Sorry For Long Post
This upcoming presidential election is going to be
an interesting one.
We have the 1st African American to receive a
presidential nomination.
And we have who seemed to be fairly moderate
republican.
I have taken each candidates statements on the
issues and post them here with my comments.
I trimmed some of them down because they are quite
expansive.
I'll start with McCain then Obama and then a brief
summary of the two.
I currently endorse neither candidate, there are
things I like and dis like about both candidates.
Please feel free to comment and discuss my comments
with me. Voting for the future leader of our country is a big deal and should be
discussed thoroughly.
Most of my comments ask questions that should be
asked when the candidates fall short on explain their plans.
McCain Economic Plan
Immediate Help for American Families
Across America, families are facing economic
challenges. Gas prices are rising, mortgages are threatened, and thousands have
lost their jobs. Now is the time to act and John McCain has outlined several
near-term, tangible plans to address some of the challenges confronting
Americans today.
Helping Americans Confront Higher
Living Costs:
John McCain Will Help Americans
Hurting From High Gasoline And Food Costs.
Americans need relief right now from high gas prices. John McCain will act
immediately to reduce the pain of high gas prices.
How
John McCain Believes We Should
Institute A Summer Gas Tax
Holiday
. Hard-working American families
are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to
suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day
to Labor Day.
That might be good if those
saving were immediately passed on to consumers, but doesn’t solve the long
term problem.
John McCain Will Stop Filling The
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) To Reduce Demand.
International demand for oil is bolstered by federal purchases for the SPR.
There is no reason to fill it when oil is so expensive; the overall SPR is of
adequate size, and when it places further upward pressure on prices.
I agree
John McCain Will End Policies That
Contribute To Higher Transportation And Food Costs.
Ethanol subsidies, tariff barriers and sugar quotas drive up food prices and
hurt Americans. However, we cannot take the wrong direction and cut off trade
for American goods.
He’s not really saying
anything here
Helping Americans With The Housing
Crisis:
John McCain Is Proposing A New
"HOME Plan" To Provide Robust, Timely And Targeted Help To Those Hurt
By The Housing Crisis. Under his
HOME Plan, every deserving American family or homeowner will be afforded the
opportunity to trade a burdensome mortgage for a manageable loan that reflects
their home's market value.
Eligibility:
Holders of a non-conventional mortgage taken after 2005 who live in their home
(primary residence only); can prove creditworthiness at the time of the original
loan; are either delinquent, in arrears on payments, facing a reset or otherwise
demonstrate that they will be unable to continue to meet their mortgage
obligations; and can meet the terms of a new 30-year fixed-rate mortgage on the
existing home.
How It Works:
An individual picks up a form at any Post Office and apply for a HOME loan. The
FHA HOME Office certifies that the individual is qualified and contacts the
individual's mortgage servicer. The mortgage servicer writes down and retires
the existing loan, which is replaced by an FHA guaranteed HOME loan from a
lender.
Sounds like a good plan,
bail out the owners instead of the lenders.
John McCain Calls For The Immediate
Formation Of A Justice Department Mortgage Abuse Task Force.
The Task Force will aggressively investigate potential criminal wrongdoing in
the mortgage industry and bring to justice any who violated the law. The DOJ
Task Force will offer assistance to State Attorneys General who are
investigating abusive lending practices.
While an investigation is
good, I don’t know if it will be anything more then a glorified witch hunt.
Keeping The Credit Crunch From
Hurting College Students:
John McCain Is Proposing A Student
Loan Continuity Plan. Students
face the possibility that the credit crunch will disrupt loans for the fall
semester. John McCain calls on the federal government and the 50 governors to
anticipate loan problems and expand the lender-of-last resort capabilities for
each state's guarantee agency.
Lame, how about increase the
amount of federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans?
Pro Growth, Pro-Jobs Tax Agenda
Cutting Taxes For The Middle Class:
John McCain Will Cut Taxes For Middle
Class Families. John McCain will
permanently repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) – a tax that will be paid
nearly exclusively by 25 million middle class families. Repealing this onerous
tax will save middle class families nearly $60 billion in a single year. Under
McCain's plan, a middle class family with children set to pay the AMT will save
an average of over $2,700 – a real tax cut for working families.
John McCain Will Double The Personal
Exemption For Dependents. John
McCain believes the tax code should be less of a burden on those, whether they
are mothers and fathers or single parents, who are trying to raise a family. He
proposes to raise the personal exemption for each dependent from $3,500 to
$7,000.
Doesn’t really affect me but I suppose this will help
struggling families.
Pro-Growth Tax Policy:
John McCain Will Keep Tax Rates Low.
Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity.
They create the ultimate job security – a new, better opportunity if your
current job goes away. Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission.
Political PR
John McCain Will Maintain The Current
Income And Investment Tax Rates And Fight The Democrats' Plans For A Crippling
Tax Increase In 2011. Left to
their devices, Democrats will impose a massive $100 billion tax hike, almost
$700 per taxpayer every year. John McCain has also long sought permanent and
immediate reform of the estate tax, and supports raising the exemption from
taxation on estates up to $10 million while cutting the tax rate to 15 percent.
I would need to do some more research, while I don’t like
tax hikes. Something about this seems odd.
John McCain Will Make It Harder To
Raise Taxes. John McCain believes
it should require a 3/5 majority vote in Congress to raise taxes.
Sounds Good
John McCain Will Reward Saving,
Investment And Risk-Taking. Low
taxes on dividends and capital gains promote saving, channel investment dollars
to innovative, high-value uses and not wasteful financial planning. John McCain
will keep the current rates on dividends and capital gains and fight anti-growth
efforts by Democrats.
While I like this, it seems like these tax breaks will most
likely help the rich the most.
John McCain Will Improve Business
Investment Incentives. John McCain
proposes to permit corporations to immediately deduct the cost of equipment
investment, providing a valuable pro-growth investment incentive. Expensing of
equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures
and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.
He and Obama, have similar postions on this.
Tax Cuts On American Employers:
John McCain Will Reduce The Federal
Corporate Tax Rate To 25 Percent From 35 Percent.
John McCain believes the taxes we impose on American companies should be no
higher than the average rate our major trading partners impose on theirs. We
currently have the second-highest combined corporate-tax rate in the
industrialized world, and it is driving many businesses and the jobs they create
overseas.
I think this is a bad idea
Pro-Innovation Tax Cuts:
John McCain Will Ban Internet Taxes. John
McCain has been a leader in keeping the Internet free of taxes. As President, he
will seek a permanent ban on taxes that threaten this engine of economic growth
and prosperity.
While this is good politically economically, a extremely low
internet tax rate. Would generate billions and billions of dollars. Think about
it. As a consumer and internet entrepreneur this would suck. But I would rather
be taxed on the things I buy then the money I make.
John McCain Will Ban New Cell Phone
Taxes. John McCain understands
that the same people that would tax e-mail will tax every text message – and
even 911 calls. John McCain will prohibit new cellular telephone taxes.
Cool
John McCain Will Establish Permanent
Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D.
This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the
U.S.
, and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will
provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our
companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive
to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make
R&D investment decisions.
McCain and Obama are similar on
this
Retirement Tax Cut:
John McCain Will Act To Lower Medicare
Premiums. Seniors face a growing
threat from higher Medicare premiums that tax away their Social Security and
retirement savings. John McCain has proposed comprehensive, pro-market health
care and Medicare reforms to reduce health care costs and control increases in
premiums – while delivering high-quality health care.
