John McCain
TAXES
Q: Where does John McCain stand on taxes?
A: I believe that taxes are too high and the tax code too complex. The average working family pays nearly 40% of their earnings to the taxman. That's not fair. The federal tax code is a 44,000-page catalogue of favors for special interests and a chamber of horrors for the rest of America. The time for reform is now.
Q: How would John McCain provide tax relief to working families?
A: I would begin by providing relief now to those who need relief most - lower and middle class families.
Key elements of my tax proposal include:
dramatically increasing the number of taxpayers eligible for the lowest 15% tax bracket;
eliminating the obscene penalty that increases taxes for couples who get married;
slashing the gift and estate tax that penalizes people from passing on the fruits of their labor to their children; and
providing tax incentives to promote family saving and investment.
Q: How would John McCain assure that reducing taxes doesn't increase the national debt?
A: I would fully pay for family tax relief by cutting billions of dollars of pork barrel spending and special interest tax loopholes, such as sugar and ethanol subsidies, and using nearly one-quarter of the non-social security budget surplus.
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SOCIAL SECURITY
Q: Where does John McCain stand on Social Security?
A: Social Security is a sacred compact with seniors. The promise of Social Security benefits to working Americans in their retirement years must be kept, in full. But reform is necessary if we are to meet that imperative. We must put Social Security on sound financial footing and take the program out of partisan politics.
Q: Does John McCain believe Social Security Trust Funds should continue to be used for unrelated government spending?
A: No, I am one of only two Republicans who has voted twice to protect Social Security by taking it "off budget" - meaning Social Security surpluses can't be used to mask the size of the deficit nor be used for spending unrelated to your retirement.
Q: How would John McCain protect Social Security revenues from Congressional spending raids?
A: I would place trust funds in a "lock box" account away from the greedy hands of the President and Congress so that Social Security revenues will only be used for paying retirement benefits. Today, politicians tap Social Security balances to fund pork-barrel spending and new government programs unrelated to your retirement. That's not fair to either seniors or working Americans and it must stop. A bona fide "lock box" without typical, dishonest Washington loopholes can do the job.
Q: Is Social Security on sound financial footing?
A: No. While today's seniors will continue to receive their benefits and need not fear for their check, the independent trustees report that without fundamental reform, Social Security will begin running a deficit in 15 years. Insolvency of the trust fund looms shortly thereafter. This is the case predominantly because of the retirement of the baby boom generation that is leaving fewer workers to support an increasing number of retirees. By reforming the system now, we can and must avoid insolvency later.
Q: What happens if we don't act?
A: Either benefits will not be paid or payroll taxes paid by workers to finance Social Security will have to dramatically increase to meet current benefit commitments. Neither is a viable option. We can't break a sacred promise and it would be unconscionable to impose an oppressive new tax burden on working families that are already struggling to make ends meet.
Q: How would John McCain shore-up Social Security?
A: I would make Social Security solvent well into the future by setting aside 62% of the budget surplus for Social Security, and by allowing retirement dollars to gain a higher return than the miserly interest they receive sitting in the Treasury. I support giving workers the opportunity to privately invest a portion of the dollars they would otherwise pay to the government in payroll taxes. Experts agree that higher earnings on these investments will enable us to pay promised benefits to all without devastating tax increases.
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EDUCATION
Q: Where does John McCain stand on education reform?
A: The nation's education system is failing our children. American students trail those of other countries in the skills of the future, including math, science and physics. Forty percent of fourth graders can't read, and 40 million Americans are unable to read a restaurant menu, much less a computer menu. Education reform is not an option, it's a must if our country is to remain strong, and our children are to be prepared for a future worthy of their potential.
Q: Does the federal government have a role in education?
A: The federal government does have a role, not in issuing "one size fits all" mandates, but as a bully pulpit for better educational performance nationwide and to help states and localities share information about what educational methods and approaches are working best. Education is best controlled at the local level by parents, educators and local school boards who best understand and more effectively serve the needs of our students.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on school choice?
A: I strongly support school choice. Competition can breed excellence in education, as it does in every other sector of our society. Unless lower and middle-income parents have the same opportunity wealthier families do - to use vouchers to send their children to the school that best meets their educational needs - public education will continue down a road of mediocrity that is a dead end for our children.
Q: What does John McCain believe we should do to improve education?
A: We must reform our schools to prepare our newest generation for the challenges of the next millennium. My plan for the renewal of our schools includes:
A nationwide test of school vouchers to make school choice a reality. Rewarding good schools and forcing under-performing schools to improve will yield tangible benefits for our kids.
