Putting McCain's performance on the public record

Putting McCain's performance on the public record

By TERRENCE L. LITKA SR.

It is funny to read the misquoting of Sen. Barack Obama, but it is understandable considering the Limbaughesque propaganda being spewed by the conservative side. There are a few things, though, about Sen. John McCain that should be pointed out to those who are blindly jumping on his bandwagon.

While McCain's service to his country in the military and his prisoner of war experience are commendable, his votes against veterans' benefits are deplorable. Not only has he refused to support the 21st Century GI Bill, which the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsed last June, he has consistently voted against increasing funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees all medical care for veterans:

McCain voted against an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA's medical facilities. He voted against providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care "and treatment for veterans," one of only 13 senators to do so. He voted against increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. He voted against increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending "abusive tax loopholes."


People are already talking that McCain would be best for the defense of this country. Think. Do you honestly believe any president, regardless of political party, would not defend this land? Do you honestly believe that any president, regardless of political party, would buck the Constitution and take away your firearms? Think! Don't be led like sheep by the talk-show entertainers.

As for being a "maverick," McCain voted with the Bush administration 89 percent of the time. Since President Bush took office, McCain has supported Bush's positions 89 percent of the time. McCain's support of Bush's policies reached as high as 95 percent in 2007. Think about this as you pay more than $3 per gallon of milk and more than $4 per gallon for gasoline.

Now, his view on jobs. McCain voted with the Republicans in 2007 to stall a minimum wage increase for working families — before bowing to public pressure and voting to pass the final bill that included tax breaks for businesses. He even voted to completely repeal the minimum wage laws in 45 states and allow the other five states to opt out of any future minimum wage increases above $5.15 an hour. McCain voted against protecting workers' overtime pay from Bush administration rules that threaten the overtime rights of 6 million workers. McCain voted to block the Occupational Safety and Health Administration from issuing, implementing or enforcing standards to protect workers from ergonomic injuries. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the act unless the federal government either certified that compliance would not increase costs for business or provided financial assistance to businesses to cover any costs associated with implementing the law.

McCain voted against extending the expiring Temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation program for another six months, with an additional 13 weeks of benefits for workers who exhaust their federal benefits while looking for a new job. The amendment also called for unemployment benefits for low-wage workers and workers seeking part-time employment. At the time the program was due to expire, more than 1 million long-term jobless workers were nearing the end of their state benefits.

McCain voted against the 2004 $318 billion highway and transportation bill that would create about 5 million jobs over six years in new highway and transit construction projects, although Bush said he would approve only up to $256 billion in funding. The legislation contained Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections.

McCain also voted in 2005 against a six-year, $286 billion reauthorization of the federal highway and transit construction program. The infrastructure modernization bill would create 1 million family-supporting jobs, protected by Davis-Bacon prevailing wage standards. McCain voted against an amendment that authorized $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2002 to help states and local school districts repair their most dilapidated public school buildings.

Now for health care, like Bush's, McCain's plan undermines existing employer-based health care and pushes workers into the private market to fight big insurance companies on their own. It will reduce benefits, increase costs and leave many with no health care at all. McCain wants to shift the burden from employers to workers. He will make health care premiums part of taxable income, essentially creating a new tax for working families. The modest tax credit McCain wants to give people to cover his new tax would cover less than half the average health premium, leaving workers to pick up the difference. Also, by promoting high-deductible Health Savings Account plans, which provide fewer benefits at higher costs, he will make the high costs of individual insurance even worse. Many states have laws regulating health care quality by requiring basic services to be included in health care coverage. McCain's proposal would circumvent these laws, resulting in lower quality coverage without consumer protections.

So, one must wonder if these facts will be broadcast by the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Laura Ingraham so that we, the voters, are informed before we make our decision. Be sure to register to vote. Stay informed on the issues. Think. Vote.

Terrence L. Litka Sr. lives in Mishawaka.

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