What are these reforms?
A Real Choice For Simpler Taxes:
John McCain Will Propose An
Alternative New And Simpler Tax System – And Give
America
A Real Choice. When this reform
is enacted, all who wish to stay under the current system could still do so, but
everyone else could choose a vastly less complicated system with two tax rates
and a generous standard deduction. Americans do not resent paying their rightful
share of taxes – what they do resent is being subjected to thousands of pages
of needless and often irrational rules and demands from the IRS.
I know plenty of Americans who
resent paying taxes, but I want to know what this simpler tax code would entail.
Reforming
Washington
Eliminating Wasteful Spending:
John McCain Will Stop Earmarks,
Pork-Barrel Spending, And Waste. He
will veto every pork-laden spending bill and make their authors famous. As
President, he will seek the line-item veto to reduce waste and eliminate
earmarks that have led to corruption. Unlike Senators Clinton and Obama who have
sought a nearly combined $3 billion in earmarks, John McCain has a clear record
of not asking for earmarks. Earmarks restrict
America
's ability to address genuine national priorities and interfere with fair,
competitive markets.
Obama and Mccain statements on this subject are virtually the
same. I cannot comment or attest to the truthfulness of not asking for earmarks
or if Obama has. His Line Item is similar to Obama’s 72 hour justification
period.
John McCain Proposes A One-Year
Spending Pause To Evaluate Programs.
He believes that outside of essential military and veterans programs there
should be a one-year pause in discretionary spending growth that should be used
for a top-to-bottom review of the effectiveness of federal programs.
Obama doesn’t address this thus far
John McCain Has The Leadership And
Courage To Make The Right Spending Choices.
Reduced spending means making choices. John McCain will not leave office without
balancing the federal budget. He will not do it with smoke and mirrors. When he
leaves office, he wants to leave a budget that stays balanced after he is gone,
and can weather the occasional downturn and unexpected contingency. John McCain
will provide the courageous leadership necessary to control spending, including:
This is really just political talk to highlight that John
Mccain is a good leader. Obama does the same thing
Eliminate Broken Government Programs.
The federal government itself admits that one in five programs do not perform.
Reform Our Civil Service System To Promote
Accountability And Good Performance In Our Federal Workforce. Eliminating
Earmarks, Wasteful Subsidies And Pork-Barrel Spending. Reform Procurement
Programs And Cut Wasteful Spending In Defense And Non-Defense Programs.
You’ll notice he doesn’t say
how he is going to do this other than his 1 year pause
Budgetary Reform To Give Tax Cuts A
Fair Chance:
John McCain Will Reform Budgeting To
Treat Equally Spending And Taxes And To Stop Damaging Tax Hikes. Congress
has unfairly stacked the deck to spend more and raise taxes. If a spending
program is on the books, budgets assume that it is on the books forever – and
continues to grow – even if the law says it expires. If low taxes are on the
books, budgets don't assume that they last forever. When they expire, those
taxes are automatically raised.
Reforming Entitlement Programs For
The 21st Century:
John McCain Will Reform Social
Security. He will fight to save
the future of Social Security while meeting our obligations to the retirees of
today and the future without raising taxes. John McCain supports supplementing
the current Social Security system with personal accounts – but not as a
substitute for addressing benefit promises that cannot be kept. He will reach
across the aisle, but if the Democrats do not act, he will. John McCain will not
leave office without fixing the problems that threatens our future prosperity.
What he says here that he is for partial privatization of
Social Security but doesn’t explain how he plans to fix it.
Obama goes into greater detail, but both Solutions provide
are lacking in long term feasibility. Obama is against privatization which if
done properly would eliminate close to 50 percent of the budget shortfall and
pump billions of dollars into the economy yearly.
John McCain Will Act To Control
Medicare Growth. The growth of
spending on Medicare threatens our fiscal future. John McCain has proposed
comprehensive health care reforms that will reduce the growth in Medicare
spending, protect seniors against rising Medicare premium payments, and preserve
the advancements in medical science central to providing quality care.
I haven’t seen these
comprehensive health care reforms but both candidates have a plan and both seem
like a shot in the dark, however I
do like obama’s plan better.
John McCain Believes That We Should
Not Subsidize The Prescription Drugs Of
America
’s Most Affluent Individuals. He
will propose reforms to reduce the large subsidies in the Medicare drug program.
Promoting Trade and Competitiveness
John McCain Will Lower Barriers To
Trade. Ninety-five percent of the
world's customers lie outside our borders and we need to be at the table when
the rules for access to those markets are written. To do so, the
U.S.
should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce
barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective
enforcement of global trading rules. These steps would also strengthen the U.S.
dollar and help to control the rising cost of living that hurts our families.
Not really a fan of free trade
John McCain Will Act To Make American
Workers More Competitive. We must
prepare the next generation of workers by making American education worthy of
the promise we make to our children and ourselves. We must be a nation committed
to competitiveness and opportunity. We must fight for the ability of all
students to have access to any school of demonstrated excellence. We must place
parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents
by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their
children.
This isn’t really saying anything.
Bolstering Job Security and Assisting Displaced
Workers
Reforming The Unemployment
Insurance (UI) System:
John McCain Believes We Should Have A
Single, Seamless Approach To Job Transition Assistance.
The UI system must be more effective in helping those who have lost a job. John
McCain will modernize and transform our current programs by consolidating
redundant federal programs, strengthening community colleges and technical
training and giving displaced workers more choices to find their way back to
productive and prosperous lives.
Cool, but I want more info!
John McCain Will Reform The UI System
So That A Portion Of Each Worker's Unemployment Insurance Tax Is Deposited Into
A Lost Earnings Buffer Account (LEB).
If an individual becomes unemployed, the LEB may be used to cover needed
expenses, with a backstop of traditional UI if the account is exhausted before
26 weeks. Workers will have an incentive to preserve their LEB by getting back
to work quickly, and may be eligible for a re-employment bonus if they get a new
job quickly. The LEB will be portable, and upon retirement, the property of the
worker.
This sounds like a pretty good idea though I don’t like the
idea of my money being taken. Though
if we got to stop paying UI when our accounts are full that would be neat.
John McCain Will Reform Training
Programs To Provide Quick Assistance To Workers Seeking New Skills.
Workers will have access to a flexible training account that permits them to pay
for training at a community college and use leftover funds to keep their health
insurance.
Awesome.
John McCain Will Provide Special,
Targeted Assistance For Older Workers.
Because training is often inefficient for older workers, those 55 years of age
and older who have built up an LEB will be eligible for a Lost Earnings
Supplement. The supplement of up to 50 percent of their earnings loss (up to a
maximum of $10,000) for two years will be rewarded for those who find work
inside 26 weeks.
Cool
Straight Talk on
Health System Reform
A "Call to Action"
John McCain believes we can and must provide
access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision
for achieving that. For too long, our nation's leaders have talked about
reforming health care. Now is the time to act.
Americans Are Worried About Health Care Costs.
The problems with health care are well known: it is too expensive and 47 million
people living in the
United States
lack health insurance.
John McCain's Vision for Health Care Reform
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control
To The Patients Themselves.
We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the
treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to
all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be
in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
This isn’t saying anything.
Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and
Affordable
John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And
Families To Obtain Insurance.
An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of
health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and
portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide,
across state lines.
John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond
Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage.
While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will
receive a direct refundable tax credit - effectively cash - of $2,500 for
individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families
will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money
would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative
insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded
Health Savings Accounts.
Is that per year or what, seems like a band aid for a serious
bleed.
John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable.
Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance
that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few
years off to raise the kids.
Ok sounds good, how?
John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings
Accounts (HSAs) For Families.
When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of
making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health
Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in
charge of what they pay for.
A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for
Higher Risk Patients
John McCain's Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable.
John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with
pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and
we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.
John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan.
As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice
model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP - that would
reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access
to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that
would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance
and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs.
There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available
for Americans below a certain income level.
John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives.
John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure
this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs
such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness
programs.
To be honest none of this seems like an actually solution to the
problem. More like lets make the system we have already a little more affordable
and easier to navigate.
A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care
Costs
John McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care
Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for
families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will
comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on
America
's families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the
pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt
small businesses from their employer mandate plans.
CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices.
John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through
safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.
Obama is similar on this issue.
CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic
Disease. Chronic conditions account for
three-quarters of the nation's annual health care bill. By emphasizing
prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public
health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce
health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing
chronic disease.
COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated
care - with providers collaborating to produce the best health care - offers
better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality
disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to
the patients' needs.
GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families
place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote
greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.
That would be nice.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To
Reduce Costs.
We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and
technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.
Obama Agrees
MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs.
We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate
providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare
should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.
SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but
find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote
availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking
cessation programs.
I know lots of smokers who
don’t want to quite.
STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs.
States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of
access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private
insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing
schemes for providers.
TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform.
We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at
doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every
patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice
but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.
Obama Agrees
TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs.
We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records,
and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and
prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for
measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.
The national standards bit
is good.
Confronting the Long-Term Challenge
John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A
Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There
have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or
The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering
approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a
monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related
services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating
representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also
offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their
programmatic responsibilities.
Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With
Pre-Existing Conditions
MYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain's Plan,
Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.
FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance
Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of
Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions.
FACT: Nothing In John McCain's Plan Changes The
Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The
Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.
FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With
Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing
Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.
Combating Autism in
America
John McCain is very concerned about the rising
incidence of autism among
America
's children and has continually supported research into its causes and
treatment.
National Security
A Strong Military in a Dangerous World
In a dangerous world, protecting
America
's national security requires a strong military. Today,
America
has the most capable, best-trained and best-led military force in the world.
But much needs to be done to maintain our military leadership, retain our
technological advantage, and ensure that
America
has a modern, agile military force able to meet the diverse security challenges
of the 21st century.
John McCain is committed to ensuring that the men
and women of our military remain the best, most capable fighting force on Earth
- and that our nation honors its promises to them for their service.
The global war on terrorism, wars in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
, threats from rogue states like
Iran
and
North Korea
, and the rise of potential strategic competitors like
China
and
Russia
mean that
America
requires a larger and more capable military to protect our country's vital
interests and deter challenges to our security. America confronts a range of
serious security challenges: Protecting our homeland in an age of global
terrorism and Islamist extremism; working with friends and partners overseas,
from Africa to Southeast Asia, to help them combat terrorism and violent
insurgencies in their own countries; defending against missile and nuclear
attack; maintaining the credibility of our defense commitments to our allies;
and waging difficult counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
John McCain understands national security and the
threats facing our nation. He recognizes the dangers posed by the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction, violent Islamist extremists and their terrorist
tactics, and the ever present threat of regional conflict that can spill into
broader wars that endanger allies and destabilize areas of the world vital to
American security. He knows that to protect our homeland, our interests, and our
values - and to keep the peace -
America
must have the best-manned, best-equipped, and best-supported military in the
world.
John McCain has been a tireless advocate of our
military and ensuring that our forces are properly postured, funded, and ready
to meet the nation's obligations both at home and abroad. He has fought to
modernize our forces, to ensure that
America
maintains and expands its technological edge against any potential adversary,
and to see that our forces are capable and ready to undertake the variety of
missions necessary to meet national security objectives.
As President, John McCain will strengthen the
military, shore up our alliances, and ensure that the nation is capable of
protecting the homeland, deterring potential military challenges, responding to
any crisis that endangers American security, and prevailing in any conflict we
are forced to fight.
Fighting Against Violent Islamic Extremists and
Terrorist Tactics
The attacks on September 11th represented more
than a failure of intelligence. The tragedy highlighted a failure of national
policy to respond to the development of a global terror network hostile to the
American people and our values. The 1993
World
Trade
Center
bombing, the 1998 attacks on the
U.S.
embassies in
Kenya
and
Tanzania
, and the 2000 bombing of the USS COLE indicated a growing global terrorist
threat before the attacks on
New York
and
Washington
. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden's declaration of war
against the
United States
hit home with unmistakable clarity.
America
faces a
dedicated, focused, and intelligent foe in the war on terrorism. This enemy will
probe to find
America
's weaknesses and strike against them. The
United States
cannot afford to be complacent about the threat, naive about terrorist
intentions, unrealistic about their capabilities, or ignorant to our national
vulnerabilities.
In the aftermath of 9/11 John McCain fought for
the creation of an independent 9/11 Commission to identify how to best address
the terrorist threat and decrease our domestic vulnerability. He fought for the
establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the creation of the
U.S. Northern Command with the specific responsibility of protecting the
U.S.
homeland.
As President, John McCain will ensure that
America
has the quality intelligence necessary to uncover plots before they take root,
the resources to protect critical infrastructure and our borders against attack,
and the capability to respond and recover from a terrorist incident swiftly.
He will ensure that the war against terrorists is
fought intelligently, with patience and resolve, using all instruments of
national power. Moreover, he will lead this fight with the understanding that to
impinge on the rights of our own citizens or restrict the freedoms for which our
nation stands would be to give terrorists the victory they seek.
John McCain believes that just as
America
must be prepared to meet and prevail against any adversary on the field of
battle, we must engage and prevail against them on the battleground of ideas. In
so doing, we can and must deprive terrorists of the converts they seek and
counter their teaching of the doctrine of hatred and despair.
As President, John McCain will take it as his most
sacred responsibility to keep
America
free, safe, and strong - an abiding beacon of freedom and hope to the world.
Effective Missile Defense
John McCain strongly supports the development and
deployment of theater and national missile defenses. Effective missile defenses
are critical to protect America from rogue regimes like North Korea that possess
the capability to target America with intercontinental ballistic missiles, from
outlaw states like Iran that threaten American forces and American allies with
ballistic missiles, and to hedge against potential threats from possible
strategic competitors like Russia and China. Effective missile defenses are also
necessary to allow American military forces to operate overseas without being
deterred by the threat of missile attack from a regional adversary.
John McCain is committed to deploying effective
missile defenses to reduce the possibility of strategic blackmail by rogue
regimes and to secure our homeland from the very real prospect of missile attack
by present or future adversaries.
America
should never again have to live in the shadow of missile and nuclear attack. As
President, John McCain will not trust in the "balance of terror" to
protect
America
, but will work to deploy effective missile defenses to safeguard our people and
our homeland.