Merit pay for teachers--a good teacher should make a better salary than a bad politician.
Voluntary teacher testing by state and local educaton authorities - teachers must be excellent if we expect excellence from our students. We should help bad teachers find another line of work.
Spend money in the classroom, not on the bureaucracy - today only about13 cents out of every federal education dollar actually makes it to the classroom. We should reverse these statistics so that 90 cents of every federal education dollar goes to where it's needed most - for books, not bureaucrats.
Provide enhanced Education Savings Accounts to empower families to help finance the educational needs of their children.
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NATIONAL SECURITY
Q: What is the state of our military?
A: America has the best-equipped and finest trained military in the world. Our men and women in uniform are America's best and we honor their service, courage and sacrifice. But, today we are not doing our best for them. The fact of the matter is that our preparedness is in serious and dangerous decline.
Q: Why is our defense readiness not what it should be?
A: Defense spending has been reduced by over $100 billion since 1990, the only part of the federal budget that has witnessed a decline for fourteen straight years. In 1989 defense expenditures were 5.9% of GDP. Under the Clinton Administration defense represents 2.5% of GDP, the lowest level since the Great Depression.
The decline in defense budgets has occurred at a time when more frequent deployments have stretched the services perilously close to the breaking point. Almost 100,000 Americans are serving overseas in an unprecedented number of contingency, peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. Our armed forces are deployed to more countries in greater numbers for these purposes than at any time in our history. They are stretched to the limit.
Q: What are some examples of readiness problems?
A: Recruiting and retention problems have grown so acute that they are rendering some units unfit for deployment. Last winter, the aircraft carrier Enterprise deployed to the Adriatic to support our effort in Kosovo undermanned by 800 sailors. The Air Force is losing pilots to the airlines faster than we can train them. Five of the Army's ten divisions have far too few majors, captains, senior enlisted personnel, tankers and gunners to operate anywhere near their peak efficiency.
Nearly running out of cruise missiles during the action in Kosovo should alert the Administration that it really has neglected our defenses. The inexcusable delay in getting Apache helicopters to the theater should also have raised an alarm, as should the fact that we went for an unacceptable period of time without an operational carrier in or near the Pacific. Had North Korea chosen that moment to commit a truly irrational act or China decided to resolve by force the Taiwan question we would have faced the very grave consequences of our neglect.
Q: What are some of the ways to address this readiness problem?
A: Increase active duty pay and retirement benefits to increase morale and retention. It is unconscionable that nearly 12,000 of our military men and women must rely on food stamps to feed their families. We must stop wasting scarce defense dollars on Cold War relics and parochial projects that don't meet today's national security threats, we must also restructure our forces to meet today's security threats through weapons modernization and training and we must provide adequate funding for compensation, improved sea-lift capabilities and missile defense.
Q: Haven't threats to U.S. national security declined since the end of the Cold War?
A: The nature of threats to our national security are more numerous and complex. Increased nationalist conflicts in Balkans and the former Soviet Union, a resurgent China, a dangerously unstable North Korea, increased proliferation of weapons of mass destruction - from biological to chemical to nuclear - and the rise in worldwide terrorism to name a few, all pose potentially grave threats to U.S. national security.
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PRO-LIFE
Q: Where does John McCain stand on abortion?
A: I am pro-life. I oppose abortion except in the case of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on the Hyde Amendment barring the use of taxpayer dollars to fund or promote abortion?
A: I have a career-long record of strong support for the Hyde Amendment.
Q: How does John McCain feel about partial-birth abortion?
A: I believe the practice of partial birth abortions is an abomination and should be outlawed. I have voted in the Senate to ban the procedure and to override President's Clinton's veto of the legislative measure that would have accomplished that end.
Q: How does John McCain feel about Roe v. Wade?
A: Roe v. Wade should be overturned and we should endeavor to change cultural attitudes about abortion in favor of life.
Q: As President, would John McCain have an anti-abortion litmus test for federal judges?
A: I would choose judges who are the best qualified, who understand a judge's role is to interpret, not make law, and who reflect my core values. It would be inappropriate, however, to ask any judge how he or she would vote on a particular case. So, I would not have a litmus test on any specific case or issue.
Q: What else does John McCain believe should be done in the area of abortion?
