Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott
James Adelbert "Jim" McDermottis the U.S. Representative for Washington's 7th congressional district, serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The 7th District includes most of Seattle, Vashon Island, Tukwila, Burien, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, and Edmonds. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and is a member of the House Progressive Caucus. He was formerly the committee chairman, then in 1995, ranking minority member on the House Ethics Committee. On...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth28 December 1936
CountryUnited States of America
If he were serious about the talk, he'd be backing electoral reform legislation,
You could call him at any time if there was any urgency. He was very direct and gave pragmatic advice for new mothers.
I think it's a trial balloon to see what happens, and I'm not impressed with it.
But beyond the hysteria of phantom death panels, where is the abomination? Show me the provisions that will hurt consumers, because if you think a $110 billion a year tax break for working-class Americans to buy private health insurance is a government takeover, I welcome the debate.
There's nothing wrong with the free-enterprise system. But it has to have some compassion.
I have stood on the front lines of the health care system as a doctor, patient and concerned parent. Those experiences have served as my guideposts throughout the struggle to reform America's health care system. And it's those same experiences that tell me that fear and election hysteria should not overshadow the reality of reform.
I'm not giving the president a blank check, period.
I'm old enough to remember John Kennedy sending a few advisers into Vietnam. I'm very worried we'll get in and we'll get mired down in something we don't have any idea what to do [with].
You can make people do anything if they're afraid.
The leadership eventually has to put some controls on us. Leadership and restraint by the members of the Appropriations Committee are the most important things.
We pretended there was no problem with Agent Orange after Vietnam and later the Pentagon recanted, after untold suffering by veterans.
Medicare would just become for old, sick people at the end of life. And I don't think that's a good system ... I don't think that's the way I want to treat seniors in this country.
Right now, what I see on paper says that 36 percent of this tax cut goes to the top 1 percent. That's not fair,
We're essentially saying to every senior citizen, 'Here's a voucher. Go find yourself an insurance company.' Now, if you're 65 and in good health, no problem. If you're 89, like my mother, and you've got some problems, maybe you can't buy what you need,