In the history of the United States of America, legislators have called on their own histories of tragedy as inspiration to create legislation and change the country for the better. But none of their stories such as John McCain’s years in a POW camp or FDR’s paralysis compare to the recently revealed horror that regularly filled Democrat representative Jim McDermott’s childhood.
It turns out that Democratic congressman Jim McDermott had to give up his bedroom as a child to his grandmother for a few months a year as she stayed with the family. How did little Jimmy soldier on after losing his room for a few months will be a mystery for historians to sort out. Our role is to stand in awe of the perseverance of little Jimmy.
So he’s now committed his life to ensuring that the government spends billions and billions of taxpayer money so that families don’t have to care for elderly family members. Thank goodness families nowadays will never have to suffer the scourge of old people staying in their homes and sleeping in their beds spreading their old people ickiness.
So successful has he been that he bragged in an interview recently that he and his brothers and sisters did absolutely nothing to help his parents as they aged. That, my friends, is a victory. A testament to a legislator’s greatness.
Read for yourself McDermott’s own words as he recounts his tale of woe in a recent interview. Tear jerker alert. Have tissues as the ready:
“When I grew up, my grandmother had four daughters, and she spent three months with each one of them. And she had no Medicare, she had no Social Security. And she lived with her daughters. And we took care of her. I mean, I got thrown out of my bedroom. My bedroom became grandma’s bedroom, I slept on the couch in the living room, because that’s the way families took care of their seniors before 1964.
“Now we have a Medicare program, where my father — and my father lived to 93, my mother to 97 — and my brothers and sisters and I did nothing for them, except pay their taxes.
A life well lived, my friends. His parents who cared for their parents had children who didn’t do anything for them. That’s progress folks. Progress.
HT CNS News
February 7, 2013 at 3:11 am
"And my brothers and sisters and I did nothing for them."
I suppose Congressperson McDermott is smugly proud that he didn't set them adrift on an ice flow.
February 7, 2013 at 3:44 am
That's my congressman. I remember well his helping us all from Baghdad when he was colluding (did I say that?) with Saddam to prevent an American invasion.
Not as fun as the time he disseminated private phone calls hacked from the freeway. I tell ya! Those were the halcyon days.
February 7, 2013 at 4:00 am
Oh. What's the sound.
Oh yes, my head hitting the desk.
February 7, 2013 at 4:07 am
That is just truly horrifying. Can you imagine the pain of being forced to share your house with extended relatives? Yes, we are truly a more humane society that allows our grandparents to live comfortably in single room apartments and senior complexes, out of the hair out of the minds of their families.
Progress.
February 7, 2013 at 12:42 pm
What a crybaby.
February 7, 2013 at 12:42 pm
What a crybaby.
February 7, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Wow. That's disgusting. I think not caring for our elders is one of the worst parts of our modern culture.
February 7, 2013 at 2:14 pm
My wife lost her mind when she read this…
1) When she was five years old, her grandfather suffered a debilitating stroke, and both grandparents moved in with their daughter and son-in-law. It was a big sacrifice, as they only had a small three bedroom ranch, and my wife and her little brother had to share a room. Pa (the grandfather) stayed with them for the last five years of his life. Her grandmother lived with her parents until she passed away last October.
2) We chose to have my in-laws (and with them, my wife's grandmother) move in with us this past summer, after they had a horrible experience with a psychotic landlady (long story). We have a four good-sized bedrooms, so there was plenty of room. We considered it an honor and a privilege to have four generations under one roof, and my in-laws have been a tremendous help. And while my wife's grandmother's stay was all too brief, she was loved and cared for at home, surrounded by her family.
With Our Esteemed Hosts' permission, I invite you to check out what my wife will be writing on her own blog (this will be later tonight) at http://moderncomments.wordpress.com .
February 7, 2013 at 2:15 pm
My wife lost her mind when she read this…
1) When she was five years old, her grandfather suffered a debilitating stroke, and both grandparents moved in with their daughter and son-in-law. It was a big sacrifice, as they only had a small three bedroom ranch, and my wife and her little brother had to share a room. Pa (the grandfather) stayed with them for the last five years of his life. Her grandmother lived with her parents until she passed away last October.
2) We chose to have my in-laws (and with them, my wife's grandmother) move in with us this past summer, after they had a horrible experience with a psychotic landlady (long story). We have a four good-sized bedrooms, so there was plenty of room. We considered it an honor and a privilege to have four generations under one roof, and my in-laws have been a tremendous help. And while my wife's grandmother's stay was all too brief, she was loved and cared for at home, surrounded by her family.
With Our Esteemed Hosts' permission, I invite you to check out what my wife will be writing on her own blog (this will be later tonight) at http://moderncomments.wordpress.com .
