McCain proposes Balanced Budget.

[Pooks]

Campaigning in LaCrosse, Wis., McCain said he would propose a balanced budget in his first term if he is elected president — but not necessarily in his first year.

"I've got to give you some straight talk: I doubt, given the deficits we're running, that I can propose a balanced budget in the first year," McCain told a town hall meeting. "But that's my goal. It has to be our goal, because we're mortgaging these young people's future."

[SMCengineer]

^^So what's the plan?

[Pooks]

^^So what's the plan?

QUIT SUBSIDIZING THE SHIRT INDUSTRY!

[Pooks]

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John..._+_Economy.htm

John McCain on Budget & Economy
Republican Sr Senator (AZ


Things are tough now, but we're better off than in 2000
Q: Are Americans better off than they were eight years ago?

A: You could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time, with low unemployment and low inflation and a lot of good things have happened. A lot of jobs have been created. But let's have some straight talk. Things are tough right now. Americans are uncertain about this housing crisis. Americans are uncertain about the economy, as we see the stock market bounce up and down. But I think what we're trying to do to fix this economy is important. We've got to address the subprime housing problem. We need to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which I voted for twice to do so. I think we need to eliminate the alternate minimum tax.

A: I think we are better off overall if you look at the entire eight-year period, when you look at the millions of jobs that have been created, the improvement in the economy, etc.
Source: 2008 Republican debate at Reagan Library in Simi Valley Jan 31, 2008

I'm well-versed in economics; I was at the Reagan Revolution
Q: Is it a problem for your campaign that the economy is now the most important issue, one that, by your own acknowledgement, you are not well versed on?

A: Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from. I'm very well versed in economics. I was there at the Reagan Revolution. I was there just after we enacted the first tax cuts and the restraints on spending. I was chairman of the Commerce Committee in the Senate, which addresses virtually every major economic issue that affects the US. I'm very well versed on economics. That's why I have a strong team around me that respect my views and my vision. And that's why The Wall Street Journal, in a survey of economists recently, that the majority of economists thought that I could handle the nation's economy best. And I have been a consistent fighter to restrain spending and to cut taxes. And my credentials & my experience & my knowledge of these economic issues, I think, are extensive. And I would match them against anybody who's running.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008

FactCheck: Said--then denied--he needed economics education
McCain cast doubt on moderator Tim Russert's assertion that the candidate had said he was no expert on economics. Russert claimed that McCain had repeatedly said, "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated." McCain responded, "Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from. I'm very well-versed in economics."

Russert's quote comes from a 2005 interview with the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 26, 2005: "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."

We could not find that McCain has said that quote "repeatedly," but he has made similar comments recently The Chicago Tribune quoted McCain talking to reporters on Dec. 18, 2007: "The issue of economics is something that I've really never understood as well as I should. I understand the basics, the fundamentals, the vision, all that kind of stuff."
Source: FactCheck.org on 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008

Impose some fiscal discipline to revive the economy
Q: Why should we continue a Republican in the White House with the current kind of economic record?

A: I will, as president, veto every one of these big spending bills. I will impose some fiscal discipline. We will clean up our act and we will regain the confidence of the American people as being careful stewards of our tax dollars, and we will fix this problem with having to borrow money from China, then we will balance our budget, just like every governor in America has been required to do.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008

Will be able to reduce war costs & have a stable Middle East
Q: You would leave troops in Iraq for an indefinite period. How will you do this, both militarily & economically?