Increasing the Size of the American Military
The most important weapons in the
U.S.
arsenal are the men and women of American armed forces. John McCain believes we
must enlarge the size of our armed forces to meet new challenges to our
security. For too long, we have asked too much of too few - with the result that
many service personnel are on their second, third and even fourth tours of duty
in Afghanistan and Iraq. There can be no higher defense priority than the proper
compensation, training, and equipping of our troops.
Our existing force is overstretched by the
combination of military operations in the broader Middle East and the need to
maintain our security commitments in Europe and
Asia
. Recruitment and retention suffer from extended overseas deployments that keep
service personnel away from their homes and families for long periods of time.
John McCain believes that the answer to these
challenges is not to roll back our overseas commitments. The size and
composition of our armed forces must be matched to our nation's defense
requirements. As requirements expand in the global war on terrorism so must our
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard be reconfigured to meet these
new challenges. John McCain thinks it is especially important to increase the
size of the Army and Marine Corps to defend against the threats we face today.
John McCain knows that the most difficult and
solemn decision a president must make is sending young Americans into harm's
way. Having experienced firsthand the brutality of war, as president, John
McCain would never make the decision to use force lightly, only when the cause
is just, and our nation's values and interests absolutely demand it.
He and Obama agree on this.
Modernizing the Armed Services
Modernizing American armed forces involves
procuring advanced weapons systems that will help rapidly and decisively defeat
any adversary and protect American lives. It also requires addressing force
protection needs to make sure that
America
's combat personnel have the best safety and survivability equipment available.
Modernizing the armed forces also means adapting
our doctrine, training, and tactics for the kind of conflicts we are most likely
to face. Today, American forces are engaged in dangerous operations throughout
the world. From
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
to
Somalia
and the
Philippines
, American forces are fighting the battles of the 21st century against
terrorists and insurgents. These asymmetric conflicts require a very different
force structure than the one we used to fight and win the Cold War.
The missions of the 21st century will not center
on traditional territorial defense or mass armor engagements. Instead, the men
and women of the
U.S.
armed forces will be engaged in, among other things, counter insurgency,
counter terrorism, missile defense, counter proliferation and information
warfare. This calls not just for a larger and more capable military, but for a
new mix of military forces, including civil affairs, special operations, and
highly mobile forces capable of fighting and prevailing in the conflicts
America
faces.
Smarter Defense Spending
John McCain has worked aggressively to reform the
defense budgeting process to ensure that
America
enjoys the best military at the best cost. This includes reforming defense
procurement to ensure the faithful and efficient expenditure of taxpayer dollars
that are made available for defense acquisition. Too often, parochial interests
- rather than the national interest - have guided our spending decisions. John
McCain supports significant reform in our defense acquisition process to ensure
that dollars spent actually contribute to
U.S.
security.
John McCain also feels strongly that our nation's
military spending, except in time of genuine emergency, must be funded by the
regular appropriations process, not by "emergency" supplementals that
allow defense to be funded outside the normal budget cycle. This process gives
Congressional committees less ability to closely scrutinize defense budget
requests to ensure military funding is being budgeted wisely. It makes possible
Congressional pork-barrel spending that diverts scarce defense resources to
parochial home-state interests. And it allows the administration to add spending
above that set by budget caps, bloating the federal deficit. Budgeting annually
through emergency supplemental appropriation bills encourages pork barrel
spending. The American taxpayer has a right to expect us to get the most out of
each and every defense dollar, especially at a time when those dollars are so
critical. Throughout his career, John McCain has fought pork-barrel defense
spending that diverts scarce defense resources to parochial, home-state projects
rather than addressing the needs of service personnel. He believes that
unauthorized earmarks drain our precious defense resources and adversely affect
our national security. John McCain will continue to fight pork-barrel spending
to ensure that military funds are spent where they are needed most - in support
of our military personnel and our national defense.
Taking Care of Our Military Personnel and their
Families
Our military personnel and their families deserve
the nation's unfailing gratitude, respect, and support. As a former naval
officer with a distinguished record of military service, John McCain understands
the profound sacrifices made by our men and women who serve in the uniform of
our country and their families.
He believes one of
America
's most solemn obligations is to treat our military personnel with the same
sense of devotion and duty as they demonstrate in rendering their service to the
nation. John McCain has fought for improved military pay and benefits, and an
improved quality of life for military families.
America
's
deployments in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
rely heavily on Reserve and National Guard forces. John McCain has worked hard
to ensure that benefits for deployed Reservists and National Guardsmen are
brought in line with our active-duty military forces.
As president, he will make sure that just as we
are always proud of our military personnel for what they do for the country, the
country can be proud of what we do for them.
Honoring our Nation's Commitments to Veterans and
Military Retirees
John McCain has worked tirelessly to protect
increased benefits for
America
's veterans. He understands that our country has a duty to care for veterans who
have honorably served. John McCain will continue to look out for the men and
women who have answered our nation's call.
America
must
never leave its military retirees in any doubt that it will keep its commitments
to them for their many years of faithful service. John McCain has been a
champion of military retirees in the Senate and believes that it is especially
important to ensure retired service personnel enjoy full health care and
benefits comparable to that received by retired federal employees. John McCain
understands that a key to recruiting and retaining a new generation of American
military personnel is demonstrating that our government keeps its promises to
retired service members. He will remain an unwavering champion for the rights of
military retirees and their families.
He and Obama stance on these
issues is very similar.
Strategy for Victory in
Iraq
The Importance of Succeeding
John McCain believes it is strategically and
morally essential for the
United States
to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and
safeguarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate
withdrawing American troops before that has occurred.
It would be a grave mistake to leave before Al
Qaeda in
Iraq
is defeated and before a competent, trained, and capable Iraqi security force
is in place and operating effectively. We must help the Government of Iraq
battle those who provoke sectarian tensions and promote a civil war that could
destabilize the
Middle East
.
Iraq
must not become a failed state, a haven for terrorists, or a pawn of
Iran
. These likely consequences of
America
's failure in
Iraq
almost certainly would either require us to return or draw us into a wider and
far costlier war.
The best way to secure long-term peace and
security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in
Iraq
that poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of
terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops
can return home.
I agree though I don’t
like it, but we can’t let this all be invain.
Get
Iraq
's Economy Back on its Feet
John McCain believes that economic progress is
essential to sustaining security gains in
Iraq
. Markets that were once silent and deserted have come back to life in many
areas, but high unemployment rates continue to fuel criminal and insurgent
violence. To move young men away from the attractions of well-funded extremists,
we need a vibrant, growing Iraqi economy. The Iraqi government can jump-start
this process by using a portion of its budget surplus to employ Iraqis in
infrastructure projects and in restoring basic services.
The international community should bolster proven
microfinance programs to spur local-level entrepreneurship throughout the
country.
Iraq
's Arab neighbors, in particular, should promote regional stability by directly
investing the fruits of their oil exports in
Iraq
. As these efforts begin to take hold in
Iraq
, the private sector, as always, will create the jobs and propel the growth that
will end reliance on outside aid.
Iraq
’s government needs support to better deliver basic services—clean water,
garbage collection, abundant electricity, and, above all, a basic level of
security—that create a climate where the Iraqi economy creation can flourish.
Call for International Pressure on
Syria
and
Iran
Syria
and
Iran
have aided and abetted the violence in
Iraq
for too long.
