McCain vows war on wasteful spending.

[louis-t]

Source: Reuters

"I'm their worst nightmare," he added, referring to supporters of programs that he considers responsible for hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful federal spending.

"We're going to put a freeze on discretionary spending. We're going to make wealthy people pay for their own prescription drugs," McCain said.

Challenged how he expects to find enough savings, McCain said: "You scrub every agency of government. Is there any American that doesn't believe that there's tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars that can be saved?"

McCain, who has clinched the Republican presidential nomination, insisted he would be able to cut taxes and move to balance the budget in his first term.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080420/pl_nm/usa_politics_mccain_dc_2;_ylt=AlOiKBk800v43.DX92wCUkME1vAI

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It...I...just...er...gggggrrr....AAAAHHHHHH!!!!

[flamingyouth]

So we'll be leaving Iraq ... when?

[struggle4progress]

5. In a hundred years: it'll be a lot cheaper than staying two hundred years

[lapfog_1]

9. Hey... don't we get the "long term occupiers" discount rate??? - n/t

[ladjf]

1. Meaningless mush.

[louis-t]

3. Sad thing is, idiots will fall for this garbage.

Makes my head hurt.

[Juche]

10. I know

Its sad how many people make decisions based on heuristics or stereotypes. I'm not saying people at DU are perfect, but we attempt to educate ourselves on what politicians stand for, which is better than nothing.

McCain wants to spend $400-500 billion + a year on tax cuts for the rich and unnecessary wars. And he wants to cut spending on other areas instead. We could achieve alot with $400-500 billion a year. A meaningful renewable energy program, a $4000/yr tax credit for college students, middle class tax cuts, invest in special forces and intel agencies to fight terrorism intelligently, invest in infrastructure, increase science and medical research spending, universal healthcare with a meaningful patients bill of rights and still have enough money left (130 billion or so) over to balance the budget.

[ladjf]

21. I think that it is time for the scientific community to step up and

reveal that American IQ is in a steady decline. Then, massive efforts need to be made to uncover the causes.

It may seem that I'm attempting to be "cute" or funny. But, I'm dead serious. Something is making us too dumb to be able to discern what is in our own best interest.

[Juche]

25. I don't think its IQ, I think its the media and debate

In between the pundits who say what they feel the truth should be rather than what it is or the shallow (or more and more, nonexistant) coverage of important issues the public just aren't getting any good info. If we had one hour a week of truly informative, fact based news that people paid attention to we'd be alot better off.

I have had alot of debates with conservatives about the federal budget, but none have known how big it is (currently around 3.1 trillion) or what it is spent on. They aren't stupid, they've just never been informed about the basics of civics and when any of us vote on an issue like taxes or the budget, if we don't understand the facts of it we probably wont' know what we are voting for.

There is a book out by Susan Jacoby called The Age of American Unreason which discusses the total lack of understanding of basic facts in geography, healthcare or economics that is damaging our society because without that knowledge we can't make competent decisions. I haven't read it yet but I am looking for an affordable copy right now. As an example, I have seen studies asking people 'how much do you think the US spends as a % of its federal budget on foreign aid' and people say 20-40%, when it is closer to 1%. When they find this out they want to spend more on fighting hunger, disease or poverty overseas. But because we haven't been informed about the basic facts of US foreign policy or the federal budget people vote based on gross misinformation about how big our budget is or what it is spent on. And its sad because when people find out what we really spend, they want to increase it. Debate should be about sharing conflicting ideas, not disproving misinformation. But that is what debate is devolving into in this country.

However either by design or coincidence, if you try to bring up the fact that many of us are becoming less and less informed you risk being labeled a 'liberal elitist'. Maybe that was covertly by design by the so called vast right wing conspiracy. You convince people the media is biased or untrustworthy and only unverifiable, extremely partisan outlets like talk radio are trustworthy, and anyone who calls you misinformed or uninformed is an elitist. That way the public keeps voting for agendas we don't understand because all the avenues to becoming informed are eliminated. But thats just a conspiracy theory as far as I can tell.

[ShockediSay]

26. This is the guy whose campaign was saved by lobbyists!! nt

[ladjf]

29. Thanks for the good discussion of the topic. I'm confident that

the points you brought out are at least part of the reason Americans are so prone to making poor decisions. Yet, I still feel that there might be a more basic root cause to their unwise behavior.

There could actually be an array of environmental exposures that are actually damaging our brains. I'm talking about toxic substances in the air, water and food. Many of the dangerous substances are known. But, perhaps the most dangerous aspect could be the effects of all of them in combination.

I'm not a scientist. So my suspicions don't carry much weight.

[ShockediSay]

31. I think it's also constant exposure to propaganda pushing

MSM

[Malidictus Maximus]

28. "Then, massive efforts need to be made to uncover the causes. "

Republicans breeding (uggg what a thought).
Do I get my money now?

[jwirr]

22. This is the argument that has the most punch against us. It was the

same argument raygun started with and it is still believed by all too many Americans. Yes there is waste but I doubt it is that much. After *ss and co. I would be looking for fraud by administrators.

[Fenris]

2. He can't accomplish anything without declaring war on something.

[Warpy]

4. Meanwhile, he's got a blind spot the size of the Pentagon

and will continue to waste trillions on that outfit in a bid to prop up all his rich arms dealer buddies.

Any president who talks about spending has got to talk about deflating the bloated military budget. Cutting Granny off her blood pressure medicine is simply not going to do it.

This man is so outrageously ignorant he's a danger to this country where he is. He would be a disaster in the top office. I doubt the country would survive him.