A: I know of no military leader, including Gen. Petraeus, who says we can't sustain our effort in Iraq. So you're wrong. The fact is, we are succeeding in Iraq. We're going back down to previous levels, and we will be able to withdraw troops over time if we succeed. We have American troops all over the world today & nobody complains about it because we're defending freedom That's one of the obligations of being the world's superpower. I'm proud to adopt the strategy that is succeeding, and that's happened. I'm the only one that said that. It is succeeding. We will be able to reduce our costs, and we will be able to have a stable Middle East, where our vital national interests, national security interests are at stake. I'm so proud of the job that the men and women in the military are doing there, and they don't want us to raise the white flag of surrender.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008

Reform insurance to cover violent weather patterns
As more and more violent weather patterns take place, people's homes are more and more in jeopardy. We can address it regionally. We can address it with the governors and the legislatures working with the federal government to have insurance spread across state lines, increasing the risk pool. We can reform insurance. I will call the regulators, the governors and the legislators and work together to provide every American that's in jeopardy to have the insurance that they need and deserve.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008

To avoid recession, stop out-of-control spending
Q: If we're talking about a recession in the next few months, in 2008, what kind of short-term, more immediate government fixes would you propose to try to keep the slowdown diminished or to reverse it? And would you support them even if they added to th government deficit?

A: The first thing we need to do is stop the out-of-control spending. Out-of-control spending is what caused the interest rates to rise. It causes people to be less able to afford to own their own homes. We need to stop the spending And the way we can get our budget under control is to have strong, fundamental fiscal underpinnings. The second thing that we need to do, of course, is stop spending $400 billion a year overseas to oil-producing countries that come right out of our economy immediately. Some of that money goes, unfortunately, to fund terrorist organizations. We've got to develop technologies to reduce this dependency on foreign oil, and eventually eliminate it, and stop this outflow of some $400 billion a year.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in S.C. sponsored by Fox News Jan 10, 2008

Loss of economic strength leads to losing military strength
Q: Does our country's financial situation creates a security risk?

A: Of course, any nation that no longer has economic strength sooner or later will lose its military strength, so it's a national security issue. We have many trillions of dollars of unfunded liability. Obviously, we've been on a spending spree. If oil reaches $100 a barrel, which many people think it may, $400 billion of America treasure will go to oil-producing countries. Some of those monies will go to terrorist organizations.
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Republican debate Dec 12, 2007

Republicans have forgotten how to control spending
Q: Have Republicans forgotten how to control spending?

A: Absolutely. We let spending lurch completely out of control. As president of the United States, I'd take an old veto pen that Ronald Reagan gave me, and I'd veto every single pork barrel bill that comes across my desk. And we've got to stop it and stop it now. I look forward to it.
Source: 2007 GOP YouTube debate in St. Petersburg, Florida Nov 28, 2007

AdWatch: Outrageous to spend $233M for bridge to nowhere
[McCain ad, "Outrageous," which began running Nov. 12]

ANNOUNCER: $233 million for a bridge to nowhere. Outrageous. $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. Unbelievable. A million dollars for a Woodstock museum in a bill sponsored by Hillary Clinton. Predictable. Who has the guts to stand up to wasteful government spending? One man, John McCain.

McCAIN: I'll stop wasteful spending by Congress and restore Americans' trust in their government. I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
Source: FactCheck.org: AdWatch of 2007 campaign ad, "Outrageous" Nov 20, 2007

FactCheck:Bridge-to-Nowhere never built; would serve 200,000
McCain's TV ad cites "$233 million for a bridge to nowhere," calling the cost "outrageous." Funding for the "bridge to nowhere," also known as the Gravina Island bridge in Alaska, was tacked on to a 2005 transportation bill.

Whether it was truly a "bridge to nowhere" is debatable: Gravina Island, while it has almost no permanent population, is also home to the Ketchikan International Airport, which processes about 200,000 passengers a year. Alaskan officials hoped that the bridge would simplify airport access and allow development on Gravina. The bridge was not the only or the most expensive project attached to the transportation bill, and it may not have been the most frivolous. But it became a symbol for government pork.