Syria
has refused to crack down on Iraqi insurgents and foreign terrorists operating
within its territory.
Iran
has been providing the most extreme and violent Shia militias with training,
weapons, and technology that kill American and Iraqi troops. American military
spokesmen have also said there is evidence that
Iran
has provided aid to Sunni insurgents.
The answer is not unconditional dialogues with
these two dictatorships from a position of weakness. The answer is for the
international community to apply real pressure to
Syria
and
Iran
to change their behavior. The
United States
must also bolster its regional military posture to make clear to
Iran
our determination to protect our forces and deter Iranian intervention.
Level with the American People
John McCain believes it is essential to be honest
with the American people about the opportunities and risks that lie ahead. The
American people deserve the truth from their leaders. They deserve a candid
assessment of the progress made in the last year, of the serious difficulties
that remain, and of the grave consequences of a reckless and irresponsible
withdrawal.
Many Americans have given their lives so that
America
does not suffer the worst consequences of failure in
Iraq
. Doing the right thing in the heat of a political campaign is not always easy.
But it is necessary.
McCain is the only of the two
candidates that actually have a plan for
Iraq
other then pulling out. Which I think is important, whether we pull troops out
of
Iraq
or not we have a responsibility to help the new government and people develop
in to a strong self reliant nation.
Climate
Change
John
McCain will establish a market-based system to curb greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, mobilize innovative technologies, and strengthen the economy. He will
work with our international partners to secure our energy future, to create
opportunities for American industry, and to leave a better future for our
children.
John McCain's Principles for Climate Policy
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John McCain's Cap and Trade Policy
John
McCain Proposes A Cap-And-Trade System That Would Set Limits On Greenhouse Gas
Emissions While Encouraging The Development Of Low-Cost Compliance Options. A
climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions
and allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, similar to the successful
acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism
is that it allows the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance
options.
How
Does A Cap-And-Trade System Work?
A
cap-and-trade system harnesses human ingenuity in the pursuit of alternatives to
carbon-based fuels. Market participants are allotted total permits equal to the
cap on greenhouse gas emissions. If they can invent, improve, or acquire a way
to reduce their emissions, they can sell their extra permits for cash. The
profit motive will coordinate the efforts of venture capitalists, corporate
planners, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists on the common motive of reducing
emissions.
Greenhouse
Gas Emission Targets And Timetables
2012:
Return Emissions To 2005 Levels (18 Percent Above 1990 Levels)
2020:
Return Emissions To 1990 Levels (15 Percent Below 2005 Levels)
2030:
22 Percent Below 1990 Levels (34 Percent Below 2005 Levels)
2050:
60 Percent Below 1990 Levels (66 Percent Below 2005 Levels)
The
Cap And Trade System Would Allow For The Gradual Reduction Of Emissions.
The
cap and trade system would encompass electric power, transportation fuels,
commercial business, and industrial business – sectors responsible for just
below 90 percent of all emissions. Small businesses would be exempt. Initially,
participants would be allowed to either make their own GHG reductions or
purchase "offsets" – financial instruments representing a reduction,
avoidance, or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions practiced by other
activities, such as agriculture – to cover 100 percent of their required
reductions. Offsets would only be available through a program dedicated to
ensure that all offset GHG emission reductions are real, measured and
verifiable. The fraction of GHG emission reductions permitted via offsets would
decline over time.
Innovating, Developing and Deploying Technologies
To
Support The Cap And Trade System, John McCain Will Promote The Innovation,
Development And Deployment Of Advanced Technologies. John McCain will reform
federal government research funding and infrastructure to support the cap and
trade emissions reduction goals and emphasize the commercialization of
low-carbon technologies. Under John McCain's plan:
Emissions
Permits Will Eventually Be Auctioned To Support The Development Of Advanced
Technologies. A portion of the process of these auctions will be used to support
a diversified portfolio of research and commercialization challenges, ranging
from carbon capture and sequestration, to nuclear power, to battery development.
Funds will also be used to provide financial backing for a Green Innovation
Financing and Transfer (GIFT) to facilitate commercialization.
John
McCain Will Streamline The Process For Deploying New Technologies And Requiring
More Accountability From Government Programs To Meet Commercialization Goals And
Deadlines.
John
McCain Will Ensure Rapid Technology Introduction, Quickly Shifting Research From
The Laboratory To The Marketplace.
John
McCain Will Employ The Inherent Incentives Provided By A Cap-And-Trade System
Along With Government-Led Competitions As Incentives For New Technology
Deployment.
John McCain Will Foster Rapid and Clean Economic Growth
John
McCain Believes An Effective And Sustainable Climate Policy Must Also Support
Rapid Economic Growth. John McCain will use a portion of auction proceeds to
reduce impacts on low-income American families. The McCain plan will accomplish
this in part by incorporating measures to mitigate any economic cost of meeting
emission targets, including:
Trading
Emission Permits To Find The Lowest-Cost Source Of Emission Reductions.
Permitting
"Banking" And "Borrowing" Of Permits So That Emission
Reductions May Be Accelerated Or Deferred To More Economically Efficient
Periods.
Permitting
Unlimited Initial Offsets From Both Domestic And International Sources.
Effectively
Integrating
U.S.
Trading With Other International Markets, Thereby Providing Access To Low-Cost
Permit Sources.
Establishing
A Strategic Carbon Reserve As A National Source Of Permits During Periods Of
Economic Duress.
Early
Allocation Of Some Emission Permits On Sound Principles. This will provide
significant amount of allowances for auctioning to provide funding for
transition assistance for consumers and industry. It will also directly allocate
sufficient permits to enable the activities of a Climate Change Credit
Corporation, the public-private agency that will oversee the cap and trade
program, provide credit to entities for reductions made before 2012, and ease
transition for industry with competitiveness concerns and fewer efficiency
technology options.
A
commission will also be convened to provide recommendations on the percentage of
allowances to be provided for free and the percentage of allowances to be
auctioned, and develop a schedule for transition from allocated to maximum
auctioned allowances. Cap-and-trade system will also work to maximize the amount
of allowances that are auctioned off by 2050.
John McCain Will Provide Leadership for Effective International
Efforts
John McCain
Believes That There Must Be A Global Solution To Global Climate Change. John
McCain will engage the international community in a coordinated effort by:
Actively
Engaging To Lead United Nations Negotiations.
Permitting
America
To Lead In Innovation, Capture The Market On Low-Carbon Energy Production, And
Export To Developing Countries – Including Government Incentives And
Partnerships For Sales Of Clean Tech To Developing Countries.
Provide
Incentives For Rapid Participation By
India
And
China
, While Negotiating An Agreement With Each.
John McCain Will Develop a Climate Change Adaptation Plan
John McCain
Believes A Comprehensive Approach To Addressing Climate Change Includes
Adaptation As Well As Mitigation. He believes:
An
Adaptation Plan Should Be Based Upon National And Regional Scientific
Assessments Of The Impacts Of Climate Change.
An
Adaptation Plan Should Focus On Implementation At The Local Level Which Is Where
Impacts Will Manifest Themselves.
A
Comprehensive Plan Will Address The
Full
Range
Of Issues: Infrastructure, Ecosystems, Resource Planning, And Emergency
Preparation.
McCain and Obama, both believe in green technology and taking steps
to reduce greenhouse emissions. Each one has a has comprehensive plan I’m not
really sure which is better. Both seem good to me.
