Patrick J. Kennedy Quotations

Terrorism is a psychological warfare. Terrorists try to manipulate us and change our behavior by creating fear, uncertainty, and division in society.

No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions.

If we had a terrorist attack, the way the people respond is going to determine whether that attack is just a tragedy or whether that attack becomes an all-out disaster.

For students today, only 10 percent of children from working-class families graduate from college by the age of 24 as compared to 58 percent of upper-middle-class and wealthy families.

Moreover, as the leadership of the House confirmed last year, the Administration remains opposed to a congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide due to Turkish objections. This approach sends absolutely the wrong signal to Turkey and to the rest of the world.

I believe that successfully addressing our national security needs while protecting our basic freedoms and civil liberties requires continual Congressional oversight, and I will continue to work to assert the role of this body in carrying out this grave responsibility.

On the other hand, the American public possesses a great resilience and strength, and good risk communication strategies can tap into and even amplify those assets.

In our pledge every day, we pledge one Nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

I see the policy of opposing same-sex marriages or unions, whatever you call it, as bigotry or discrimination.

Franklin Roosevelt said the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance to those who have much; it is whether we provide enough to those who have too little. This reconciliation package fails that test as well.

We believe in some basic human principles - everyone should have the opportunities not just to survive, but to excel with their God-given talents and abilities. Those are the values that should be reflected in our budgets.

Facts are, insurance ratings are really dependent on the notion that some people are higher risk than others.

If we do not provide education for every single American, we are consigning those without an education to second-class status.

And how the government communicates about homeland security is central to how the public responds.

We could have a budget that brings Americans together.

Americans have been given goals to achieve in Iraq, but not the standards by which to measure progress. And the only assurance Americans have been given that we can reach those goals is to trust the President and his Administration at their word.

As the bill requires, any terror alert system must give people and organizations some indication about what steps they must take to improve their own security and assist in the Nation's security.

So if we are really concerned about generating more taxes, we ought to be investing in our people, not taking away the kinds of resources that contribute to their ability to become greater taxpayers in this country.

Today, our economy is about an economy of ideas.

My state has the highest child poverty rate in all of New England, above the national average.

The key battleground in the war on terrorism, therefore, is in the minds of the American public.

Democrats believe that government should reflect the sense of community that Americans demonstrated after Katrina - the sense of community that has defined and united America throughout its history.

There is a program called Keeper of the Bridge; in the old days there was a keeper of the bridge who cared for the bridges, fixed things and watched over it. Keeper of the Bridge program encourages students to learn about and adopt covered bridges. It seems to help cut down on the vandalism because the students take a moral ownership of the bridge.

In the last 5 years, American employers have lost over $150 billion of productivity to depression alone. That is more than the GDP of 28 different States during the same period.

In the 5 years, well over 60,000 American families have been broken apart by the absence of insurance because the only way for parents to get treatment for their children is to turn the custody of those children over to the State.

In my state, over 17,000 households are going hungry on a regular basis.

A staggering 63 percent of Americans say that addiction to alcohol or other drugs has had an impact on them at some point in their lives.

I am a recovering alcoholic.

In the 5 years, well over 60,000 American families have been broken apart by the absence of insurance because the only way for parents to get treatment for their children is to turn the custody of those children over to the State.

My mother is still battling alcoholism.

In the last 5 years, American employers have lost over $150 billion of productivity to depression alone. That is more than the GDP of 28 different States during the same period.

Procrastination is a sign of a perfectionist.

People are going to keep getting prescribed medication that is counter to what their real disease state is, which is addiction.

You don't fight cancer with grants, or heart disease with grants.

Our contention is not that medication alone is the answer. We really need to have it in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy and with peer support. And that needs to be reimbursed [by health insurers], because it shows huge reductions in overall spending.

Opioid replacement therapy is the standard evidence-based model to treat people with acute opioid addiction, and that is unassailable according to every research study that's been done. If that is the evidence-based model, then why can't we meet the large-scale need that's out there? We can't because one, there aren't enough doctors who can prescribe [drugs like methadone], and two, there are these artificial limits [by insurers] on who doctors can prescribe to.