o.k. to be fair, i decided to go on mccain's site and post his ideas. i really think tho, everyone should go on both candidate's sites and contrast the two.

yes, it's a lot of reading and viewing clips BUT this is a very important election.


me? i've compared the two plans, what seems doable and what is just shined up crap.

( if you notice, mccain says a lot of neat things but no plans, just things that people want to hear. i noticed that right off, bet you will too)

i'm still voting obama. the few things that mccain addresses directly are no doable and they know it, sounds ok but it's shined up crap. not enough substance or change to make me give the party that has brought us to this brink another 4 years.


as i said if mccain reformed washington, then why are we in this mess? don't blame the democratic congress . they haven't been a majority that long. mccain's voting record for the past 8 years is enough for me to think twice about him.




but please go on this site and see for yourselves.

oh, 1 more thing. the e-mail that has been making the rounds about obama and muslims, don't you believe it. sounds really knowledgeable but it's full of lies and distortions. studying different faiths has been an interest of mine for years and years and tho far from an expert, i do know lies when i see ones as huge as these.





IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES

Gas And Food Prices
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.
• John McCain believes we should send a strong message to world markets. Under his plan, the United
States will be telling oil producing countries and oil speculators that our dependence on foreign oil will
come to an end – and the impact will be lower prices at the pump.
• John McCain's policies will increase the value of the dollar and thus reduce the price of oil. In recent
years, the declining value of the dollar has added to the cost of imported oil. This will change.
Americans will have a stronger economy, a stronger dollar and greater purchasing power for oil, gas
and food.
• John McCain believes we should institute a summer gas tax holiday. Hard-working American families
are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain called on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent
federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
o Reuters: Gas Tax Holiday "Of Most Immediate Effect To Consumers." "Of most
immediate effect to consumers was his appeal to the U.S. Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent
federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day at the end of May to Labor Day in
early September." (Steve Holland, "McCain Proposes Tax Cuts And Lashes Democrats," Reuters, 4/15/08)
o USA Today: "A USA TODAY Analysis Showed That McCain's Gas-Tax Proposal Could
Save Motorists $6.8 Billion In Taxes During The Summer." (Kathy Kiely, "Gas-Tax Holiday Among
McCain's Plans For Economy," USA Today, 4/16/08)
• John McCain will repeal the 54 cents per gallon tax on imported sugar-based ethanol, increasing
competition, and lowering prices of gasoline at the pump.
• John McCain will roll back corn-based ethanol mandates, which are contributing to the rising cost of
food.
Home Plan
John McCain believes there is nothing more important than keeping alive the American dream of owning
a home. Priority number one is to keep well-meaning, deserving home owners who are facing foreclosure
in their homes.
John McCain's approach to helping sub-prime or other financially strapped mortgage borrowers is built on
sound principles:
• No taxpayer money should bail out real estate speculators or financial market participants who failed
to perform due diligence in assessing credit risks. Any assistance for borrowers should be focused
solely on homeowners and any government assistance to the banking system should be based solely
on preventing systemic risk.
• Any policy of financial assistance should be accompanied by reforms that promote greater
transparency and accountability to ensure we never face this problem again.
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John McCain has proposed 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 sub-prime 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.
o John McCain's HOME Plan Will Keep 200,000 To 400,000 Families From Losing Their
Homes. "But at the same time, McCain is calling for aggressive federal action to help keep
200,000 to 400,000 families from losing their homes. That plan has many of the elements of a
proposal by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., requiring
participating lenders to forgive part of the loan principal and then write a new loan that would
be backed by the federal government through the Federal Housing Administration." (Tom Raum,
"Everyone's Invited: McCain Economic Plan Draws From Both Parties," Tucson Citizen, 4/17/08)
• How It Works: Individuals pick up a form at any Post Office or download the form over the Internet
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.
• John McCain will bolster groups like Neighborworks America that provide mortgage assistance to
homeowners in their communities.
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.
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REFORMING WASHINGTON TO REGAIN THE TRUST OF TAXPAYERS
We must get government's fiscal house in order. American workers and families pay their
bills and balance their budgets. John McCain will demand the same of the government.
A government that spends wisely and balances its budget is a catalyst for economic growth
and the creation of good and secure jobs.
Bring The Budget To Balance By 2013
John McCain will balance the budget by the end of his first term. The near-term path to balance is built on
three principles:
• Reasonable economic growth. Growth is an imperative – historically the greatest success in reducing
deficits (late 1980s; late 1990s) took place in the context of economic growth.
• Comprehensive spending controls. Bringing the budget to balance will require across-the-board
scrutiny of spending and making tough choices on new spending proposals.
• Bi-partisanship in budget efforts. Much as the late 1990s witnessed bipartisan efforts to put the fiscal
house in order, bi-partisan efforts will be the key to undoing the recent spending binge.
In the long-term, the only way to keep the budget balanced is successful reform of the large spending
pressures in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
McCain Policies Will Support Reasonable Economic Growth: Small business is the key to job growth.
Small business will benefit from:
• Low individual tax rates – sole-proprietorships, partnerships, landlords and others are taxed under the
individual income tax.
• Access to capital from low tax rates on dividends and capital gains.
• Minimizing expensive mandates – such as those for health insurance and pro-union initiatives like
card check.
• Enhancing international competitiveness to keep jobs here; not abroad.
o A lower corporate tax rate.
o Improved investment and research incentives to ensure that workers have the most modern
technology.
o Bringing the budget to balance, reducing federal borrowing, and controlling spending to
reduce the burden on the economy.
Comprehensive Spending Controls: John McCain will institute broad reforms to control spending:
• The McCain administration would reserve all savings from victory in the Iraq and Afghanistan
operations in the fight against Islamic extremists for reducing the deficit. Since all their costs were
financed with deficit spending, all their savings must go to deficit reduction.
• A one-year spending pause. Freeze non-defense, non-veterans discretionary spending for a year and
