Don't Open Your Golden Gate

It looks like San Francisco is ready to put up a suicide barrier around the Golden Gate Bridge.  $76 million in funding has been approved--$49 million in federal money, the rest from tolls and state funding.  It'll be a steel cable net up and down the length of the bridge which will catch any jumpers.

I don't know.  It's true the Golden Gate is a popular spot for suicide.  Over the years, more than 1400 have jumped, with 46 suicides last year--almost one a week.  But will this cut down the overall suicide rate?  People plan suicides, don't they? It doesn't suddenly hit them while they're walking along that today would be a nice day for a swim.

I realize a Golden Gate suicide may be a bit more glamorous than most, but still, if you want to kill yourself, there are numerous effective ways to do it--including jumping from numerous other structures. Are we going to put a net around every place taller than two stories?

Looks like another waste of taxpayer money.

PS  This leads to a lot of question.  When the jumpers hit the net, will they be stuck, or can they jump from there?  If they are stuck, will they be captured and prosecuted for attempted suicide?  Will they have to pay a fine to get them out of the net (and later shoot themselves so they don't have to pay)?  Will the barrier become a challenge--a test of just how serious you are about killing yourself?  Will some wimpy jumpers see the barrier and give up, or go somewhere else to off themselves?

It's almost worth having it put up just to see what happen.