Commitment to America's Service
Members: Past and Present
Providing for Our Service Members
John McCain believes that meeting the needs of our
service members who defend us is our obligation and is essential to our national
security. He worked to increase pay scales for servicemen and women during both
the Persian Gulf War and the current War on Terror and to increase enlistment
and reenlistment bonuses for reservists and guardsmen. He also sponsored bills
to give special tax relief to deployed service members and to set up overseas
savings programs for the men and women fighting in the Gulf War.
Improving Veterans' Health Care
John McCain believes that
America
's veterans who dedicated themselves to protecting our country deserve the
highest quality health care. He is committed to ensuring that veterans' health
care programs receive the funding necessary to provide the quality health care
our veterans need and deserve. He has worked to ensure that the Veteran's
Affairs provides care for all eligible veterans, no matter where they live or
what they need. In addition, John McCain has fought to ensure that retired
servicemen and women have meaningful access to affordable health care.
Funding Veterans' Health Care
John McCain has voted repeatedly, throughout his
career, to ensure that the Veteran's Affairs health care programs receive the
funding necessary to serve our veterans. He has supported numerous funding
increases, initiatives to make the VA more efficient, and proposals to give
higher pay to VA doctors in order to recruit and retain high quality physicians
and dentists.
Expanding Veterans' Access to Health Care
John McCain has worked to ensure that geography
does not prevent veterans from receiving the care they have earned. He supported
measures to allow veterans in remote areas of
Alaska
to get care at existing facilities run by the Indian Health Service or tribal
organizations. He also rallied support for a demonstration project to send
mobile health centers to remote locations where veterans need care. In addition,
he sponsored legislation that would ensure that health care funding is
distributed fairly, and that eligible veterans in all regions of the country can
equally access high quality health care.
Serving the Special Health Care Needs of Veterans
John McCain understands that veterans face a broad
array of health challenges, many of which disproportionately afflict our former
service members. He has fought to ensure that veterans receive health care that
reflects their unique needs.
For this reason, John McCain advocated for
guaranteeing health benefits to veterans who have been exposed to radiation. He
also worked to advance studies on the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange
and to give disability benefits to veterans with cancer and other health
problems caused by Agent Orange. He supported efforts to provide veterans with
treatment for tobacco related illnesses and substance abuse problems, and he
sponsored legislation to cover mental health care in military retiree health
plans. John McCain has also been a leading advocate for providing veterans with
hospice benefits.
Health Care for Retired Veterans
John McCain believes that all military retirees,
even if they are not eligible for VA health care, should be provided with
meaningful access to health care. The federal government should ease the burden
of health care costs on those people who have dedicated their careers to
protecting our freedom. He has supported allowing military retirees to remain
eligible for CHAMPUS or TRICARE military health care programs even when they
reach the age of 65 and are eligible for Medicare. He has also consistently
supported efforts to give military retirees tax breaks to help pay health
insurance premiums, and he has opposed placing user fees on military retirees
for using military medical facilities.
Providing Veterans with the Benefits They Have
Earned
John McCain strongly believes that it is our duty
as a nation to provide our veterans, who dedicated their careers, risked their
personal safety, and sometimes sacrificed their lives in order to protect us,
with the benefits that we have promised them and that they have earned.
John McCain has voted consistently to increase
funding for veterans' benefits, recognizing that the people who serve our
country should get priority over the disgraceful amounts of spending on
corporate subsidies and wasteful pork barrel spending. He also pushed for
various initiatives to ensure that veterans who are eligible for benefits know
what they are entitled to and have the resources to obtain their benefits.
Caring for Our Disabled Veterans
John McCain has been a leading advocate in the
Senate for disabled veterans throughout his entire career. He fought for nearly
fifteen years, introducing numerous bills, to ensure that veterans with
service-connected disabilities can receive the retirement benefits that they
have earned, as well as the disability compensation benefits that they are
entitled to. He has also worked to ensure that veterans can have their
disability claims processed in a timely manner, working with the VA to rectify
its huge backlog of claims and providing additional resources for that purpose.
John McCain believes very strongly that service
members who suffered permanent injuries in service to our nation should not be
forced to give up their disability compensation in order to collect their
retirement pay. For this reason, John McCain has been a staunch supporter of
repealing the historic ban on receiving both disability and retirement pay at
the same time. Over the past few years, John McCain has successfully pushed for
provisions to compensate disabled retired veterans for this disparity. Now,
because of his efforts, veterans with severe combat-related disabilities are
able to collect their retirement and disability compensation at the same time.
John McCain will continue to fight for equal treatment of disabled veterans
under the retirement system. In an effort to help disabled veterans with their
health care, he cosponsored a measure to allow disabled veterans to be enrolled
in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the same health insurance
offered to Senators and Congressmen. He has also supported higher payments to
disabled veterans and survivors of veterans who died because of service
connected injuries.
John McCain has worked to increase VA resources
for paralysis research, and he spearheaded an effort to establish a
Blind
Rehabilitation
Center
in
Tucson
,
Arizona
to help the 1,200 vets on waiting lists for rehab services for the blind.
A Leading Advocate for Gulf War Veterans
John McCain has always been a leader on veteran's
issues, and Congress has often looked to him, particularly during times of
conflict and war. On January 31, 1991, Senator Bob Dole appointed John McCain
Co-Chairman of a task force to make recommendations to the Senate regarding
effective policies to help the men and women and their families who served in
Operations Desert Shield/Storm. John McCain worked with his colleagues to
identify the most beneficial proposals, including doubling veteran and service
member life insurance benefits, the establishment of a death gratuity payment
for
Persian Gulf
service members, housing loan benefits for Gulf War veterans, expanded
reemployment rights, and providing readjustment counseling for veterans.
Easing the Transition to Civilian Life
John McCain believes that we must do what we can
to smooth the transition for veterans from military to civilian life. He has
strongly supported educational and job counseling programs to help veterans get
civilian employment. He has worked to provide new educational assistance for
reservists. He also fought to extend the availability of G.I. bill education
benefits for
Vietnam
veterans, and to expand flight training benefits to more veterans. In addition,
John McCain is a strong supporter of the Troops-To-Teachers Act, a program to
train veterans to become teachers, and introduced legislation to extend the
program. John McCain also believes that we must provide more assistance to
veterans who are recently discharged and has worked to extend unemployment and
vocational training benefits for veterans.
John McCain has also been a strong advocate for
those veterans most in need. He has supported numerous bills to help homeless
veterans by providing them with counseling, independent living training, and
residential treatment programs so that they can address and overcome those
ailments that plague many homeless veterans, such as post-traumatic stress
disorder and substance abuse.
Protecting Veterans from Financial Loss
John McCain has also worked for a number of other
financial protection and relief provisions for service members and veterans. He
supported amendments to the bankruptcy reform bill that would protect veterans
from being denied bankruptcy claims if they incurred their debts while defending
our country. He also sponsored legislation to extend the tax filing deadline for
Gulf War service members. In addition, he pushed for legislation to protect
veterans from scam artists and loan sharks who would prey on low income veterans
by offering them a small amount of "fast cash" to sign over their
veteran's benefits.