In light of the furor over the "bridge to nowhere," Alaska's governor opted to use the money for other pursuits. The bridge was never built, but McCain has been using it as his prime pork example since 2005.
Source: FactCheck.org: AdWatch of 2007 campaign ad, "Outrageous" Nov 20, 2007

FactCheck: Criticized "Woodstock museum," but skipped vote
One earmark McCain highlights in his TV ad is $1 million for a Woodstock museum, which, he mentions not-so-subtly, was proposed by Sen. Hillary Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential contender. The earmark would have allotted $1 million to New York state's Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, future site of a museum celebrating the 1969 Woodstock music festival and its effect on American culture.

But McCain wasn't present for the vote on an amendment he co-sponsored to remove the stipulated funding for the museum and reroute about a third of it to maternal and child health services. He was out on the campaign trail.

It's true, as the McCain campaign points out, that McCain's vote would not have changed the outcome. Still, we wonder whether voters might have a different view of McCain's ridiculing of the museum not just in this ad but in two others, as well as a presidential debate, if they knew of his absence for the key votes.
Source: FactCheck.org: AdWatch of 2007 campaign ad, "Outrageous" Nov 20, 2007

Congress spends money like a drunken sailor
We lost the election in 2006 because we lost our way. We began to value principle over power, and spending got out of control. Spending lurched completely out of control. Ronald Reagan used to say, we spend money like a drunken sailor. I never knew a sailor, drunk or sober, with the imagination of the Congress. I received an e-mail recently from a guy who said, "As a former drunken sailor, I resent being compared to members of Congress."
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007

Veto all pork-barrel bills and announce pork spenders
Q: How will you be different, in any way, from Pres. Bush?

A: I would have vetoed spending bill after spending bill after pork-barrel project after pork-barrel project, in the tradition of President Reagan. The first pork-barrel bill that crosses my desk, I'm going to veto it and make the authors of those pork-barrel items famous all over America. We're going to stop it.

Q: What specific programs would you cut if you were president?

A: Line-item veto is the best tool. We need it very badly.
Source: 2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007

Use veto power to reduce government spending
McCAIN [to Bush]: You seem to depict the role of the president as a hapless bystander. [Clinton] is threatening to shut down the government and vetoing bills to force the congress to spend more money. An active president, i.e. me, will veto bills and threaten to shut down the government to make them spend less money.

Bush: It’s the president’s job to make sure Congress doesn’t have the money to spend in the first place. It is the president’s job to stand up to express the will of the people, advocate and fight for a meaningful real tax cut. And that’s what I’m going to do.
Source: (X-ref to Bush) GOP Debate in Manchester NH Jan 26, 2000

Distribute surplus: 23% tax cuts; 62% Social Security
McCain says he would dedicate just 23% of [the federal budget surplus] to a tax-cutting plan. For the rest of the surplus, McCain says 62% would bolster Social Security, 10% would go to Medicare, and 5% would pay down the national debt. “John McCain has never voted for a tax increase, but he thinks saving Social Security is the issue,” McCain’s campaign manager said.
Source: Associated Press, in The Enterprise (Brockton MA), p. A9 Jan 4, 2000

$9B of pork in current budget bills; cut subsidies
McCain said he has found at least “$9 billion worth of pork and wasteful spending” in the appropriations bills now being considered by Congress that could fill the budget gaps. He specified subsidies for oil, ethanol and sugar as examples. “Congress has found the funds to raise their own salaries but they can’t find enough to help and lower and middle-income Americans,” said McCain.
Source: Will Lester, AP/LA Times Oct 1, 1999

For Balanced Budget Amend., & off-budget Social Security
McCain was one of only two Republicans who voted twice, in 1995 and again in 1997, to take Social Security “off-budget” - removing it from balanced budget calculations as part of a constitutional balanced budget amendment - which would have prevented the government from filling the trust fund with “IOU’s”.
Source: McCain for President web Site Jul 2, 1999

List of budgetary spending priorities

* McCain would “maintain status” on spending for:AIDS programs
* Environmental programs
* Foreign aid
* Housing projects
* Job training programs
* Medicaid & Medicare
* Student loan programs

