those states. if you are so sure, why don't you just say do whatever you want with your money? he can be very gracious. it is really very, very straight. host: charlotte, good morning. caller: my question is, how is it the democrats always blaming the republicans but we have had a democrats who do not do anything? we have a president is that as opposed to be the best thing in the world and yes not done anything. we have the gentleman up here, how long have you been in congress? too long because you're not getting anything done. people saying we are for the people and we get this affordable care act that makes the middle people pay for the lazy people who will not work. that is not fair. you people say it is the best thing. no, it is not. and use people -- if you people

do not even care. you people stop caring a long time ago. -- guest: i will take exception. we do care. we want everybody to pay according to their ability. everybody should be responsible. if you have a parent that does not take care of their child, do we say we do not care about the kids, that is too bad? we also foster care system where we take of the kids away. there are lots of situations in our society where we expect people to be responsible. if they are not, we have to force of them to become more responsible. i personally think the health care thing, if the president tried very and and i get a perfect bill, you have not heard me say it was perfect for you i know the problems in it. -- it was perfect.

in it.ow the problems let's compromise and find a way to make it work. that is where we are right now. everything people are complaining about would be made to work if we sat down. host: columbia, maryland, independent line. caller: thank you. thank you for your service. i wanted to make a couple of comments. one is that the electoral college was a brilliant construct of our framers. were to google it and read about it, is so important for the democracy we live it which is a representative democracy, not a pure democracy such as the ancient greeks. it is important point to make. i would like to say on term limits, congressman, i appreciate your comments. if we do not have term limits, believe thatpeople

if they need to be shortened in some capacity. i think a six term for congressman and to terms for united states senator is more than adequate to get a good were dumb for other people and they can go back to working as the framers -- and they can get back to working as the framers intended them. society is more complicated than in 179201 we put it together. -- in 1792 when we put it together. if you are say you want somebody to no less, 12 years a you can learn quite a bit in 12 years. there are things changing and you have this constant turnover, it is like having the basketball team and saying, that guy has been with us for six years, let's get rid of him even though last year he scored 30 points

every year, where going to get rid of him. why? you within your coach and team were nuts. question of the members of congress having to be decided by thepeople, the people of seventh the district had 14 chances to throw me out and i stood for election and stood up and made my case and got reelected. if they agreed, why should somebody make a law that says the people of the several me, you had to can can make it on the executive. tore, they have six years get what they are going to get done. by eight years, they are all worn out. they have always been all worn out. i can see that.

i cannot see where you are making the loss. -- laws. partongress is the central of the government. you hand it to the executive a it is his job to make it work and do what we told him. and that job you can make term limits if you want but why would you want to make term limits around the people or making decisions? host: sterling, illinois. santos. caller: good morning. mr. mcdermott, thank you for your service. great analogy about michael jordan of congress, that is how i look at you and others area -- others. you do not play your star player for four years and let him go. however, i wanted to comment on one of their earlier callers about you guys not getting a lot done. the point you made was mr. mcconnell was very true. people seem to fail to see there

are checks and balances and sometimes they are abused. if you are ready or juristic, i tuned in a little late. it is about social security. i am 59 years old in this january. i am working to be out of debt by my 60th birthday and looking at an early retirement. hoping to retire earlier than later. a coalition not taking as much out of the system and also providing for me and my good wife. and not taking as much out of the system and also provided for me at my good wife. the term limits, i did for a while, but my concern is what your comments are or what you see happening with social administration under a trump administration.

guest: thank you. social security is absolutely the most important program we have. in 1932, when the country was , theytely in the dumps put in this program together so when people got a old would have something to live on. a people have put the money into ,t and there are thousands millions of people living on social security today as their only source of income. aboutnot very much area the most you can make is $2600 a month if you had a good salary. that is tough to live on. you will see a lot of people going to work where they have not gotten the pension from their job. they were going to have nothing but social security. should social security be amended where would allow people to put more money in were

they have a better benefits. --should take up the calf take off the cap. i am a comes mimic $170,000 a year. when i get my summary of to wander 5000 the year, they stop taking my contribution out. -- i am a congressman and make $170,000 a year. -- when i got my salary to 105,000 dollars a year, they startek about contribution out. i ought to pay social security tax up to my 170,000 and so should basketball players. they should pay into the system because you never know when you are going to need it. that social security system is not only for when you are old, if you have kids in college, how do they live? the social security system will provide them a death benefit. a lot of ways in which a social

security is a very important program and it cannot be tampered with. , someot think mr. trump of his actions that talks is going to touch of that. host: one more call. independent line. caller: good morning, congressman. i want to thank you for your many years of service. you have always been a week and for good -- a beacon for good policy. i agree with you on term limits. i think the best term limits are well informed. my question has to do with the health care issue. there was a book written many years called "the healing of america." outhat book, it is pointed that several industrial democracies in adopting new health care platforms that the first question asked is, whether or not health care was a right or a privilege? time debatingch

health care in this country and obamacare. it seems to me isn't that the central question, we need to decide if it is a right or privilege. if it is a right, it follows universal coverage is really the best because it puts everybody in the pool and devised the cost thehe sick people among largest pool possible. i built a successful business in the 1990's, i fought increases in health care for 10 years and was always able to find a way to provide good coverage. is,fundamental question whether it is a right or a privilege. i do not hear that question asked. a fundamental question that drives policy. could you comment? guest: after the clintons try to their health care plan back in the early 1990's and failed, many of us thought let's go back and let's go with a

constitutional amendment that would make health care a right. theink it is a right and democracy. everybody should expect good health care. and people said, we do not want to put in the constitution because there will be lawsuits and they had some opposition. i think it is a right. and unless we are willing to pass a law that says that a doctor in a hospital can let somebody died and not care or have any responsibility for them , then as they have responsibility, the doctor and the hospital does not have any choice. it is a right to have your health care taking care of. thewe would not put it in constitution and in my view, it should be a constitution. we could be more rational about how we put a system together that works to cover everybody. . know there are people the fact is, it is a right.

host: our guest, representative jim mcdermott out of washington. a member