Protecting for the Families of Our Fallen Heroes
John McCain believes that in addition to our
national duty to provide benefits to veterans who return from combat, we must
honor those who do not return and provide for their families with a death
gratuity benefit and meaningful life insurance coverage. During the last two
major military conflicts, John McCain worked to increase death gratuity
payments. He cosponsored legislation to double the death gratuity payment in
2003 for service men and women who are killed in the War on Terror. He also
sponsored legislation during the first Gulf War to increase the death gratuity
payment, and to double the soldier and veterans' group life insurance.
In 2007, after learning about problems that the
families of some service members killed in combat were having accessing the
death gratuity payment, John McCain introduced legislation to allow service
members to designate who they want their benefits to go to in the event of their
death. John McCain has also worked to increase the survivor benefit plan for
widows or widowers of retired veterans.
Honoring the Service and Sacrifice of Our Past
and Present Veterans
John McCain has worked throughout his time in
Congress to fulfill our nation's solemn duty to honor those veterans who
sacrificed their lives to protect our liberty. In 2006, he sponsored legislation
to immortalize the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial as a symbol honoring veterans
of the Korean War.
He also advocated for the creation of a number of
other veterans' memorials, including a memorial to honor disabled veterans and
the National Native American Veterans' Memorial. He sponsored legislation to
create National Medal of Honor Sites to honor recipients of the Medal of Honor.
He worked to create
Arizona
's only
National
Memorial
Cemetery
in
Phoenix
, and he authored legislation to ensure that veterans have honor guards at their
funerals.
McCain is the only candidate
with a plan to support Vets and as a service member this is really important to
me. Obama really overlooks this important issue.
Border Security
and Immigration Reform
I have always believed that our border must be
secure and that the federal government has utterly failed in its responsibility
to ensure that it is secure. If we have learned anything from the recent
immigration debate, it is that Americans have little trust that their government
will honor a pledge to do the things necessary to make the border secure.
As president, I will secure the border. I will
restore the trust Americans should have in the basic competency of their
government. A secure border is an essential element of our national security.
Tight border security includes not just the entry and exit of people, but also
the effective screening of cargo at our ports and other points of entry.
But a secure border will contribute to addressing
our immigration problem most effectively if we also:
Recognize the importance of building strong allies
in Mexico and Latin America who reject the siren call of authoritarians like
Hugo Chavez, support freedom and democracy, and seek strong domestic economies
with abundant economic opportunities for their citizens.
Recognize the importance of pro-growth policies --
keeping government spending in check, holding down taxes, and cutting
unnecessary regulatory burdens -- so American businesses can hire and pay the
best.
Recognize the importance of a flexible labor
market to keep employers in business and our economy on top. It should provide
skilled Americans and immigrants with opportunity. Our education system should
ensure skills for our younger workers, and our retraining and assistance
programs for displaced workers must be modernized so they can pursue those
opportunities
Recognize the importance of assimilation of our
immigrant population, which includes learning English, American history and
civics, and respecting the values of a democratic society.
Recognize that
America
will always be that "shining city upon a hill," a beacon of hope and
opportunity for those seeking a better life built on hard work and optimism.
Border security and our failed immigration system
are more examples of an ailing
Washington
culture in need of reform to regain the trust of Americans. In too many areas
-- from immigration and pork barrel spending to Social Security, health care,
energy security and tax relief -- business-as-usual politics prevents addressing
the important challenges facing our nation.
Strong Boarder are important
but not a major issue we should focus on. I don’t like illegal immigrants but
this issue is minor in comparison to some others.
Human Dignity and the Sanctity of
Life
Overturning Roe v. Wade
John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed
decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who
understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the
bench.
Constitutional balance would be restored by the
reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual
states. The difficult issue
of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.
I
agree with this statement
However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents
only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is
returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion
- the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the
compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The
pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the
infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and
neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in
need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and
strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the
consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has
publicly noted, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect
meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."
Promoting Adoption
In 1993, John McCain and his wife, Cindy, adopted
a little girl from Mother Teresa's orphanage in
Bangladesh
. She has been a blessing to the McCain family and helped make adoption advocacy
a personal issue for the Senator.
The McCain family experience is not unique;
millions of families have had their lives transformed by the adoption of a
child. As president, motivated by his personal experience, John McCain will seek
ways to promote adoption as a first option for women struggling with a crisis
pregnancy. In the past, he cosponsored legislation to prohibit discrimination
against families with adopted children, to provide adoption education, and to
permit tax deductions for qualified adoption expenses, as well as to remove
barriers to interracial and inter-ethnic adoptions.
Protecting Marriage
As president, John McCain would nominate judges who understand that the role of the Court
is not to subvert the rights of the people by legislating from the bench.
Critical to Constitutional balance is ensuring that, where state and local
governments do act to preserve the traditional family, the Courts must not
overstep their authority and thwart the Constitutional right of the people to
decide this question.
This statement I agree with
not just on this issue, too many judges many decided to legislate from the
bench.
The family represents the foundation of Western
Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of
marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition
that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and
fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping,
stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.
As with most issues vital to the preservation and
health of civil society, the basic responsibility for preserving and
strengthening the family should reside at the level of government closest to the
people. In their wisdom, the Founding Fathers reserved for the States the
authority and responsibility to protect and strengthen the vital institutions of
our civil society. They did so to ensure that the voices of
America
's families could not be ignored by an indifferent national government or
suffocated through filibusters and clever legislative maneuvering in Congress.
To be honest, no law is going to stop Gay people from living
together. Im against calling it marriage just because that word, makes it seem
morally/socially ok. However the government shouldn’t be telling people how to
live their lives in this way. If we give tax breaks and legal protection to
heterosexual couples we should give them to gay couples, but call it a civil
union.
Addressing the Moral Concerns of Advanced
Technology
Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for
those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and
life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to
cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.
For this reason, John McCain opposes the
intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end,
Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it
a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo
created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or
obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes
human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation,
under federal law.
As president, John McCain will strongly support
funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem
cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of
human embryos.
Where federal funds are used for stem cell
research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a
refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of
scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict
federal guidelines.
This issue is important, but
I don’t know if I agree with Mccain, Stem cell research has huge potential and
should be allowed and wait and see what results before start making laws.
Protecting Children from Internet Pornography
John McCain believes the Internet offers
tremendous promise in terms of freedom of expression, information sharing, and
the spread of knowledge and commerce. It represents the greatest innovation of
the modern era in terms of the democratization of free speech and access to
information. From human rights groups in
China
to bloggers here in the
United States
, the Internet has opened a global dialogue that has propelled the world into an
exciting new century of connectivity and communication.
However, there is a darker side to the Internet.
Along with the access and anonymity of the Internet have come those who would
use it to peddle child pornography and other sexually explicit material and to
prey upon children.
John McCain has been a leader in pushing
legislation through Congress that requires all schools and libraries receiving
federal subsidies for Internet connectivity to utilize technology to restrict
access to sexually explicit material by children using such computers. While the
first line of defense for children will always be strong and involved parents,
when they send their child to school or drop their child off at the library,
parents have the right to feel safe that someone is going to be looking out for
their children.