* McCain would “slightly increase” spending for:Education (K-12)
* Law enforcement
* Military & Veterans Benefits
* Border Control

* McCain would “slightly decrease” spending for:NASA
* Welfare

* McCain would eliminate spending for:Arts funding

Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Supports Balanced Budget Amendment
McCain supports amending the US Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget.
Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Apply surplus to Social Security, Medicare, tax cuts & debt

* McCain would would apply the expected federal budget surplus to:Social Security
* Medicare
* Tax cuts
* Federal debt reduction

Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending.
Vote to pass a bill that reduces federal spending by $40 billion over five years by decreasing the amount of funds spent on Medicaid, Medicare, agriculture, employee pensions, conservation, and student loans. The bill also provides a down-payment toward hurricane recovery and reconstruction costs.
Reference: Work, Marriage, and Family Promotion Reconciliation Act; Bill S. 1932 ; vote number 2005-363 on Dec 21, 2005

Voted NO on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts.
Vote to table [kill] an amendment that would increase the amount of the budget that would be used to reduce the national debt by $75 billion over 5 year. The debt reduction would be offset by reducing the tax cut in the budget framework from $150 billion
Reference: Bill S Con Res 101 ; vote number 2000-55 on Apr 5, 2000

Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget.
Approval of the 1998 GOP Budget which would cut spending and taxes.
Status: CR Agreed to Y)78; N)22
Reference: H. Con. Res. 84 as amended; Bill H. Con. Res. 84 ; vote number 1997-92 on May 23, 1997

Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment.
Approval of the balanced-budget constitutional amendment.
Status: Joint Resolution Defeated Y)66; N)34
Reference: S. J. Res. 1; Bill S. J. Res. 1 ; vote number 1997-24 on Mar 4, 1997

Maintain & enforce existing spending caps in the future.
McCain adopted the Republican Main Street Partnership issue stance:

What we offer today are not the precise spending decisions of a given year's budget; rather, we call upon the Congress and the nation to adopt the following guidelines for our fiscal policy over the next decade. This long-term blueprint is essential for maintaining both the immediate public-sector goal of balancing the budget and the private-sector goal of a healthy economy. This can be achieved through the following steps:

* A commitment to maintaining and enforcing existing spending caps in the future, when such discipline becomes more difficult to achieve;
* A careful and considerate re-definition of the federal role in society (what should be the legitimate and proper role of the federal government in the twenty-first century, and how do we prioritize competing demands?); and
* An evaluation of implementing tax cuts based on their social fairness.

[soulstealer]

Campaigning in LaCrosse, Wis., McCain said he would propose a balanced budget in his first term if he is elected president — but not necessarily in his first year.

"I've got to give you some straight talk: I doubt, given the deficits we're running, that I can propose a balanced budget in the first year," McCain told a town hall meeting. "But that's my goal. It has to be our goal, because we're mortgaging these young people's future."

Actually I think I know his idea..... you see he wants to double the size of our military and reduce spending so hes going to eliminate FEMA/Federal grants/all maintenance on roads... increase income tax 10% accross the board/ end entitlements and kick inflation up to 12% to compensate for the balance....oh and did I mention the Oxygen consumption act of 2010? I fkin hate this guy.... hes an idiot...

(this post reeks of sarcasm)

P.S. I've been watching the election closely and catch him directly LYING on multiple occasions...

[Pooks]

THE PLAN..

List of budgetary spending priorities

* McCain would “maintain status” on spending for:AIDS programs
* Environmental programs
* Foreign aid
* Housing projects
* Job training programs
* Medicaid & Medicare
* Student loan programs

* McCain would “slightly increase” spending for:Education (K-12)
* Law enforcement
* Military & Veterans Benefits
* Border Control

* McCain would “slightly decrease” spending for:NASA
* Welfare

* McCain would eliminate spending for:Arts funding

Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Supports Balanced Budget Amendment
McCain supports amending the US Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget.
Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Apply surplus to Social Security, Medicare, tax cuts & debt

* McCain would would apply the expected federal budget surplus to:Social Security
* Medicare
* Tax cuts
* Federal debt reduction

[soulstealer]

THE PLAN..