use those savings for deficit reduction. A one-year pause in the growth of discretionary spending will
be imposed to allow for a comprehensive review of all spending programs. After the completion of a
comprehensive review of all programs, projects and activities of the federal government, we will
propose a plan to modernize, streamline, consolidate, reprioritize and, where needed, terminate
individual programs.
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• Take back earmark funds. The McCain Administration will reclaim billions of add-on spending from
earmarks and add-ons in FY 2007 and 2008.
Bi-partisan Fiscal Discipline: A McCain Administration will provide the leadership to achieve bipartisan
spending restraint equivalent to that in the 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement between a GOP Congress
and a Democratic President.
• In 1997, President Clinton and the GOP Congress agreed to balance the budget by restraining the
growth in spending and cutting taxes over a ten-year period.
• With the same bipartisan effort today, with the federal budget that is now 70 percent larger, we could
keep taxes low and still balance the budget by holding overall spending growth to 2.4 percent. Unlike
Congress and the Executive branch in recent years, a McCain Administration will enforce the
spending restraint to balance the budget and keep it balanced.
• A McCain Administration would perform a comprehensive review of all programs, projects and
activities of the federal government, and then propose a plan to modernize, streamline, consolidate,
reprioritize and, where needed, terminate individual programs. McCain could use the bi-partisan
commission structure used for the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).
Such a commission could be required to report to the President who would then submit the
recommendations to the Congress for a straight up or down vote.
• A McCain Administration will review all special spending provisions to end subsidies to high-income
individuals and corporations
Eliminating Wasteful Spending
Stop Earmarks, Pork-Barrel Spending, And Waste: John McCain 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. Earmarks restrict America's ability to address genuine
national priorities and interfere with fair, competitive markets.
Leadership, Courage And Choices: Reducing spending means making choices. John McCain will provide
the courageous leadership necessary to control spending, including:
• 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.
• Reform procurement programs and cut wasteful spending in defense and non-defense programs.
Reforming Entitlement Programs For The 21st Century
Reform Social Security: John McCain will fight to save the future of Social Security, and he believes that
we may meet 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. John McCain will reach across the aisle to
address these challenges, but if the Democrats do not act, he will. No problem is in more need of honesty
than the looming financial challenges of entitlement programs. Americans have the right to know the truth
and John McCain will not leave office without fixing the problems that threatens our future prosperity and
power.
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,
improve the quality of care, protect seniors against rising Medicare premium payments, and preserve the
advancements in medical science central to providing quality care.
5
SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES
Small businesses create the majority of all jobs in America. A recent report says small businesses have
created 233,000 jobs so far this year while other sectors are losing jobs. Small businesses are the job
engine of America, and John McCain will make it easier for them to grow and create more jobs.
Lower Energy Costs
John McCain's Lexington Project will address the rising costs of energy that are hurting small businesses.
He strongly supports increased domestic exploration of oil and natural gas. This will send a strong signal
to oil markets that future supplies will be more plentiful, countering the rise in oil prices. The market for
natural gas is less internationally integrated than that of oil – increased domestic production will lower the
cost of this key energy source.
The Project will transform electricity generation. John McCain has set the goal of building 45 new nuclear
power plants by 2030 – creating 700,000 jobs and providing cheap electricity. It will provide incentives for
the production of electricity from renewable sources. Finally, the Lexington Project will devote $2 billion
annually to research that will allow the clean use of our most plentiful and low-cost energy source: coal.
Controlling Health Care Costs
John McCain has a comprehensive health care reform plan that will reduce the spiraling cost of health
care – a major burden for those small businesses that offer health insurance and a major impediment for
those who cannot. He will provide $5,000 for health insurance to every American family – supporting
small businesses that seek to offer insurance. John McCain opposes costly mandates or "pay or play"
requirements that would raise the financial burden on small business, cut the ability to hire, expand, or
raise payrolls.
John McCain's opponent would burden small businesses with roughly $5,000 to $12,000 of extra cost for
every employee through his "pay or play" health care mandates. This will stifle new job creation, and it will
require small businesses either to cut employees' pay in order to finance this mandate or fire them.
Taxes: Simpler, Fair, Pro-Growth, And Competitive
Keep Tax Rates Low: Entrepreneurs are at the heart of American innovation, growth and prosperity.
Entrepreneurs create the ultimate job security – a new, better opportunity if your current job goes away.
Entrepreneurs should not be taxed into submission. John McCain will keep the top tax rate at 35 percent,
maintain the 15 percent rates on dividends and capital gains, and phase-out the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Small businesses are the heart of job growth; raising taxes on them hurts every worker. John McCain's
opponent wants to increase the marginal income tax rate which applies to the nation's 23 million small
business owners who pay their taxes under the individual tax rate system.
Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent: A lower corporate tax rate is essential to keeping
good jobs in the United States. America was once a low-tax business environment, but as our trade
partners lowered their rates, America failed to keep pace. American workers deserve the chance to make
fine products here and sell them around the globe.
Allow First-Year Deduction, Or "Expensing", Of Equipment And Technology Investments: American
workers need the finest technologies to compete. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an
immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.
Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D: This reform will greatly
simplify the tax code, reward activity in the United States, 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.
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Allow Families To Keep Their Businesses: John McCain proposes reducing the Estate Tax rate to 15
percent and permit a generous $10 million exemption.
Opening New Markets
John McCain believes that globalization is an opportunity for American workers today and in the future.
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.
Export growth is the strongest part of our sluggish economy, and we should be encouraging the growth of
even more jobs in this sector through more free trade agreements which give American firms more
access to sell our goods and services abroad.