Protecting Children from Online Predators
America
's most
precious asset is its children. The innocence of childhood provides hope for the
future and refreshes and restores the ideals of this great country. However,
there are those who prey upon this innocence and the Internet offers these
predators unprecedented, often anonymous, access to children. John McCain has
taken a hard line against pedophiles that would use the Internet to prey upon
children by proposing the first-of-its-kind national online registry for persons
who have been convicted of sex crimes against children. Senator McCain's
legislation requires that sex offenders register all online accounts in a
national database that can be used by law enforcement to investigate crimes
against children. If these predators fail to register they would be sent to
prison for ten years. The legislation also makes use of the Internet an
"aggravating factor" in sex crimes against children, adding an
additional ten years to any conviction. It is the responsibility of government
to do all that can be done to protect children from predators who lurk on the
Internet.
I agree with McCain, though I think
multiple offenders should receive the death penalty. A country that doesn’t
protect its children isn’t worth defending and should end.
Protecting Second Amendment Rights
John McCain believes that the right of law abiding
citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right
that we have a sacred duty to protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that
criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than
restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure
in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their
rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.
Gun Manufacturer Liability
John McCain opposes backdoor attempts to restrict
Second Amendment rights by holding gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed
by third parties using a firearm, and has voted to protect gun manufacturers
from such inappropriate liability aimed at bankrupting the entire gun industry.
Assault Weapons
John McCain opposes restrictions on so-called
"assault rifles" and voted consistently against such bans. Most
recently he opposed an amendment to extend a ban on 19 specific firearms, and
others with similar characteristics.
Importation of High Capacity Magazines
John McCain opposes bans on the importation of
certain types of ammunition magazines and has voted against such limitations.
Gun Locks
John McCain believes that every firearms owner has
a responsibility to learn how to safely use and store the firearm they have
chosen, whether for target shooting, hunting, or personal protection. He has
supported legislation requiring gun manufacturers to include gun safety devices
such as trigger locks in product packaging.
Banning Ammunition
John McCain believes that banning ammunition is
just another way to undermine Second Amendment rights. He voted against an
amendment that would have banned many of the most commonly used hunting
cartridges on the spurious grounds that they were "armor-piercing."
DC Personal Protection
As part of John McCain's defense of Second
Amendment rights, he cosponsored legislation to lift a ban on the law abiding
citizens of the
District of Columbia
from exercising their Constitutional right to bear arms.
Criminal Background Checks
John McCain supports instant criminal background
checks to help prohibit criminals from buying firearms and has voted to ensure
they are conducted thoroughly, efficiently, and without infringing on the rights
of law abiding citizens.
Background Checks at Gun Shows
At a time when some were trying to shut down gun
shows in the name of fighting crime, John McCain tried to preserve gun shows by
standardizing sales procedures. Federal law requires licensed firearm sellers at
gun shows to do an instant criminal background check on purchasers while private
firearm sellers at gun shows do not have to conduct such a check. John McCain
introduced legislation that would require an instant criminal background check
for all sales at gun shows and believes that such checks must be conducted
quickly to ensure that unnecessary delays do not effectively block transactions.
The Firearm Purchase Waiting Period
John McCain has opposed "waiting
periods" for law abiding citizen's purchase of firearms.
I don’t really care about
the waiting period.
The Confiscation of Firearms After an Emergency
John McCain opposes the confiscation of firearms
from private citizens, particularly during times of crisis or emergency. He
voted in favor of an amendment sponsored by Senator David Vitter prohibiting
such confiscation.
Stiffer Penalties for Criminals Who Use a Firearm
in the Commission of a Crime
John McCain believes in strict, mandatory
penalties for criminals who use a firearm in the commission of a crime or
illegally possess a firearm. Enforcing the current laws on the books is the best
way to deter crime.
I agree with McCain 99% on
this except in the area of the waiting period. Whats the harm if I have to wait
5 days to get a gun.
Lobbying and Ethics Reform
Seal the Pork Barrel
Among the most glaring abuses in Washington is the
willful setting aside of taxpayer dollars for the pet projects of special
interests, often through last minute additions to appropriations bills. Pork
barrel spending is an insult to taxpayers, a waste of public resources, and an
abdication of our leaders' responsibility to be good and honorable stewards of
the public treasury, for the benefit of all Americans, not just a few.
Too often it appears that elected leaders use the
treasury as a campaign kitty, channeling taxpayer dollars for pet projects to
preserve incumbency rather than to meet national needs. John McCain has been a
tireless warrior against wasteful spending, and one of the few leaders who has
the guts to challenge abusive Congressional earmarks and the pork barrel
politics that grip
Washington
. John McCain understands that, fundamentally, wasteful spending is an issue of
ethics.
As he pointed out recently as part of his
longstanding, principled, and often lonely vigil against pork barrel earmarks in
Congress: "Earmarked dollars have doubled just since 2000, and more than
tripled in the last 10 years. This explosion in earmarks led one lobbyist to
deride the appropriations committees as favor factories. The time for us to fix
this broken process is long overdue." As President, John McCain would shine
the disinfecting light of public scrutiny on those who abuse the public purse,
use the power of the presidency to restore fiscal responsibility, and exercise
the veto pen to enforce it.
Stop the Revolving Door and Restore Ethics
America
deserves and demands a government that serves the country, not itself. Most
people believe that elected leaders are more interested in the perks and
privileges of office than in public service, and that too often the special
interest lobbyists with the fattest wallets and best access carry the day when
issues of public policy are being decided.
John McCain has fought the good fight against the
practices that alienate the public from their elected leaders. He has fought for
public disclosure of those who lobby lawmakers for a living, and to prohibit
them from providing gifts to elected officials.
He has fought for greater transparency regarding
the official activities of lobbyists, disclosure of those who arrange for
lawmakers' travel, and require members to pay full charter rates when using
corporate aircraft.
He has fought the "revolving door" by
which lawmakers and other influential officials leave their posts and become
lobbyists for the special interests they have aided.
He has fought for an independent ethics office in
Congress to help restore the public's faith in the integrity of the legislative
branch.
Democracy is Not for Sale
The American people have been alienated from the
process of self-government by the overwhelming appearance of their elected
leaders having sold-out to the big-moneyed special interests who help finance
political campaigns.
As John McCain has said, "Americans believe
that political representation is measured on a sliding scale. The more you give
the more effectively you can petition your government." It is no
coincidence that the most influential lobbyists with the greatest access in the
nation's Capitol are also the most prolific political fundraisers, and that
incumbents attract money in far greater volumes than most challengers.
Most Americans understand that competitive
elections in a free country require money. Since campaigns require spending
funds to communicate with voters, they know we can never take money completely
out of politics, nor should we. Americans have a right to support the candidates
and the parties they endorse, including financially if they so choose.
But what most Americans worry about profoundly is
corporations or individuals with huge checks seeking the undue influence on
lawmakers that such largesse is intended to purchase. That is why John McCain has
fought to enforce long-standing prohibitions on corporate and union
contributions to federal political
parties, for sensible donation limits, disclosure of how candidates and
campaigns are funded, and the diligent enforcement of these common sense rules
that promote maximum public participation in the political process and limit
opportunities for corruption.
John McCain understands that in
America
the people are sovereign, and deserve a political process worthy of the
sacrifices that have been made by so many to keep us free and proud. As
President, John McCain will see to it that the institutions of self-government
are respected pillars of democracy, not commodities to be bought, bartered, or
abused.
McCain and Obama has similar
stance on these issues, though McCain has not taken an Earmark in his time in
the senate which I think is important. It shows that his money is where his
mouth is.
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