Finally, here is the final part of The Issues According to McCain’s Website. Indeed, this is my final The Issues According to a Candidate’s Website that I am doing for the US Presidential Primary race. If you missed Part I or Part II, simply follow the links.

Education: After the obligatory mentioning of the importance of education, McCain lists no specific accomplishments or goals in education reform. The language of his thoughts on this issue are very non-specific, but seems to give support to school vouchers and subtle condemnation of teachers’ unions.

School vouchers have the potential to kill public eduction. Private schools are under no obligation to accept students. Naturally, private schools will choose students they believe will perform the best, thus enhancing the prestige of the school. They will also choose students who are low cost, such as students without special needs. Thus the students left in the public system will be disproportionately less qualified and/or have disabilities and/or discipline problems. This would cause public schools to have worse performance records and worse discipline problems. So instead of solving these issues already present in many schools, school vouchers promise to concentrate and amplify these problems. It’s a solution for select children which fails to provide the “equal opportunity” for all children that McCain supposedly champions on this issue.

Did I mention that most private schools are religious and government funding for them is in violation of the First Amendment?

National Security: The subtitle for this issue on McCain’s website is “A Strong Military in a Dangerous World”. Anytime I see someone claiming something is ‘dangerous’, it gets my skeptic sense tingling. Too many times has danger been exaggerated or made up wholesale in order to motivate people to buy certain products, tune-in to certain news shows, or vote certain ways. Sure enough, when listing the threats to America, he puts global terrorism and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the top of his list. As I’ve written about elsewhere, these problems pose relatively minor security risks to United States. He also lists Iran and North Korea is potential threats. Seeing as North Korea is openly hostile to the US and has nuclear technology (albeit primitive), I would agree with him. Iran isn’t far behind North Korea both in terms of hostility and technology.

Unfortunately the first, in fact the only plan McCain puts forth to handle these security issues is a stronger military. This is especially troubling since he lists technological and economic competition from China and Russia as threats. The implication is that in order to maintain our lead in those areas, McCain is prepared to use military force! While military action will sometimes be necessary, I believe it should aways be the last option and never the only option. He has a lot to say about how he’d improve the military, but I’m far to disgusted with his hawkish tendencies to write about the specifics.

Stewards of Our Nation’s Rich Natural Heritage: This is the issue where McCain affirms his commitment to the environment in general and reducing global warming in particular. Though one might feel compelled to question his commitment when this issue is the thirteenth one listed and he dedicates very little text to the issue. Still, I see some very encouraging phrases on this page, such as “John McCain believes that America’s economic and environmental interests are not mutually exclusive, but rather inextricably linked.”

There is another phrase that defies description:

[McCain] believes that ignoring the problem reflects a “liberal live for today” attitude unworthy of our great country, and poses a serious and unacceptable threat to our environment, our economy, and U.S. national security.

The utter audacity of the statement! First, he implies that liberals don’t care for environmental issues. Liberals have lead the way in protecting the environment as conservatives came along kicking and screaming as environmentalism gained overwhelming popular support. Then, he indirectly implies that liberals are ‘unworthy of our great country’ and are ‘unacceptable’ threats to the environment (laughable), economy (okay, he has a little something there), and U.S. national security (bullshit!). What I wonder is how someone who can write such statements be considered bipartisan.

Protecting Second Amendment Rights: The title pretty much says it all. Here’s the rundown of McCain’s position on the particulars:

• Free access to assault riffles
• Free access to high-capacity ammunition clips
• Free access to armor-piercing ammunition
• No waiting periods for any firearm purchases
• ‘Instant’ background checks (better than no background checks, I suppose)
• Require safety locks (they’re not required already?!?)
• Harsher sentences for crimes committed with a firearm

So McCain wants to make sure that not only do citizens have the right to defend themselves, they also have the right to make the body count as high as possible while protecting themselves. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” The right to bear arms is given to well regulated militias (now known as Coast Guards and National Guards), not necessarily individuals and not only are those firearms to be regulated, but well regulated. A near weapons free-for-all supported by the NRA is not what the Second Amendment protects.

America’s Space Program: McCain’s stance on this issue is so brief that I can quote it in it’s entirety.

John McCain is a strong supporter of NASA and the space program. He is proud to have sponsored legislation authorizing funding consistent with the President’s vision for the space program, which includes a return of astronauts to the Moon in preparation for a manned mission to Mars. He believes support for a continued US presence in space is of major importance to America’s future innovation and security. He has also been a staunch advocate for ensuring that NASA funding is accompanied by proper management and oversight to ensure that the taxpayers receive the maximum return on their investment. John McCain believes curiosity and a drive to explore have always been quintessential American traits. This has been most evident in the space program, for which he will continue his strong support.

Not much to say other than ‘I agree’ and ‘I wish it was more important to all politicians’.