A: Whether or not one agrees with Roe v. Wade or the status of the court's ruling, we should all be able to agree on the need to dramatically reduce the number of abortions in this country. I believe we need to encourage abstinence among youth; promote adoption opportunities and better address the obstacles to women for choosing life such as concerns about prenatal care, day care and other vital support services.
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GUN CONTROL
Q: Where does John McCain stand on banning guns?
A: I don't support gun bans or other measures that impinge on Constitutionally protected, individual rights - including the Second Amendment right of Americans to own firearms.
Q: What is your overall view of gun control?
A: Bearing arms is a constitutionally protected right. With rights come responsibilities. I will continue to support effective, common sense measures that help keep firearms out of the hands of criminals, children and the mentally incompetent; that assure Second Amendment rights are exercised responsibly; and that do not preclude law-abiding citizens from the free exercise of their rights, including the right to protect themselves and their families.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on criminal "background checks" to purchase firearms?
A: I support background checks on firearm purchasers to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Q: What about exempting firearm sales at gun shows and pawnshops from background check requirements?
A: I believe instant background checks should be conducted for all commercial firearms sales, including gun shows and redemption of guns at pawnshops. I helped lead the fight in the Senate to assure such sales are covered.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on federally imposed "waiting periods" for firearm purchases?
A: I have opposed federally mandated "waiting periods" because criminal background checks can be done swiftly without imposing restrictions on law-abiding citizens. Instant checks are more effective than waiting periods because police can be dispatched immediately to apprehend a criminal who is trying to obtain a weapon at the point of sale. Moreover, I can't see how we can tell a law-abiding citizen who wants to purchase a firearm for the purpose of protecting his or her family that they must wait to exercise that right.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on trigger locks?
A: Again, with rights come responsibilities. Trigger locks should be used to protect children and stop intruders from using a firearm. I was pleased to lead the effort to ensure that trigger locks are sold with every firearm.
Q: What should we do to curb violent crime?
A: Vigorously enforce stiff penalties against those who use a firearm in the commission of a crime. (Federal prosecutions of gun offences are down). Promote responsible firearm ownership, operation and storage through education and training. Work to make obsolete the hate groups that fan the flame of violence in our society. Curb the gratuitous violence in the media that is desensitizing our culture to violence.
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CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Q: Where does John McCain stand on Campaign Finance Reform?
A: I have been privileged to lead the fight in Congress to clean up our corrupt campaign finance system. I think most Americans understand that soft money - the enormous sums of money given to both parties by just about every special interest in the country - corrupts our political ideals whether it comes from big business or from labor bosses and trial lawyers.
The influence of money is corrupting our ability to address the problems that directly affect the lives of every American. Without reining in soft money and reducing the role of money in politics we will never have a government that works as hard for the average American as it does for the special interests.
Reform of our campaign financing laws is the first change necessary to restore faith in our political process and make government accountable to the people.
To learn about John McCain's campaign finance reform efforts, please visit It's Your Country.
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BUDGET SURPLUS
Q: What should be done with the budget surplus?
A: Many Democrats would like to spend the surplus to expand the federal government - this is wrong. Americans created the surplus, not politicians. Let's use it to make America stronger. My plan for a strong America is to use the surplus to rescue Social Security; save Medicare; pay down national debt and provide desperately needed tax relief for American families, which will keep the economy humming.
Q: How should we prioritize use of the surplus?
A: First, it's important to understand that of the projected $3 trillion surplus over the next 10 years, $2 trillion is a surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund. Let's keep that share away from politicians and leave the revenues in the trust fund so that promised benefits can be paid without dramatic increases in payroll taxes.
Of the remaining $1 trillion, I would dedicate 62 percent to shore up Social Security as the President promised but has failed to make good on. Twenty-three percent should be used for tax relief; 10 percent should be dedicated to bolster Medicare and 5 percent earmarked for debt reduction.
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HEALTH CARE
Q: What does John McCain think about the health care problem in our country?
A: America has the best and highest quality health care system in the world. However, it's unacceptable that 43 million Americans lack the health insurance coverage they need to properly access the system. It's time we make the reforms necessary to help uninsured Americans receive the coverage and access to quality health care they need.
Q: How would John McCain address the problem of the uninsured and provide Americans with access to quality health care?
A: I believe we should focus our efforts on solutions that build on the strengths of the current system rather than falling for phony remedies that rely on government mandates or bureaucratic command and control measures that will only increase health care costs and diminish the quality of care.