February 7, 2013 at 2:16 pm
1) Apologies for the double post and the "unknown".
2) I see Amy has commented here already.
Dave P.
February 7, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Having just watched my Mother die and enter heaven this past month, I would have given anything to be able to have her in my home instead of a nursing home. What a privilege to give back to her the care that she had given to her children when we were small. Hospice is very helpful but nothing can top having a loved one at your side to see that the small stuff gets done. There are 8 of us siblings and one of us was with Mom as caregiver everyday of her Hospice care. It's the least that we could do.
February 7, 2013 at 5:59 pm
I was kicked out of my room a few times when I was growing up because my grandmother was staying with us.
Oh the horror of coming home at the end of the school day and having the house smell of apple butter.
Grandma stayed with us every so often to make apple butter with my Mom.
(If anyone suffered, it was my poor Grandma since my closet was plastered with pictures of Donny Osmond.)
February 7, 2013 at 6:35 pm
This sounds like what the main character faced in my children's novel "The Hidden Fortune" (by Bill Dodds). But she came to realize what family and Faith really mean.
(A bit of almost-shameless promotion here. It's available at Amazon. So's "My Great-grandfather Turns 12 Today." Both funny, Catholic novels for kids. Well, I suppose funny-Catholic, too. Some Catholics are a hoot.)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Fortune-ebook/dp/B005IHMQ3Y
http://www.amazon.com/My-Great-grandfather-Turns-Today-ebook/dp/B0042P5D6A/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
February 7, 2013 at 6:51 pm
When I was in high school my grandfather came and stayed with us. He had alzheimer and stayed with us until the day before he had to go into a nursing home. The only reason he was scheduled to go into a nursing home was because his alzheimers was getting so bad that we could no longer take care of him safely at our house. Yes, it was hard and there were times where my parents questioned why they decided to bring him into our home but even with the struggles and difficulties we had, when it was all said and done, we knew it was the right thing to do.
It is too bad so much of our society thinks the "right" thing to do is put them into some nursing home for others to take care of them. No hassle, no struggle. It is sad that this is how McDermott felt he needed to thank his parents for raising him all those years; don't take care of them but make sure to pay your taxes so someone else can do it. I wonder what his parents thought of this.
February 8, 2013 at 12:25 am
My parents cared for, in succession, my paternal grandmother and both maternal grandparents in their home over a period of more than 20 years. Throughout my childhood there was a grandparent either living in our home or living right next door. I also had to share a bedroom with my mom from about age 5 to age 13 so that my grandmother could stay with us.
VERY long story short: as much as they loved their parents, my parents were really stressed out by the experience (both grandmothers had Alzheimer's, and mom's mother was very demanding at times even before she got Alzheimer's) and they swore to high heaven that they would NEVER move in with me or my brother if they could possibly avoid it. My dad in particular was a very stubborn old coot and he would not hear of living anywhere but in his own home. In fact, he died about three weeks after moving from a hospital to a nursing home.
That said, I would have gladly offered my parents (who are both now deceased) a place in my home if I'd had a home to place them in (husband, daughter and I live in an apartment). I would not have minded at all them moving to my city and getting a small house or duplex where I could have checked on them at least, but, they would not hear of that either.
My point is this: some older folks prize their independence and DO NOT want to live with their children, even when they ask them to. Perhaps McDermott's parents were among them.
I suspect that what McDermott meant to say was "my brothers and sisters DID NOT HAVE TO do anything for them except pay their taxes." I would not assume that he literally meant they "did nothing", i.e. that they totally ignored their parents and never bothered to visit them or give them any gifts for Christmas, birthdays, etc. He was simply making the point that because of programs like Medicare his siblings were not OBLIGATED to take on the responsibility of financially supporting their parents, or paying their medical bills, etc., on top of supporting their spouses and children.
Elaine
February 8, 2013 at 3:39 am
My wife's take on this:
http://moderncomments.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/democrat-crybaby/
Dave P.
February 8, 2013 at 7:48 pm
My grandfather lived with us until he died at 97. He died at the end of a full work day. The doctor said the cause of death was a broken heart. He missed my grandmother who had died years before.
He received a Social Security Check which he promptly gave to our parish and spent his paycheck on the needs of the house. He was blessed with good health so ironically, he took care of us.
I used to wish I could have taken care of him until the day my Dad discovered an old notebook where my grandfather wrote down his innermost thoughts.
He said one of the things he was grateful for was that we loved him so much, we joyfully took care of him. Imagine that.
I will pray for McDermott for his salvation and will ask his grandmother to put a good word in for him to Our Lady. I truly feel sorry for someone who doesn't get it.