Changes

===Budget===

===Budget===

McCain has stated he plans to balance the budget by 2013, via spending cuts by ending earmarks and proposing a one-year pause in discretionary spending, in addition to tax cuts.<ref>[http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/4dbd2cc7-890e-47f1-882f-b8fc4cfecc78.htm John McCain's Economic Proposals]</ref>  Economic experts, though, are skeptical that the ideas proposed by Senator McCain will create a balanced budget.  According to Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed." <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08budget.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget]</ref>

McCain stated his plans to balance the budget by 2013, via spending cuts by ending earmarks and proposing a one-year pause in discretionary spending, in addition to tax cuts.<ref>[http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/4dbd2cc7-890e-47f1-882f-b8fc4cfecc78.htm John McCain's Economic Proposals]</ref>  Economic experts, though, were skeptical that the ideas proposed by Senator McCain would create a balanced budget.  According to Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group, "It would be very difficult to achieve in the best of circumstances, and even more difficult under the policies that Senator McCain has proposed." <ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/us/politics/08budget.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Skepticism on McCain Plan to Balance Budget]</ref>

Senator McCain proposes to hold the increase in federal spending to 2%, while it has grown at an average of 6% over the past five years.  In addition, he plans to slow the growth of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but has not given details of how he plans to do so.   

Senator McCain proposed to hold the increase in federal spending to 2%, while it had grown at an average of 6% over the past five years.  In addition, he planned to slow the growth of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid but never gave details of how he plans to do so.   

As a comparison on earmarks, if President Bush were to end all earmarks in 2008, it would cut $17 billion out of a $2.9 trillion budget, a relatively minor amount.

As a comparison on earmarks, if President Bush were to end all earmarks in 2008, it would cut $17 billion out of a $2.9 trillion budget, a relatively minor amount.