Frustrations run high at McCain town hall in Goodyear
by Rebekah L. Sanders - Aug. 25, 2011 09:56 AM
The Arizona Republic

Few of the 100 or so people at Sen. John McCain's town hall in the West Valley this week had compliments for Congress and President Barack Obama.

Frustration ran high at the Goodyear meeting Tuesday as people described losing jobs, watching home values plummet and worrying about Social Security, the national debt and illegal immigration.


Sen. John McCain speaks during a town hall meeting on Aug. 23, 2011 at the Goodyear Justice Center in Goodyear.

But the meeting seemed less raucous than the "tea party"-dominated one this month in Gilbert where shouting matches broke out, McCain called for a "modicum of courtesy" and town officials heightened security. Audience members this week seemed more divided on who to blame for the country's problems: Obama or former President George W. Bush.

"A lot of us in this room are disappointed not only in the Republicans but also the Democrats," Sharon Stewart, 65, of Phoenix, told McCain.

"Let's look at what's in the best interest of the working people," she said. "We need health care, we need the infrastructure rebuilt, we need living wages."

McCain said the country went on a "spending spree" under Bush that drove up the national debt to $10.6 trillion. But Obama made it worse, he said, raising the debt to $14.3 trillion since 2008 by spending on an ineffective economic-stimulus program, instituting too many regulations and not creating enough jobs.

McCain called for closing tax loopholes, cutting the corporate tax rate and placing a moratorium on new regulations to rev up the economy.

Businesses have cash but don't know if they should invest or save right now, he said.

"If small and large businesses think there's going to be another rule, regulation or tax increase come down on them, you're not going to see this economy improve," McCain said.

Goodyear resident Harold Beasley Sr., who worked for the U.S. Border Patrol for 32 years, said he was dismayed by illegal immigration.

"Every day I see it," he said. "We don't want to separate these (undocumented) families . . . but they didn't have any problem separating my family when they sent me to Vietnam."

McCain criticized the Obama administration's recent decision to halt deportation of illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes.

"Are you sending the message now in the world, 'If you come across our border illegally, and you don't commit a crime, you're home free?' " he asked. "We should not selectively violate our laws."

Several residents asked McCain for his views on defense cuts and whether Luke Air Force Base in Glendale will land the training mission for the F-35 stealth jet-fighters.

McCain said he strongly supports the military but believes "outrageous and disgraceful" cost overruns, particularly in Lockheed Martin's development of the F-35, must be brought under control.

McCain added that Luke Air Force Base remains the best option for the new training mission because of the quality of the Barry M. Goldwater bombing range in southern Arizona. The Department of Defense has named Luke its preferred training site but more public input will be sought this fall, when the government releases a long-awaited draft environmental impact statement.

The fate of Social Security weighed heavily on several audience members' minds.

A mother holding her infant son worried about society's "most vulnerable" losing benefits when they need it most. She proposed raising the cap on how much a taxpayer can pay into Social Security.

"Warren Buffet said it: The rich should pay their fair share," she said.

McCain invited the rich to write $1 million checks to save Social Security.

"I'm looking forward to seeing (that)," he said. Rather, significant changes must be made to the entitlement system before it goes broke, he said, and everything must be on the table.

One possibility is raising the retirement age, McCain said. But he promised changes would not affect current beneficiaries.

McCain's response drew ire from some.

One woman said raising the retirement age would be difficult for those in physically demanding jobs. Another asked why the middle class should vote for Republicans who "favor the rich."

Touching on the uprising in Libya, McCain called Moammar Gadhafi "one of the most bloodthirsty dictators on Earth."

But he warned there is a risk that the new government could be "hijacked by the radical Islamic movement in that part of the world."

McCain said massive arms depots in Libya must be controlled, political prisoners must be freed, free elections should be conducted and order must be kept.

McCain made it clear that he did not want U.S. forces involved in Syria, but he said he expects that country's revolts to lead to similar results as in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, unseating leaders.

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