remarks he made on suicide.
Gloria Poullard approached Young to ask him about a profane speech he gave last week at Wasilla High School, in which the congressman offended students by arguing that suicide was caused by a lack of support from friends and family.
"You know, it really put a hamper on my faith in you because my elders voted for you, and this is my state, I'm an Alaska native," Poullard said to Young, according to video of the exchange from local TV station KTUU. "How do you feel within yourself, what possessed you to even make a comment like that? My nephew just committed suicide."
Young shushed her and shook her hand, to which Poullard responded "You don't tell me to shush."
"Don't you get angry with me, don't even squeeze my hand," Poullard said. Young then released her hand and walked away.
As I said, this man is seriously sick in the head.