[Lorentz]

6. Should read: "McCain vows wasteful spending on war"

[rock]

7. Wow! What a great idea!

How come no prospective candidate ever made this promise before!? (Yeah, sarcasm)

[LaPera]

8. Cut taxes? Why didn't the republicans cut taxes for the middle class when they

had complete control of both Houses and the Executive Branch?? If the republicans really cared about cutting taxes they could of gotten rid of any taxes they now spew out.....but they didn't...they only cut taxes for the rich and corporations and used the middle class to finance all their subsidies corporate welfare and the corporate tax cuts...We the middle class are funding their war machine and the corporations wars for profit....

Middle class' taxes have gone up every year for the past seven years....Yet the republicans pound it into our brains...They Cut Taxes, Only They Cut Taxes....yes, but for whom? Only the wealthy & corporations! Why didn't the republicans cut taxes for the middle class, when they had complete and total power?

Because it's always only been republican BULLSHIT! When they speak to the working people about cutting taxes......they certainly will, for for the rich....The republicans had their chance!

We ALL have saw and quite clearly, the republicans true agenda, ideology and priorities for six long years (imperialism & corporate fascism) and now we are left with the republicans pounding it into us again, repeating it over & over that they are going to cut taxes...The republicans hate and disregard for working people, the poor and the middle class, (what's left of it) is so completely obvious to any who wants to see the truth!

[otohara]

11. Save It In Order To Throw It @ Iraq

rich people ain't gonna go for this RX thing either. People who make money expense everything and pay for nothing, that's why they're rich.

[creeksneakers2]

12. When McCain voiced this yarn

on ABC even Stephanopoulus had to cite statistics that showed what McCain is promising is nowhere near possible. McCain couldn't give a valid explanation of where he'd find the money, just vague generalities like Reagan used to give.

McCain is getting away with carrying out a big fraud.

[depakid]

13. Basically, a war on domestic spending that actually helps people

along with a continued dismantling of regulation and enforcement at the federal agencies.

McSame, alright.

[Faygo Kid]

14. The "make wealthy people pay" is an attack on universal Medicare.

Don't be fooled. He's not interested in means testing for Medicare (or Social Security, for that matter) to be a "budget hawk;" he wants to destroy the programs utterly. And a sure way to do that is to make the "wealthy" pay for a program from which they derive no benefit. They will then clamor for its end, and that's the goal.

Believe me, he is defining "wealthy" as those simply able to afford medical care - not "wealthy" in terms of his wife's $100 million.

His goal is the same as W's: End the social safety net; drive wealth to the top.

[mwb970]

15. Pure nonsense.

On This Week, Stephanopolous reminded McCain he had earlier said "no tax cuts without spending cuts to match" and asked him if he would still cut taxes now, even if he failed at cutting spending. "Of course," said the old man.

So. First he was totally against tax cuts for the rich. Then he was for them, but only if matched by spending cuts. Now he is for them, with or without spending cuts. Talk about a moving target!

[Tab]

16. McCain: Cutting taxes more important than balanced budget

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain said Sunday that cutting taxes and stimulating the economy are more important than balancing the budget, and accused both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama of supporting tax hikes that would worsen the impact of a recession.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080420/ap_on_el_pr/mccain

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Is cause and effect too hard a concept for these people?

[Amonester]

17. You'd think mcsame wants to lull the fifty-million-something idiots

who voted for the bu$h cabal that they'll have more money in their pockets by cutting their taxes, all the while he'll continue to rob their grandkids blind, and do nothing to stop the fascist corporations like bigoilinc from gouging them 'til they'll go bankrupt, just the same as the criminal bu$h junta! :crazy:

[micraphone]

18. Get rid of some of those "intelligence" agencies

that aren't intelligent OR useful...

[rasputin1952]

19. Think of all of the money, not to mention lives saved if he didn't

think "100 years in Iraq" was such a grand idea!

Same old GOP rhetoric, we got it from Reagan and bush...both added to a monstrous Federal Govt. Anyone who believes this...send 'em to me, I have Seaside property in Nebraska they could buy...:D

[izquierdista]

20. Billions CAN be saved

If you just say "no" to the Pentagon and cut their budget to 40 billion.

[appleannie1]

23. The Iraq war is the biggest waste and he plans on staying there.

What he plans on cutting are things that help American people and the military.

[onethatcares]

24. but, aren't we supposed to have done that already by cutting taxes?

those cuts were supposed to cut the deficit in half, create one trillion new jobs, clean the atmosphere and make new forests out of seedlings in 4 short years. What happened?:evilgrin:

[lakeguy]

27. oh, i bet the first cuts will come from the bloated

military budget!:sarcasm:

[Mz Pip]

30. No more Botox for Cindy?

Good luck with that one, John.

[FREEWILL56]

32. I guess that means McCain is declaring war on the republican party.

Fat chance this is true. It is the repukes who have gouged the people to go to war for oil and other private interests while we the people pay for it or more specifically the lower 99 percent. This also makes him antibush as he is the biggest waste I've ever seen. How about making bush pay back the people for all of those long and frequent vacations and, yes, even those at the ranch as no president has ever been on vacation so much at the public's expense in our nation's history. To boot he's doing this during critical times for our nation when we are seeing war, indebtedness, severe weather and global warming, inflation, poverty, disease, etc. His party has left America behind in favor of their own personnal greed and power while we pay for it and that isn't just in money as that is in blood too. That's the newest way republicans tax.

[truthisfreedom]

33. "War on" anything by a rethug means wasted taxpayer dollars and NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED.

Surefire fraud. "War on" is the cynical rethug phrase for putting money in their crony friends' pockets, and ensuring a cush job after their finished emptying the US Treasury coffers.

[entanglement]

34. Translation: prepare for more attacks on an already struggling working class

[Betty]

35. McCain vows wasteful spending on war

I think the headline was a typo.