List of budgetary spending priorities

* McCain would “maintain status” on spending for:AIDS programs
* Environmental programs
* Foreign aid
* Housing projects
* Job training programs
* Medicaid & Medicare
* Student loan programs

* McCain would “slightly increase” spending for:Education (K-12)
* Law enforcement
* Military & Veterans Benefits
* Border Control

* McCain would “slightly decrease” spending for:NASA
* Welfare

* McCain would eliminate spending for:Arts funding

Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Supports Balanced Budget Amendment
McCain supports amending the US Constitution to require an annual balanced federal budget.
Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

Apply surplus to Social Security, Medicare, tax cuts & debt

* McCain would would apply the expected federal budget surplus to:Social Security
* Medicare
* Tax cuts
* Federal debt reduction

His plan makes no logical fkin sense bro...none what so ever..... its retarded so not funding NASA, the arts and cutting taxes is going to put us in a surplus

Its like saying I'm going to drastically Increase my spending on gear and suppliments every month.... and keep everything relatively the same but... I will walk to seven eleven which is 4 blocks from my house instead of drive and I'll use the surplus to purchase a new Ferrari

[Pooks]

Actually I think I know his idea..... you see he wants to double the size of our military and reduce spending so hes going to eliminate FEMA/Federal grants/all maintenance on roads... increase income tax 10% accross the board/ end entitlements and kick inflation up to 12% to compensate for the balance....oh and did I mention the Oxygen consumption act of 2010? I fkin hate this guy.... hes an idiot...

(this post reeks of sarcasm)

P.S. I've been watching the election closely and catch him directly LYING on multiple occasions...

Put your money into Energy Stocks of buy Commodites directly or thru ETF stocks.. and u'll make out on the deal.

REITS = VALUE OF HOMES.. also is a good investment. and even stocks keep up with it.. just no CASH and no BONDS hehe

[soulstealer]

Put your money into Energy Stocks of buy Commodites directly or thru ETF stocks.. and u'll make out on the deal.

REITS = VALUE OF HOMES.. also is a good investment. and even stocks keep up with it.. just no CASH and no BONDS hehe

You're a funny guy..... I know how to profit in spite of inflation but thats not the point god damn it!!!!! lol

[Pooks]

You're a funny guy..... I know how to profit in spite of inflation but thats not the point god damn it!!!!! lol

Well if Obama or Hillary become president, they are going to tax your profit on inflation a lot more than McCain will.

The democrats will wipe away any profit made in anti-inflation investments, and give that money to people who don't care about investing..

so than all your hard work and knowledge have gone for nothing.

Most nations around the world, DO NOT even tax profit made on investments.. and almost all nations except the U.S. do not tax profit made on the exchange of currencies.. .. and you can't get away from it, by like moving to another nation.. If u're a U.S citizen they expect you to pay the taxes no matter what country u go to.. and you can't denounce the citizenship if u really wanted to either.

Obama and Hillary are already making more and more promises to every person out there who has a sad story.

Not hearing the other side of the story, of how that person is LAZY and maybe screwed up his life a long time ago.. doing stupid stuff.. and etc..

while everyone should be able to re-deem themselves, it shouldn't be done thru the welfare system (hell a lot of this people are screwed up because of the welfare system, like paying child support etc... welfare system encourages bad family values)
Nothing against child support, but I see so many young good guys screwed up for 18+ years because of this. While the chick goes off screwin more guys, not getting marrried, and collecting checks left and right... luckily i dont have to deal with that situation now, but u never know in the future.

I Liked Ron Paul the best..

now I realize there are 2 choices left McCain and Obama.

and some people say that there is no big difference between the two choices, but I see a whole world of difference.

