FR Friend Joel Fox has been a McCain for President man for a long time, having served as a Statewide Co-Chair for his run in 2000. He’s President of the Small Business Action Committee.
*Later on I will be posting a piece from Assemblyman Bob Huff that talks about his decision to endorse Mitt Romney, and is quite critical of McCain — so for all of those looking for balance — it’s coming…*
So without further introduction, Joel’s piece on McCain:
The California budget mess should echo with Republican voters as they consider their vote in the upcoming presidential primary election. Out-of-control spending has crippled California’s fiscal standing. In Washington, pork barrel spending destroys common sense and undermines the voters’ respect for the stewards of our tax dollars. Controlling Washington’s proliferate ways is one important reason to support John McCain for President of the United States.
For years, Senator McCain has been a leader in the fight against wasteful spending. He points out, correctly, that the people supported a Republican majority in Congress more than a decade ago to control spending. But when Republicans became part of the problem dishing out pork it was not a surprise that the party lost so many seats in Congress.
McCain’s solution to overspending is similar to Nancy Reagan’s war on drugs: Just say No!
Until a line-item veto becomes a reality, something most candidates for president, including McCain, lobby for, McCain plans to highlight wasteful spending proposals and embarrass their authors. McCain promises to increase transparency in the earmarking process so all requests for funds are identified and not hidden on the back pages of bills that run hundreds of pages. He promises to prioritize spending decisions, make responsible choices on budget matters, and veto excessive spending bills.
Spending is an important part of the equation in considering budget philosophy. Ronald Reagan’s wildly successful supply side tax cuts helped boost the economy. But, at the same time, despite Reagan’s best efforts, government spending was not tamped down to his liking. Both tax cuts and spending cuts are important fiscal policies.
McCain’s votes against the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts have been made a campaign issue and should not be ignored here. The senator explains he wanted spending controlled before voting for the tax cuts, hoping the time was ripe to finally make advancement on the spending side of the equation. The spending reforms never materialized. He has since stated his support for continuing the tax cuts and offered a tax cut program of his own.
The McCain pro-growth tax plan includes repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax, a ban on Internet taxes and a cut in the corporate tax rate.
In the spirit of California’s Proposition 13, McCain is calling for a supermajority vote in Congress to pass tax increases. The provision of Proposition 13 that mandated a supermajority vote to raise taxes in the legislature has saved the California taxpayer time and again from a majority that wants to “fix” all budget problems by dipping deeper into the taxpayer’s pocket.
Of course, there are other issues to consider when voting for president. Prime among these is keeping America safe. John McCain clearly qualifies for the presidency on that point.
On the important issues of both taxes and spending, John McCain has a strong record and would prove a fiscally conservative stalwart in the White House.