Among our reforms should be the following: One, use the tax code to provide powerful incentives for employers and individuals to obtain affordable coverage. Two, assure that all those eligible for existing programs are enrolled. (Over 3 million children are eligible for Medicaid but are not enrolled). Three, allow individuals and businesses to pool resources and use their purchasing power to obtain health care coverage at lower costs. Four, work with employers, health care providers, insurers and the uninsured to increase the number and range of insurance plans and health care options available to individuals, particularly the working poor. Five, reform government impediments to a more affordable health care system, including reforming our tort system and further streamlining the Food and Drug Administration. Six, focus on assuring that all children have health insurance coverage and access to quality health care.
Q: Where does John McCain stand on managed care reform?
A: Managed care plays an important role in our health care system but many Americans when faced with a health care crisis feel frustrated and powerless in dealing with their HMO. I believe that patients should have fundamental rights that come with their policies, including fair procedures to redress grievances and protect their rights.
Q: Does John McCain believe that patients should have the right to sue their HMO?
A: Every American should have the right to seek fair and prompt relief from their grievances. First, each HMO should have a fair and unbiased external appeals process if a member is denied care or has some other grievance. But, after the process has run its course, patients should have the right to seek redress in the courts, under terms that do not foster frivolous legal actions or unduly add costs to the health care system.
Q: Should HMOs be allowed to require that women and children get approval from a "gatekeeper" physician before visiting an obstetrician/gynecologist or pediatrician?
A: No. Women and children must be given the opportunity to seek care directly from the trained professionals best suited to address their unique health care needs.
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ENVIRONMENT
Q: What is John McCain's view about environmental protection?
A: America has been blessed with a rich and diverse natural heritage. We have a profound duty to be responsible stewards of the natural treasures that sustain us, and enrich the quality of our lives. I subscribe to the credo of Theodore Roosevelt, an American icon and personal hero, who said, "To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed."
Q: What are John McCain's top environmental accomplishments?
A: Among the achievements I am most proud of are my role in protecting 3.5 million acres of pristine lands in my home state of Arizona as wilderness in perpetuity; the enactment of legislation I sponsored to protect Grand Canyon National Park from the noise pollution associated with excessive air tour overflights, and from damage caused by the operation of a dam on the Colorado River upstream from the park; the enactment of legislation I authored establishing the National Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution to facilitate responsible environmental problem solving; and the establishment of a national award to promote and recognize technological innovations in the field of environmental protection.
Q: What does John McCain think about the nation's major anti-pollution laws including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and Superfund?
A: I support the strong national environmental protection goals and the initiatives embodied in these vital laws. However, we can and should improve on these measures. I believe we should continuously examine the implementation of environmental statutes to ensure that national anti-pollution goals are being met; that the environmental protection standards we are working toward are responsible, achievable and based on sound science; and that the means we employ to achieve standards are cost-effective. It does little for the environment, and even less for public trust, when the bulk of the money designated for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites are spent on legal fees and administrative costs instead of actual cleanup.
Q: What does John McCain think about global climate change and the Kyoto Treaty devised to address the problem?
A: The question of whether human activity is significantly altering the global climate is a scientific question, not a political question. We must take seriously the fact that a growing number of scientists believe that global climate change is a real phenomenon. We should conduct further scientific studies to understand fully the environmental and economic dimensions and consequences of the problem. And, we must make sure that any necessary remedies are based on sound science, produce tangible, cost-effective benefits, and are part of an international effort.
If climate change is a bona-fide global environmental problem, the solution must be global as well. I have serious concerns about the Kyoto treaty because it fails to include the cooperation of countries such as China and India. A problem that is serious enough to require U.S. action, should require the responsible participation of other major countries as well.
Improving energy efficiency to cut down on the emissions that scientists fear are contributing to global climate changes, is not only good for the environment, but cuts costs for industry and consumers. We should encourage energy efficiency, and focus research and development on technologies that will help meet the environmental needs of the next century.
Q: What does John McCain think about efforts to preserve green space?
A: Ample open space is vital to preserving the beauty and quality of life in America. I applaud efforts at the state and local level to preserve green space and protect areas of natural and historic value. The federal government can and must be a better partner in this effort.
Years ago, Congress established the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire unique national park and public lands and to provide assistance to states for their conservation initiatives.
As so often happens in Washington fashion, the state side of the program has been ignored and all of the money has been diverted to Washington's priorities. I believe we must revitalize the fund not only to meet national goals but also to help states more effectively meet hometown conservation goals. |