[jef]

Ron Paul's the only one who has this figured out. I'll stay with him. Anyone else will just be more of the same.

[Kärnfysikern]

List of budgetary spending priorities

* McCain would “maintain status” on spending for:AIDS programs
* Environmental programs
* Foreign aid
* Housing projects
* Job training programs
* Medicaid & Medicare
* Student loan programs

* McCain would “slightly increase” spending for:Education (K-12)
* Law enforcement
* Military & Veterans Benefits
* Border Control

* McCain would “slightly decrease” spending for:NASA
* Welfare

* McCain would eliminate spending for:Arts funding

Source: Project Vote Smart, 1998, www.vote-smart.org Jul 2, 1998

**** McCain! Another tool that doesnt understand how important science has been for american success.

[Pooks]

LOL karn.. I knew you'd spot that one ;-)

[Kärnfysikern]

LOL karn.. I knew you'd spot that one ;-)

Offcourse

[Logan13]

Newt Gingrich for VP!

[alphaman]

pooks... did you become a mccainite in the past week or what? geez...

fyi - the vast majority of REITs are commercial real estate portfolios, not residential. they are good for income (not growth) because of the lease payments from commercial properties. and etf's are not stocks, they are "exchange traded funds".

all around... any money that is in the market, should be long-term money. you shouldn't be suggesting that people try to time the market based on your recommendations. you're like suze orman on crack over here! lol

[alphaman]

Newt Gingrich for VP!

I can't think of a better move that mccain could make.

[Pooks]

pooks... did you become a mccainite in the past week or what? geez...

fyi - the vast majority of REITs are commercial real estate portfolios, not residential. and etf's are not stocks, they are "exchange traded funds".

also... any money that is in the market, should be long-term money. you shouldn't be suggesting that people try to time the market based on your recommendations. you're like suze orman on crack over here! lol

hey, no recreational drug talk...

more like suze whoever on roids...

ETF shmitiieff.. i dunnoo... I bought some CEF on AMEX a while ago though.. as my GOLD long...it pretty much follows the gold spot.

I trade currencies, cause it fits my schedule better that the NASDAQ or NYSE does as a second job of sorts..

After I read Henry hazlitt's "economics in one lesson" I really do not like Democrats.

I used to be a democrat.. cause I thought they took care of us better.. but they don't.
Without getting into details.. they make me sick now hehe..
tnx Ron Paul! lol

I post a lot of McCain news,, cause it is the News section, and I think there is a lot of people out there who liked Ron Paul... and I feel McCain overall is more like Ron Paul.. than Obama or Clinton

[alphaman]

hey, no recreational drug talk...

more like suze whoever on roids...

ETF shmitiieff.. i dunnoo... I bought some CEF on AMEX a while ago though.. as my GOLD long...it pretty much follows the gold spot.

I trade currencies, cause it fits my schedule better that the NASDAQ or NYSE does as a second job of sorts..

After I read Henry hazlitt's "economics in one lesson" I really do not like Democrats.

I used to be a democrat.. cause I thought they took care of us better.. but they don't.
Without getting into details.. they make me sick now hehe..
tnx Ron Paul! lol

i hope that's your own money you're trading with and not somebody else's!! lol

i'm just kidding dude. only do that stuff with "mad money" for fun.

[alphaman]

I post a lot of McCain news,, cause it is the News section, and I think there is a lot of people out there who liked Ron Paul... and I feel McCain overall is more like Ron Paul.. than Obama or Clinton

yeah well... urine is more like water than feces, but that doesn't mean i wanna drink it... lol

[Pooks]

Yah i trade my own money,..

I used to trade when I was 19 during the internet boom.. but than I started partying and chasing chicks etc..

so that money is gone...

I've read maybe 100 different books on trading. I do know what I am doing.
tnx for the concern tho

The stressful times, of trying to figure things out,, are thankfully long behind.