McCain's plans for, taxes, heathcare, war, and entitlements are detrimental for the middle-class.

I dispute my opponents claim that the middle class pertains to the $40-80,000 annual income range. The term middle class does not have a definitive definition. The term middle class does have some ambiguity to it. My opponent's use of the data from the census and its application to a normal distribution is impressive, however, I feel that 33% is far to low of a number. The middle class can be divided into the Upper and Lower middle class. My opponents 33% only accounts for the lower middle class (LMC). The Upper Middle Class (UMC) is about 15% of the population. UMC members make above average salaries and are societies managers, architects, and other professionals. Although UCM members earn more than the LMC members does not put them into the top 1-5% of the population and there for should be included into the definition of Middle Class. http://en.wikipedia.org.... As a general rule people making less than $250,000 annual salary and above the mean average salary are within the UMC. The number $250,000 is the standard measure because once you break past $250,000 you are within the top 1-5% of the population. Opponent: "Since no taxes are to be increased on the middle class, it is impossible to conclude that redistribution of wealth will occur. Wealth cannot be redistributed (as my opponent wrongly inferred) from the middle class to the upper class unless taxes are steeply increased on the middle class and greatly reduced on the upper class (Which is certainly not the case)." First let me say that John McCain's tax policy is an extension of and expansion of the Bush tax policy. Of course Bush tax policy is that of Republican policy so it is easy to understand why McCain is adopting the same tax ideologies. Therefore McCain's tax policies will have the same if not more dramatic effect on redistribution of wealth. That being said, here is some real world data to demonstrate the effects of a tax policy which allows huge tax breaks for the top 1-5% of the population while offering a mere $319 for the LMC. In a blog by Jared Bernstein (google him if you do not know who he is), he writes, "In 2001, when the richest one percent of households held 18% of all income." This is the year Bush took office and implemented the famous Bush Tax Cuts, which McCain will extend and expand. In 2006 (year the most recent data exists) what do you expect happened? Did income distribution to the top 1% (yes 1% not 1-5%) increase, decrease, or remain the same like my opponent believes is what will happen? If you guessed it to remain the same and this is your final answer, sorry you did not win who wants to be a Millionaire. "The most recent data show that in 2006, 23% of all income is held by the richest 1%, the highest level on record but for one year: 1928." (http://www.alternet.org...'s_hands/). So as you see the effect of that tax policy does exactly what it is designed to do. Keep more and more of the nations wealth in the hands of the top 1-5% of the population in hopes of a trickle down effect. A. Taxes My opponent is right that taxes will drop by a dismal $319. Now the fact that people will have to pay less taxes is in itself a positive, but that does not represent the totality of John McCain's tax plan. First of all John McCain wants to lower taxes for the top 1-5% substantially, allowing giant corporations and millionaires to keep millions and even billions more in the hopes of passing those savings on to customers in form of lower prices and in to workers by increased wages. Look at the Oil industry. We can see how they benefited from similar tax cuts with record profits quarter after quarter, but have not helped to lower the price of gasoline on consumers. Recent data on wages for anyone not in the 1-5% range actually have their wages falling or raising at a lower pace than inflation. What does this mean for the Middle Class? Well the middle class is having to spend less since either their wage is falling or not increasing in pace with inflation. This lowers the ability for the middle class to purchase the things they need and McCain proposes throwing $320 at them to fix the problem. That is $26 extra a month for families. What can the anyone do with $26 a month? B. Healthcare John McCain plans to give a 2500 tax credit for individuals, and a 5000 tax credit for households. This includes the middle class. Well considering the average cost of a family health plan today is $12,000. We can see how a mere $5,000 tax credit wont cover the bill. Not to mention the fact that McCains proposed health plan will strip away state laws mandating consumer protection laws like covering pre-existing conditions and cherry picking customer. More and more insurance companies will move to the states with lest customer protections lowering the standard and quality of health insurance. The middle class must work to survive and nothing is more important to an individuals ability to work than their health. Just like banking, deregulating the health industry only benefits big corps not the American Middle Class. C. Entitlements "Medicare provides healthcare to people age 65 or older, I fail to see how this has an impact on the middle class." Well since most Middle Class american will one day be 65, medicare does impact them. Middle Class Americans do not have the pleasure of a luxurious retirement like the top 1-5% of the population does. They depend on the medicare system to help them stay afloat in their latter year. McCain plans to cut spending to medicare by a trillion will mean more and more middle class americans will be left to fork over more and more of their meager income to the health and pharmaceutical companies, who receive millions and billions in tax savings. "Option to invest 20% of payroll taxes in private accounts" That option was proposed by Bush. This plan puts American's money at risk on the stock market. The recent happening with which is enough to persuade anyone that such a route is dangerous and unreliable at best.