Senator John McCain’s IdeologyRepublican Senator John McCain of Arizona announced his candidacy for President on April 14, 1999. His stated positions on most issues are fairly conservative. Senator McCain would like to cut taxes and simplify the tax code. Senator McCain opposes using Social Security funds for deficit reduction or other uses, and would like to set aside 62% of the budget surplus to keep Social Security from becoming insolvent. Senator McCain’s education plans include support for a nationwide school voucher test, voluntary testing of teachers by state and local authorities, merit pay for teachers, and reducing the federal eduction bureaucracy.Senator McCain has been a United States Senator since 1986, and he was a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1982-1986. His father and grandfather were admirals, and he served in the U.S. Navy from 1954-1981, retiring as a highly-decorated Captain. Senator McCain believes that our military is the finest in the world, but has serious readiness problems due to declining budgets and increased deployments. He proposes to increase military pay and retirement benefits while reducing money spent on regional pork-barrel projects, and Cold War relics that do not meet modern threats.Senator McCain does not support gun bans or other measures which infringe on the Second Amendment rights of Americans. He is a proponent of instant background checks for all commercial firearms sales. He has voted against federally-mandated waiting periods, believing that instant background checks can be done swiftly without the need to impose restrictions on law-abiding citizens. Senator McCain has led the effort to ensure trigger locks are sold with every firearm. Senator McCain supports stiff penalties against those who use a gun in the commission of a crime.Senator McCain has been a leader in the campaign finance reform fight. This is an area where he has voted in oppositi...
